Interest doesn't mean much, everyone knew by that point De Jong was going nowhere including people at United and they acted accordingly.
Athletic: Man Utd are all in on Ten Hag -- they almost doubled transfer budget after awful start
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All speculative. I'm not questioning the possibility but it should in no way be considered gospel.
It was without doubt a chaotic summer of our own creating.
We fell on our feet with Casemiro agreeing to come here, this is more down to luck than planning and strategy.
We spent far too long on FDJ, which we can now safely say there wasn't any reassurances behind the scenes that he was coming, which is laughable really when you think about. It literally held up EtH pre season preparation's and meant we over spent on players towards the end of the window. Poor preparation equals poor results.
The Casemiro signing masks over the Arnautovic/Rabiot shaningans.
The allowance of Ronaldo to also drag the club down throughout the window, should have also been dealt with better.
People will say who cares that we overspent, its not my money, well actually you do realise with combination of Glazer debt repayments combined with FFP, the more we burn through money, the less we will be able to invest in the future. I suspect our budget next year will be £50m at most.
This would be okay if we sold well, but we don't do this well either.
We have to get UCL qualification this year, if we don't its a long way back for us, as the money isn't there to bail us out anymore.
Recruitment MUST improve for the future of our club.
We fell on our feet with Casemiro agreeing to come here, this is more down to luck than planning and strategy.
We spent far too long on FDJ, which we can now safely say there wasn't any reassurances behind the scenes that he was coming, which is laughable really when you think about. It literally held up EtH pre season preparation's and meant we over spent on players towards the end of the window. Poor preparation equals poor results.
The Casemiro signing masks over the Arnautovic/Rabiot shaningans.
The allowance of Ronaldo to also drag the club down throughout the window, should have also been dealt with better.
People will say who cares that we overspent, its not my money, well actually you do realise with combination of Glazer debt repayments combined with FFP, the more we burn through money, the less we will be able to invest in the future. I suspect our budget next year will be £50m at most.
This would be okay if we sold well, but we don't do this well either.
We have to get UCL qualification this year, if we don't its a long way back for us, as the money isn't there to bail us out anymore.
Recruitment MUST improve for the future of our club.
If anyone should be given the number 16 it's Martinez.
Agreed. He’s worthy of it.
Propaganda piece by the Maguire equivalent of DoFs or Arnold or both of those clowns.
This is it.
And I dont quite understand why this and more aspects related to it haven't hit home multiple years earlier with the incompetent buffoons in the upper echelons.
A decade worth of shocking off as well as on field performance has left us a relatively undesirable destination for top and future talent, as well as getting rinsed out whether buying or selling.
Incompetence from above has proven the very catalyst for the entire terrible ecosystem this club now finds itself operating in.
As always, they rely upon the hope that a manager can steady a ship with rotting wood continually under strain.
We just burn through manager tenures/ player contracts looking to do an Arsenal post stadium costs. Are we going to waste ETH, and Sancho for example, and just head into a new mediocre cycle once more?
We will if those above are unable to starkly paint this picture out before the Glazers ending up with a reborn reluctance to invest resulting in us stagnating again in following transfer windows.
If you're making up ground, keep that foot firmly down.
Obviously we thought we could get away with letting of Pogba, Matic, Bailly, Cavani and Mata, with giving ETH just about enough to say we've spent enough. I usually think the Glazers spend enough but are killing us with sheer incompetence. But this summer we genuinely needed to spend huge given the state of the team and outgoings.
I think the initial plan was:
- Malacia - 13m
- Timber - 40m ish
- Antony - 50-60m
- Frenkie - 65m
And then they expected to be able to get a good chunk from Bailly/Telles/Martial/Garner/Pereira to bring the net spend to around 120m. Makes sense to me. And then when all the prices quoted were way higher they... chose to not do anything thinking we'll be fine. But yeah. We desperately needed to have an aggressive window. The window without Antony would've been a "par for the course" window post Sir Alex, where we spend a lot, but don't do enough and delay a necessary signing by a year in favor of saving 20m or so. Antony was that guy and we chose to spend up this year which I'm delighted about. It's finally going aggressive to claw that gap back and then we can have normal windows in the future which will then be what we needed. But we've needed an aggressive window for years now as we have been playing catch up for years.
I will never get it.
"Too small for the premier league" said pundits.
Tells us in detail what literally everyone knew without the details. We are shitshow and Ten Hag is at some point either going to be screwed over or just quit.
Glazers are penny pinching cnuts, who have no clue how to run a football club and fans need to continue protesting to get these leeches out.
