CL secured but still lots of work to be done. What positions do we need to improve this summer/autumn?

[golden_blunder]

Not for £40m. I think he’s found his level personally. Being the best player at a solid PL club,

Got price from here

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Bargain at that price. Has matured as a player. Think he’d do well at a big club now

 

[Tyrion]

I like wan bissaka but he’s just not got enough going forward , need an upgrade, although might be worth seeing how he does next season.

I agree but I think a RW, a good centre back and a replacement for Matic are higher priorities. They're more serious weaknesses imo.

 

[Lordkippe]

1. Dwight Mcneill
2. Declan Rice
3. Joshua King/Deeney
4. Tyrone Mings
5. Cantwell

 

[Mr Smith]

I'm going to suggest coaching team (not manager, who's here to stay on merit).

This is more important than any player recruitment IMO.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Out - Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Mata, Sanchez

In - Upamecamo, Left Back, Sancho and Grealish (squad player)

You want to keep Rojo? and Bailly?

Rojo should be gone ASAP. Bailly needs to go as well, but perhaps will stay another threat to make up the numbers, as it’s unlikely we will be able to get rid of him, Jones and Rojo in one summer.

 

[charlenefan]

Priority for me would be midfield. Bruno is obviously fine as the number 10 but the two behind him will let us down over the course of a season, Matic due to his age, Pogba because it's just how he is. Who you get though I have no idea

I think it's obvious our budget this summer though will be spent on Sancho and if enough left over maybe we're still in for a Grealish as well and both will obviously make us stronger but I don't think we're challenging for the title without sorting the midfield

 

[BenitoSTARR]

Got price from here

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Bargain at that price. Has matured as a player. Think he’d do well at a big club now

I just think that ship has sailed for both parties.

I could have seen him at Arsenal before Pepe arrived now I don’t see any top 6 side moving for him.

You want to keep Rojo? and Bailly?

Rojo should be gone ASAP. Bailly needs to go as well, but perhaps will stay another threat to make up the numbers, as it’s unlikely we will be able to get rid of him, Jones and Rojo in one summer.

Bailly is a good option to have (when fit) Rojo should have gone in Jan.

Jones we should try to sell but I don’t hate the idea of him staying as much as the others.

 

[Mark Pawelek]

Need to buy 5 (*). In priority order:

* Right winger: Haven't had one for years. We can afford only 1 marquee signing this summer in this position.
* Left-footed fullback: We only have 1. Williams is a right-back. Need cover. Sell a RB (Dalot) to buy LB.
* Centre defensive midfield specialist: We only have 1: Matic will be 32 in next month. He can't handle 2 matches per week. Maybe sell Fred or McTominay to help fund a CDM specialist.
* Centre back: Smalling, Rojo, and Jones must go. Bailly and Tsunzebe are injured too often. Lot's of us believe Maguire and Linderof don't complement each other.
* Creative midfielder: We have loads!: Fernandes, Mata, A. Pereira, Lingard, Sanchez. But only 1 delivers. We need cover. Sell Mata, Pereira, Lingard, and Sanchez to buy.
GK. I'm happy bringing Henderson back to start. But De Gea's salary is so vast we can't drop him. Next time we need to put a player on a vast wage to keep them, I say let them go. Rumours that Romero isn't happy either. Yet with so many reserve keepers I don't see us buying one.
Striker: We have Martial, Greenwood, Ighalo. I don't think we'll sign anyone here.

Needing so many players, can any U23s step up? Short answer: not next season. Long answer below:

RW: I think ramazani played RW for U23s; he left for Spain. Chong needs a loan.
LB: Williams played LB for U23s this year. We need a left-footer to challenge Shaw.
CDM: I don't see James Garner taking over without first proving it with a loan.
CB: Once again our best CB U-23: Teden Mengi is too young. Needs a loan.
AM: Dylan Levitt needs a loan. Hannibal Mejbri is too young but is an exceptional talent so next season, I guess he may get some substitute appearances like Greenwood began with this season.
GK: Matej Kovar. Excellent for U23s but needs a loan to prove he looks good at tier 1 or 2.
Striker: Our star U23 striker already stepped up.

To prove themselves: all these loans would have to be a championship or premiership level. If they do well at a lower level we'll extend the contract until they prove themselves at tier 1 or 2. E.g. Lingard spend 2 seasons in Championship. Pereira 2 seasons in Spain in La Liga. Tuanzebe - 1½ seasons in Championship. TFM had a season in PL. Henderson spent 4 seasons on loan; moving up a tier with each loan.

I know we saw Williams and Greenwood 'graduate' this season. But they weren't playing in the middle of the pitch. I bet Ole, like SAF, will not play a kid in PL in the centre of the pitch. For example: Darren Fletcher began all his rookie games playing RW.

 

[AndyMUFC]

Well, we still have no proper RW in the team and haven't for years so that's a definite priority. A CB is also a must as take Lindelof and Maguire out of it and you've either got crocks or players that aren't good enough.

Added to that we need someone to start to replace Matic and potentially another creative player so Bruno doesn't have to play all the time.

Sancho, Grealish and Rice would be perfect but probably unlikely as that would cost an absolute bomb.

 

[DannyDee]

Need to buy 5 (*). In priority order:

* Right winger: Haven't had one for years. We can afford only 1 marquee signing this summer in this position.
* Left-footed fullback: We only have 1. Williams is a right-back. Need cover. Sell a RB (Dalot) to buy LB.
* Centre defensive midfield specialist: We only have 1: Matic will be 32 in next month. He can't handle 2 matches per week. Maybe sell Fred or McTominay to help fund a CDM specialist.
* Centre back: Smalling, Rojo, and Jones must go. Bailly and Tsunzebe are injured too often. Lot's of us believe Maguire and Linderof don't complement each other.
* Creative midfielder: We have loads!: Fernandes, Mata, A. Pereira, Lingard, Sanchez. But only 1 delivers. We need cover. Sell Mata, Pereira, Lingard, and Sanchez to buy.
GK. I'm happy bringing Henderson back to start. But De Gea's salary is so vast we can't drop him. Next time we need to put a player on a vast wage to keep them, I say let them go. Rumours that Romero isn't happy either. Yet with so many reserve keepers I don't see us buying one.
Striker: We have Martial, Greenwood, Ighalo. I don't think we'll sign anyone here.

Needing so many players, can any U23s step up? Short answer: not next season. Long answer below:

RW: I think ramazani played RW for U23s; he left for Spain. Chong needs a loan.
LB: Williams played LB for U23s this year. We need a left-footer to challenge Shaw.
CDM: I don't see James Garner taking over without first proving it with a loan.
CB: Once again our best CB U-23: Teden Mengi is too young. Needs a loan.
AM: Dylan Levitt needs a loan. Hannibal Mejbri is too young but is an exceptional talent so next season, I guess he may get some substitute appearances like Greenwood began with this season.
GK: Matej Kovar. Excellent for U23s but needs a loan to prove he looks good at tier 1 or 2.
Striker: Our star U23 striker already stepped up.

To prove themselves: all these loans would have to be a championship or premiership level. If they do well at a lower level we'll extend the contract until they prove themselves at tier 1 or 2. E.g. Lingard spend 2 seasons in Championship. Pereira 2 seasons in Spain in La Liga. Tuanzebe - 1½ seasons in Championship. TFM had a season in PL. Henderson spent 4 seasons on loan; moving up a tier with each loan.

I know we saw Williams and Greenwood 'graduate' this season. But they weren't playing in the middle of the pitch. I bet Ole, like SAF, will not play a kid in PL in the centre of the pitch. For example: Darren Fletcher began all his rookie games playing RW.