Murtough is exactly what you expect from a DoF who has learned everything about being a dof under Woodward. He can't pick up everyone's calls, doesn't actually negotaite all deals. He fired our scouts as they weren't giving enough recommendations and then went ahead and signed only those players who Ten Haag specifically knew about. He has apparently built a structure whose genius we are just in awe of, I mean a so called structure that goes from antony to arnautovic without concerns, which thinks getting de jong is same as getting rabiot and if he car be managed just get casemiro because they are all the same.
I truly hope murtough has nothing to do with this article, otherwise we are screwed, he is so bad he can't even manage to get blame diverting puff pieces right.
Glazers are penny pinching cnuts, who have no clue how to run a football club and fans need to continue protesting to get these leeches out.
Murtough is exactly what you expect from a DoF who has learned everything about being a dof under Woodward. He can't pick up everyone's calls, doesn't actually negotaite all deals. He fired our scouts as they weren't giving enough recommendations and then went ahead and signed only those players who Ten Haag specifically knew about. He has apparently built a structure whose genius we are just in awe of, I mean a so called structure that goes from antony to arnautovic without concerns, which thinks getting de jong is same as getting rabiot and if he car be managed just get casemiro because they are all the same.
I truly hope murtough has nothing to do with this article, otherwise we are screwed, he is so bad he can't even manage to get blame diverting puff pieces right.
Exactly, the protests would have been mental if they hadn't spent. They knew they (and we) were in big trouble.
I suppose it’s a positive that fan pressure is effective. Curious about Ajax. Manager seemed genuinely upset about Antony leaving. I suppose it depends how we go in the months ahead as to whether we go back for De Jong. Maybe the prospect of CL will sway him, that and some sweetly biting ice-rain from the Irish Sea.
It’s not a shock the glazers spent the clubs money on transfers. They always have done this.
that’s not why were are upset. We’re upset at the rubbish recruitment and the lack of investment around the club. The facilities and stadium is far behind many other clubs now and it shouldn’t be. We should be top of the class with a club of this size and stature. We don’t like the fact they have put so much debt against the club and keep on taking dividends despite this fact. We’re a cash cow for them.
they were always going to spend money on players for ETH if they needed too. History tells us that. Them spending the clubs own money on players is never the issue. That’s hard for pundits to comprehend that keep spouting the billion on transfers line, but it’s facts. They haven’t spent a penny of their own billions, unlike other owners.
They also know that if they don’t back ETH, it will cause havoc with this fanbase.
that’s not why were are upset. We’re upset at the rubbish recruitment and the lack of investment around the club. The facilities and stadium is far behind many other clubs now and it shouldn’t be. We should be top of the class with a club of this size and stature. We don’t like the fact they have put so much debt against the club and keep on taking dividends despite this fact. We’re a cash cow for them.
they were always going to spend money on players for ETH if they needed too. History tells us that. Them spending the clubs own money on players is never the issue. That’s hard for pundits to comprehend that keep spouting the billion on transfers line, but it’s facts. They haven’t spent a penny of their own billions, unlike other owners.
They also know that if they don’t back ETH, it will cause havoc with this fanbase.
The CAF has a massive hard-on for this since the season started. Almost if we love to hate ourselves and we secretly love being shit.
It’s as if Ten Hag walking would somehow force the Glazers to sell or realise the mistakes they have been making and suddenly turn things around. When in reality that won’t happen, we’ll just get someone of a less stature and continue being even more shit.
I just don’t get it.
NSFW
This is the usual pattern that I fear will come back to haunt us. Top teams should be ready to spend ~£100m by default and more if necessary in a transitional window.
Our team looks a lot better but two key areas will still need addressing if all things go as well as we can hope this season, CF and CM.
I'm no Glazer fan but they usually do back the manager, in his first window. Let's see what's to come next summer.
According to Transfermarkt first season spends:
LVG - £176m
Jose - £167m
Ole - £212m
In fact, second season spends were quite high now that I come to look at it (except Ole). It seems the biggest problem is the poor negotiations. When you look at what Ole spent on players and what they were realistically worth at the time it's quite shocking.
No one likes being shit it's more the fact that most have gone through even false dawns that most are refusing to give clearly inept and incompetent folk benefit of doubt like we had previously. Also we are at a stage where if likes of Ten Hag can't fix us, there are very few realistic managerial choices out there that can.
Yeah, good post. I was actually one of the posters who, half-joking, said I would be quite happy for ETH to quit very early if the board fecked him about from the start. Looks like they’ve done their best to back him, for now.
I think you are more likely to overpay in the 60 million+ area, but you can still make bargains in that area. Van Dijk at 75 mil. was a bargain, so was Haaland, you never know, also Malacia looks like a real bargain now.