Yeah, teams with top 4 and CL aspirations are very reluctant to give young players a shot at either CM or CB. I can't remember the last player who got consistent games at either position before the age of 20 for us. It might go back all the way to Anderson, who was slotted into a very deep team, with tons of experience to help him (Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Fletcher, Park, and Hargreaves all having stints in the midfield that year). Jones got time at 19, but was still clearly behind Rio and Vidic in the pecking order (and some of those games he was used as a RB). Neither player came close to living up to the expectations put on them either. We have given some young guys long-looks in the center of the pitch in more advanced roles like Rooney being a 2nd striker early on behind RVN as a teenager (but he was a highly proven one, bought after he had established himself in England's starting XI, with two years experience in the EPL). Most of the guys who have broken through at young ages for us were attacking wingers like Giggs and Ronaldo, and to a lesser extent strikers (Rooney, Martial, Greenwood, and Rashford), even with 3 of those guys being used as wingers/inside forwards a ton. Even guys like Pogba and Pique had trouble earning consistent spots in our starting XI as teenagers. Part of that was depth in front of Pique, and who knows what opportunities Pogba might have gotten in 2011/12 if he signed, all we know for sure though is that neither played much for us as teenagers. We probably have to go really far back to find the last academy product who got consistent game time in the middle of the pitch before 20, considering Rooney, Anderson and Jones were all bought. It was probably Nicky Butt.

 

[Lentwood]

Bring Henderson back and give him the #1 shirt. I would actually sell DDG. Henderson might turn out not to be the long term solution but that long term solution certainly isn’t DDG. Since he costs us £18.5m in wages a season and we might get £10m for him as a transfer fee from China, now has to be the time for me.

I think the defence will hold for another season, especially if Bailly, Dalot and Tuanzebe are a bit luckier with injuries. Plus, I don’t really know who is out there and available, at the right age, who is a definite upgrade on what we have.

In midfield I am still not convinced at a by this Pogba and Matic partnership. I think it’s fine when we’re playing a bottom half side at home but because Pogba is so languid and weak defensively we lose control of the midfield. There seem to be huge gaps everywhere and teams can break on our back four at will. I would be tempted to either try Fernandes deeper besides Matic or have to choose between the two and bring Fred/McTominay back into the side. Sometimes you need substance over style in that position.

Sancho would be the one for me. I’ll get stick for this but Rashford doesn’t really do it for me. 11 PL goals in open play and when he is bad (which is 50% of the time) he is rotten. Not saying he doesn’t have his uses but some healthy competition won’t hurt. Next season I would be starting with Mason on the left, Martial CF and Sancho on the right.

I would also like to see us bring in Grealish and Rice to add competition for places in key areas. I think Grealish is the right sort of personality to be a success at Utd and clearly has talent. Rice is very underrated for me. I think he will go on to be a mainstay in the National team for the next decade

 

[pav1790]

Gk, cb, dm, RW, someone who can cover LW

A young lb to compete with shaw would be nice

But we obviously aren’t doing all that in one go

I think James goes on left. I think we also get a Bruno backup that can also play on left if needs be. Instead of viewing our attack, at least, as four starters and two back ups ( James, Mata etc not counted ) I’d like to see six players who could comfortably start any game bar the most difficult ones where we go with a plan, and back ups would be James,Mata, Ighalo and anyone from academy. We have four at the club already. We are looking at rw and another creative option.

DM Or CB, I think we are going to get only one of the two. my preference was a good young defender but could be a good DM too. GK, we are lucky we don’t have to spend even if we are looking to change up. Which we probably aren’t.

 

[Ace of Spades]

A RW, another 10, DM should be the priority.

Defensively, I think we are fine, but can be improved upon. GK, and maybe CB.

 

[LeeSharpeShuffle]

1. Dwight Mcneill
2. Declan Rice
3. Joshua King/Deeney
4. Tyrone Mings
5. Cantwell

would that be Troy Deeney?

incoming

1. Jadon Sancho £80M
2. Kalido Koulibaly £55M
3. David Alaba £40M
4. Declan Rice £70M

£245 m

outgoing

Lingaard £20m
Smalling £20m
Sanchez £10m
Rojo £5m
Perrera £15m
Jones £10m
Romero £8m

£88m

Net spend £157m

Promote

James Garner
Dylan Levitt

Recall

Dean Henderson

60% of the time, it works every time on FIFA

 

[Ibrahimorich]

People who think we can sign Grealish as a squad or backup player are nuts. He's going to want first team football and hopefully he gets it. Just not here. Good player but he's an absolute knob.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what I’ve said. A lot of people will not agree with my opinions. One thing you cannot say is that I didn’t give a manager a chance to coach this team. Check my previous account. Check this account. Every manager gets their support. You hoped Man Utd would fail under Mourinho. Anyway it’s the last post I’m writing to you. You’re an absolute whopper. On ignore.

I would ignore him mate. His username says it all.

 

[MrSingh2002]

You want to keep Rojo? and Bailly?

Rojo should be gone ASAP. Bailly needs to go as well, but perhaps will stay another threat to make up the numbers, as it’s unlikely we will be able to get rid of him, Jones and Rojo in one summer.

Yeah I'd take Bailly or Rojo on the bench and at the training ground ahead of Jones and Smalling. Atleast they seem to add to the atmosphere and still deserve a chance. Jones and Smalling had years.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

I’d keep Smalling personally, but he’s clearly going.

Rojo is a joke of a player, no argument that Jones needs to go either.

Bailly maybe stay another year, just because it’s unrealistic to get rid of 4 CBs in one summer, especially when we’ve been trying to sell Rojo for 4 years.

 

[Craig Ward]

Lots of work as always. Ole has done well at outgoings and that trend needs to continue

Here is my predictions:
To Sell:
Sanchez
Smalling
Rojo
Jones
Lingard
Periera

To Buy:
Sancho
Grealish
DM (K.Phillips/Zakaria/Rice)
CB (if we sell 3, we need to buy x1 - Ake/Upamencano)

We may also dip into the market for young talents, in the mould but not as pricey as Bellingham.

The absolute must is Sancho and Grealish. They elevate our squad and squad depth up a level. The likes of James/Greenwood will develop more playing with better players, The dip in quality playing Mata/Lingard/Periera is unreal and cannot continue.

Im wary of game time for Matic. He's our only DM but i suspect Ole will persist with Fred/McTom there. Personally, i dont think thats good enough. I think Fred and McTom are needed around the squad, but they dont offer the same as Matic hence the need for a signing there.

We have a GK issue too. Henderson is doing great and surely wants a crack at the starting spot. DDG is in crisis, his confidence is shot to hell and its so hard for an under pressure GK to regain that natural confidence. One thing is for sure - neither DDG or Henderson will sit on the bench happily.

I think selling DDG this summer will be too much change too fast, as all 6 above need to be sold permanently before we even entertain more changes.

Mata is also in a strange position. Game time will be limited and even more so if we sign the players we need. Brilliant pro, brilliant player but hi time is up. Might be worth him staying around for the dressing room if he is happy with such a limited role.

Tuanzebe/Bailly will be hoping they can stay fit and improve they're game time, Tuanzebe especially. When bailly has played since lockdown, he's looked even shakier than Lindelof, which is quite the achievement in itself.

Dalot also needs a mention. He needs to knuckle down and work extremely hard in training and start to show his worth behind the scenes. Fallen behind Williams and TFM in the backup FB role.

And Pogba. We always have to debate Pogba. Wonderfully talented, annoyingly inconsistent. Him and his agent have coast they;re own doubts over his long term future. Will he sign a contract? Wont he? Do we even care anymore? He;s not as essential to this squad as people think, but we have an issue when it comes to selling him. It'll be a mega money transfer and only a limited number of clubs he'll want to go to or be able to afford him. I cant see it happening this summer, but next summer we may have to get a good price and move on. Something will happen here sooner or later. Getting CL may paper over the cracks for now, but i cant see him committing long term here.

Ole's got my backing and my trust - his transfer dealings have been great so far and i'm looking forward to that continuing, especially the outgoings. Ole seems to have a good knack of getting rid of the players who wont contribute or feature long term, so long may that continue. He really is turning this squad around for the better

 

[SAFMUTD]

In priority order:

1-. Renew Pogba
2-. Starter quality right winger
3-. CDM starter quality
4-. CAM back up

I think with that we should be able to compete really well next season.