Exactly, so if Ten Hag were to walk, it would say two things.
1) No one would touch us with a barge pole if a well respected manager were to walk because of the owners
2)We are a lost cause and would cement us as a poisoned chalice
It would just ignite years upon years of falling further into midtable mediocrity
I would add a 3rd. Glazers will never be allowed to set foot at OT, heck if ETH walks, there is no way the club isn't sold, that liverpool game post super league nonsense will be how every home game is going to be treated and likes of sky are not going to stand for it.
At least they caught up with the rest of us. I’m glad they finally trust the guy they gave the fecking job to.
agreed negotiations were poor.
The article itself says though we were only giving like half the budget compared to what we ended with, that’s what I mean.
Right the way from Fergies day he said there was never a budget instead he'd just go to board whenever he wanted someone
I think and hope that Martinez & Antony will be an excellent acquisitions, but they were overpriced too, we paid an extra €15M for Martinez and an extra €30M for Antony.
I also think Casemiro was tad overpriced as well, he is indeed the best DM in Europe, but at 30 years and him being one of the top earners at Madrid meant that his value should not exceed €50M.
But I think all 3 (Martinez, Casemiro & Antony) are quality signings that any manager would love to have and they would work in most systems/styles of play.
Malacia & Eriksen are low cost and shrewd signings.
Iwas it the trick from ETH to play that worse on first two matches to find more budget？？
He should be realised before he selected all previous players on the field and he will get what result and performance.
He should be realised before he selected all previous players on the field and he will get what result and performance.
Spot on - media don’t get it that’s it their lack of personal involvement and incompetence that we are protesting against and have since the day their immoral take-over was announced. We can win the league and champions league and they will still be leeches - oh wait a minute we did… Glazers out.
I do think SAF would be different from all his successor, basically the board had not enough power to reject SAF request what he wanted. He was the MAN to control the everything from up to down and the MAN to earn the profit as much as possible for the board. With his successor, some power was separated and hold to different person
Not too sure about the negotiations being the major issue here. I think, it is the bad planning. When you fixate to certain players and people know, you will overpay. If you wait until the last week to make big business, you will overpay. This is what I can't get my head wrapped around. Having better people in charge of recruiting would save the owners money. Not that I want them to get more but doing it like we do is bad on all possible levels so why is it happening?!
I do think if we acted like a audit Disneyland in the past decade, we are hard to negotiate with other teams and players for a cheap price in short time. Man United tax were already engraved from other club memory.
We didnt "double the budget" or spend "£100m more" thats just not true.
We bought three players in Eriksen, Martinez and Malacia , started the season badly then spent £50m on Casemiro and £85m on Antony. However there was always an £85m bid on the table for De Jong which was part of the planned budget. In effect that money bought Antony instead so the extra budget was simply the price of Casemiro.
We bought three players in Eriksen, Martinez and Malacia , started the season badly then spent £50m on Casemiro and £85m on Antony. However there was always an £85m bid on the table for De Jong which was part of the planned budget. In effect that money bought Antony instead so the extra budget was simply the price of Casemiro.
article is such rubbish. clubs don't have transfer budgets for each window. it would be such a poor way to run the club. countless people have said this over the years. the media like to invent the idea of a budget but it is all nonsense. they will judge each transfer on its merits - it is always possible to spend more and borrow against the future, or spend less if the transfers dont make sense.
but we're bound to give the DOF/manager a budget of sorts.. they need to know roughly what they 're working with
Agreed, which is basically a desperation tax.
The hope this season we get CL qualifications either via top 4 or EL title win, and some strategic planning is in place so next summer, all necessary recruitment is done properly and no overpayment for players, if we are quoted an unreasonable fee, we either try to negotiate it down or move on to another option.
Yes pretty much this. We've overspent in the end, but then perosnally I think Martinez is better CB than Timber, while Casemiro is more suit to play for us in PL than FDJ. So wouldn't say it turn out too bad for us. Agreed we need an aggressive window this summer.
True but i don't think transfer spends exists in football in the way they're made up to in media. Yes there's likely a budget but wages and staggered payments owed and owing will influence calculations . A club doesn't announce or even decide a transfer budget based on headline transfer figures.
Of the money we spent so far we've no idea what proportion of that will be spent this year.
That's why when I ever read of a rumoured 'budget ' it's bullshit clickbait
So what teams just go out and look for players with no set limits? literally anyone making any substantial purchase will have a budget, it doesn't have to be a set in stone you can't go past that number but it would be stupid and absolutely bonkers for any organization to spend millions of dollars without a set limit to that spending.