 

[Obiorahking_]

1.DM--A rock who is comfortable passing the ball.
2.RM--A true RM with lots of end product. I want to have a team where Rashford, Martial, Bruno, and new RM can give us 50+ goals with ease.
3.CAM/CM--Must be a creator. Squad Depth.

Can live without but would still be nice:

4.RM--More depth at this position, preferably more experienced. Not 100% needed given that Greenwood could fill in there but the more the better.
5.LB--Someone to compete w/Shaw. Not that big a deal but Shaw isn't always fit
6.CB--We should chill on CB's given how we've failed the past 5 years but if there is a bargain out there that offers low risk high reward then go for it.

 

[Gasolin]

Sancho and another midfielder who can replace Bruno and even cover for Pogba are needed. Not sure for defensive midfielder, do we trust Fred to backup Matic or not.

We need another defender IMO. I think that both Lindelof and Maguire are okay, but not great (I actually think that Lindelof is the better of the two), and in any case a body is needed there (sell all the others except Tuanzabe).

More important than the signings is to upgrade the coaching staff. With Ole apparently not being too much focused on training sessions, we need someone there. We cannot press, other teams, press us to death, and we struggle passing efficiently, all aspects of the game that can be coached. And even more important (IMO), is to finally have a footballing structure on the club. Sign a DoF, or a sporting director, or a committee or whatever. People who are experienced at it and know stuff about football. They can complement Ole (or if things turn out ugly, smooth the transition). Ed so far on his impersonification of shit Florentino Perez has been awful.

So actually, I think that a DoF and a coaching structure is more important than signings (though signings are extremely important if we want to compete for the title, maybe even if we want to reach UCL again considering that likely the other teams won't have an off season again).

Err... here's an analysis to help you understand what's going on for us on the right. Not a matter of coaching only, we have some decisions to take, but Sancho is going to help to balance the game better.

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So no, not a matter of DoF but a matter of understanding who Ole needs to perform. The coaching structure? Why not, but all under the guidance of Ole since he's the manager and he's the one who has the vision.

 

[RedDevilUnited369]

The priority is actually sorting out the recruitment team.

I would make a thread about it but for some reason I can’t.

From what I see stories coming out of Germany are designed to hurry Utd up. I have no faith that Sancho will be done anytime soon.

Meanwhile Chelsea have Havertz putting on the pressure to get the deal done. Competent recruitment department.

 

[Gasolin]

The priority is actually sorting out the recruitment team.

I would make a thread about it but for some reason I can’t.

From what I see stories coming out of Germany are designed to hurry Utd up. I have no faith that Sancho will be done anytime soon.

Meanwhile Chelsea have Havertz putting on the pressure to get the deal done. Competent recruitment department.

We don't want to overpay, I think it's understandable. We are not a cash cow, why should we pay double of what Chelsea pays for Werner or Havertz for Sancho? There needs to be some concession from BVB too.

 

[Mark Pawelek]

Backup for Fernandes, Pogba, Rashford and maybe RW?

Hakan Calhanoglu. Right-footed, 26 year old Turkish international. Plays for AC Milan. Contract has 1 more year to run. 35 Serie A matches played: 9 goals + 9 assists, 4 MotM. Plays Attacking midfield (left or centre), or midfield. A player with some quality. Should be cheap, < £25m with only 1 year left on his contract. Reported at: tuttomercatoweb.com, and Italian soccer news site, and 'tier 4' source (low reliability but not banned).

Shots per game:​	2.9​
Key passes:​	2​
Dribbles:​	0.8​
Crosses:​	0.9​
Long balls:​	1.9​
Passes:​	42​
Pass completion:​	84%​

 

[Lee565]

If you compare us to liverpool (nightmare isn't it), the two departments they currently have better quality in is in defensive positions and gk, so if we didn't sign sancho but brought a right back, defensive midfielder, central defender and gk we would be close to matching liverpool's squad.

 

[GazTheLegend]

If you compare us to liverpool (nightmare isn't it), the two departments they currently have better quality in is in defensive positions and gk, so if we didn't sign sancho but brought a right back, defensive midfielder, central defender and gk we would be close to matching liverpool's squad.

Our gk strength in depth is better than theirs by miles

I'd argue it's at full back and in the middle of the park that we are lacking a bit, and RW we are struggling badly. It's Henderson and TAA and one of their front three that they've got over us.

So if we signed Declan Rice instead of Matic, and Jadon Sancho to replace Greenwood/James we would be getting close to an 80 point team if not quite champions.

 

[Lee565]

Our gk strength in depth is better than theirs by miles

I'd argue it's at full back and in the middle of the park that we are lacking a bit, and RW we are struggling badly. It's Henderson and TAA and one of their front three that they've got over us.

So if we signed Declan Rice instead of Matic, and Jadon Sancho to replace Greenwood/James we would be getting close to an 80 point team if not quite champions.

Problem is we are still going to be playing narrow in the middle of the pitch because of our full backs, I really think at the very least the right back position needs a new face next season so that we can get some width into our attack.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Ideally all positions to be improved.

Priority, highest to lowest:

1. RW
2. CB
3. LB
4. CAM
5. DM
6. RB
7. CM
8. GK
9. CF
10. LW

 

[Mark Pawelek]

If you compare us to liverpool (nightmare isn't it), the two departments they currently have better quality in is in defensive positions and gk, so if we didn't sign sancho but brought a right back, defensive midfielder, central defender and gk we would be close to matching liverpool's squad.

Buy a right back! Surely you mean buy a left back and move Williams to the right so he can do a better job?

 

[Lee565]

Buy a right back! Surely you mean buy a left back and move Williams to the right so he can do a better job?

Didnt ole try that in one of the last couple of games of the season and he seemed to play worse, a bit like his young use to always be better on the left than in the right despite being right footed.

Tbh I'm not sold on William's, he still has time on his side to improve but he doesnt offer a lot going forward creatively and just makes us play more narrow as he doesnt have it in him to produce good inswinging crosses like young could produce now and then.

 

[Mark Pawelek]

Didnt ole try that in one of the last couple of games of the season and he seemed to play worse, a bit like his young use to always be better on the left than in the right despite being right footed.

Tbh I'm not sold on William's, he still has time on his side to improve but he doesnt offer a lot going forward creatively and just makes us play more narrow as he doesnt have it in him to produce good inswinging crosses like young could produce now and then.

Williams played one full senior game at right back and subbed once (for 24 minutes).

Result​	​	Against​	Tourney​	Rating​	Minutes​
0-5​	away​	LASK​	Europa​	7.88​	90​
0-3​	away, 9-July​	Villa​	PL​	6.21​	24​

One game with very good rating = 7.88, the other was a mediocre rating = 6.21. Hung jury.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

Improve first 11 and squad quality to be safe CL-qual next season even if we are hit with injuries on 1 or 2 key players. Without factoring in rest needed and injuries, our first 11 is on paper almost good enough to be called safe top 4. The main limitation is that none of our current playing fullbacks is good in the final third or at progressing the ball. With two "wingers" preferring to go inside, this leaves us with a team that is unable to create from wide areas and teams are crowding the middle as their modus operandi for defending against us or pressing focus. Getting a LB or RB that offers some attacking and passing ability to the team would do wonders for our ability to handle this focus on centrally pressing or blocking.

Must for a starting 11: LB preferably over RB as I think we should give Laird a season or two to figure out how to stay fit and AWBs 1v1 defending somewhat makes up for his dysfunctional attacking play. Alex Telles would be a suitable target if we have £30m and could convince the player. Converting Dwight McNeil to an LB would also do wonders. Liverpool bought Tsimikas which would have been my third option.

Sancho: If the question is to spend all on Sancho and no one else, then I would wait with signing Sancho. As mentioned by some other posters on here, Sancho does not operate solely as an RW and likes to drift centrally in the final third. Which would still leave us without any attacking threat from out wide. If we are able to get Sancho plus 2 other players, then Sancho should be a priority. If we do not sign Sancho, then Matheus Pereira would be smart business. Can play RW and CAM and Sporting would not demand the world for him.

Squad depth or Matic replacement as CDM: Thomas Partey. £40m clause. Among the best in the world in his role. Do not see why we are not in for him. We should also be able to afford Brescia's demand for Tonali and if possible hijack his move to Inter as it seems they are taking their time in agreeing on terms with the club.

Get coaches in to help the team understand how to progress the ball without relying on individuals like PP and Bruno every time. Would certainly help our fullbacks and the team in general with playing against a centrally compact defence or press.

Central defence is dependent on who is sold. Having Maguire, Smalling, Lindelof as the first 3 options for two positions should be enough for top 4.

GK is a non-issue. DDG is good enough for top 4 and the same is Henderson. If we are able to find someone willing to pay good money for DDG, then we should consider it, since his contract will be problematic long term. Just don't start next season with both Henderson and DDG in the squad.

I think the most important thing is to prioritize and stop with this posturing with Sancho. If we are not able to haggle the price down considerably (which we won't) and end up not signing him (which might very well be the case) then we will already have missed out on a number of potential options for him or potential targets in other positions. And we will end up paying more than we originally would have earlier in the window due to teams already having made their plans and transfers.

 

[Craig Ward]

Lots of work as always. Ole has done well at outgoings and that trend needs to continue

Here is my predictions:
To Sell:
Sanchez
Smalling
Rojo
Jones
Lingard
Periera

To Buy:
Sancho
Grealish
DM (K.Phillips/Zakaria/Rice)
CB (if we sell 3, we need to buy x1 - Ake/Upamencano)

We may also dip into the market for young talents, in the mould but not as pricey as Bellingham.

The absolute must is Sancho and Grealish. They elevate our squad and squad depth up a level. The likes of James/Greenwood will develop more playing with better players, The dip in quality playing Mata/Lingard/Periera is unreal and cannot continue.

Im wary of game time for Matic. He's our only DM but i suspect Ole will persist with Fred/McTom there. Personally, i dont think thats good enough. I think Fred and McTom are needed around the squad, but they dont offer the same as Matic hence the need for a signing there.

We have a GK issue too. Henderson is doing great and surely wants a crack at the starting spot. DDG is in crisis, his confidence is shot to hell and its so hard for an under pressure GK to regain that natural confidence. One thing is for sure - neither DDG or Henderson will sit on the bench happily.

I think selling DDG this summer will be too much change too fast, as all 6 above need to be sold permanently before we even entertain more changes.

Mata is also in a strange position. Game time will be limited and even more so if we sign the players we need. Brilliant pro, brilliant player but hi time is up. Might be worth him staying around for the dressing room if he is happy with such a limited role.

Tuanzebe/Bailly will be hoping they can stay fit and improve they're game time, Tuanzebe especially. When bailly has played since lockdown, he's looked even shakier than Lindelof, which is quite the achievement in itself.

Dalot also needs a mention. He needs to knuckle down and work extremely hard in training and start to show his worth behind the scenes. Fallen behind Williams and TFM in the backup FB role.

And Pogba. We always have to debate Pogba. Wonderfully talented, annoyingly inconsistent. Him and his agent have coast they;re own doubts over his long term future. Will he sign a contract? Wont he? Do we even care anymore? He;s not as essential to this squad as people think, but we have an issue when it comes to selling him. It'll be a mega money transfer and only a limited number of clubs he'll want to go to or be able to afford him. I cant see it happening this summer, but next summer we may have to get a good price and move on. Something will happen here sooner or later. Getting CL may paper over the cracks for now, but i cant see him committing long term here.

Ole's got my backing and my trust - his transfer dealings have been great so far and i'm looking forward to that continuing, especially the outgoings. Ole seems to have a good knack of getting rid of the players who wont contribute or feature long term, so long may that continue. He really is turning this squad around for the better

Too add to this, as my incomings are probably unrealistic due to price ranges, there are plenty of options out there that wouldnt cost a fortune.
Low cost players:
CB
Gabriel, Torres, Badiashile, Kabak, Upamencano, Tah
DM
Laimer, Allan
CM
Szoboszlai, Harit, Nkunku, Bennacur,
Forwards
Cunha, Malen

Good scouting and being progressive in the market is key to us. Something we dont always do well, but i remain hopeful.

After the Europa is done i'm expecting some activity.

I'd love to see us sell 5 or 6 and really start to turn the squad around.
Jones/lingard/Smalling/Rojo/Periera/Sanchez can all go.

Cant wait to see how Garner/Levitt do on loans as well. Big year for them pair

 

[Mark Pawelek]

DM
Laimer, Allan

"Allan". You mean the one who plays for Napoli (who'd be expensive) or the one who's still in Brazil who just signed for Atletico MG from Fluminense, and has barely played a game for his new team. His new contract runs to 31 Dec 2023. We're not signing a 29 year old from Napoli. If we were interested in the younger Allan, still in Brazil, we'd have signed him before his current move. I don't think Konrad Laimer is good enough for us either.

Of course, if we had a DoF we wouldn't be in this mess of needing to sign 5, or so, players in same window, before we can even challenge for the PL again. Because a DoF would've snapped the younger Allan up before his current move; then sent him out on loan to Atletico MG, or wherever. And would also be working on the EU passport needed because the younger Allan only has a Brazillian passport. He's also ex-Liverpool U23. So no chance we sign a Liverpool reject either.

 

[Craig Ward]

"Allan". You mean the one who plays for Napoli (who'd be expensive) or the one who's still in Brazil who just signed for Atletico MG from Fluminense, and has barely played a game for his new team. His new contract runs to 31 Dec 2023. We're not signing a 29 year old from Napoli. If we were interested in the younger Allan, still in Brazil, we'd have signed him before his current move. I don't think Konrad Laimer is good enough for us either.

Of course, if we had a DoF we wouldn't be in this mess of needing to sign 5, or so, players in same window, before we can even challenge for the PL again. Because a DoF would've snapped the younger Allan up before his current move; then sent him out on loan to Atletico MG, or wherever. And would also be working on the EU passport needed because the younger Allan only has a Brazillian passport. He's also ex-Liverpool U23. So no chance we sign a Liverpool reject either.

Napoli's Allan.

He'd be considerably cheaper than Declan Rice or Ndidi and be a better DM for us than any of Mctom, Fred or Matic (basing this on the fact Matic cannot play a full season).

 

[beingshe7don]

With Ighalo most likely to go back by January. Would it make sense to onboard Immobile (30 years), exceptional consistent goal scorer. I see him giving us depth and also providing Martial with competition.

 

[SAFMUTD]

With Ighalo most likely to go back by January. Would it make sense to onboard Immobile (30 years), exceptional consistent goal scorer. I see him giving us depth and also providing Martial with competition.

You do know he just end the season with the golden boot right? He would hardly cost anything below 50-60M and for sure he wont be agreeing being just a squad role player specially at his age.

 

[beingshe7don]

You do know he just end the season with the golden boot right? He would hardly cost anything below 50-60M and for sure he wont be agreeing being just a squad role player specially at his age.

Fair enough.... 50m would be a little too steep considering his age. 30m would be worth a gamble with some of our youngsters being loaned out to Lazio. We could also use Smalling as a bargaining chip but then again maybe his loyalty towards Roma would prevent that. I wouldn't call him a squad role player as such. You can think of it as Jesus and Aguero, ours would be Martial and Immobile.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Fair enough.... 50m would be a little too steep considering his age. 30m would be worth a gamble with some of our youngsters being loaned out to Lazio. We could also use Smalling as a bargaining chip but then again maybe his loyalty towards Roma would prevent that. I wouldn't call him a squad role player as such. You can think of it as Jesus and Aguero, ours would be Martial and Immobile.

I doubt Lazio would agree to that kind of deal, Immobile is "trapped" there, very much like players like Illicic and Papu Gomez. They're good but they're old so no one would pay top money for them.

Additionaly I would rather focus on finding promising youngsters than can challenge Martial for the starting place, I know experience is valuable as well but there's a reason why senior players would accept a squad role in a team.