[Kaos]

A bit conflicted about this treatment. On one hand its objectively an poor thing to do and comes across as very unprofessional. On the other hand I'm desperate for us not to have him between the sticks next season as I genuinely think it would stop us from progressing - I'd genuinely be gutted if we start the season with him in goal.

The club have handled it all very poorly though. I'm also perplexed as to why its taken them this long and this late to come to the conclusion he's not deserving of a new contract.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

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[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

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[Longshanks]

I wonder weather the original 'offered' contract was simply the plus one extension from his current contract.

It's sounds messy, but that is nothing new for club in its current state. Ultimately though ETH has made the right decision even if the club has gone about it in the wrong way. We have been crying out for this ruthless, no sentimentality style at the club for years. Sentimentality wins you nothing.

We need a new different profile for GK, signing the current GK who dosent fit the profile, who is out of contract, onto any kind of new contract would be beyond stupid, glad someone has seen sense and put a stop to it.

As far as De Gea goes thanks for the loyal service. But I for one will not miss watching his GK 'performances' week in week out.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

No idea why people are getting twisted about a contract negotiation.

If De Gea could get a higher value contract at a better club, he’d be there right now. He can’t. So he’s not.

I’m a fan of the fella. Happy if he stays for a backup keeper fee, with large bonuses attached.

If he goes… fair play to him. Wish him all the best.

 

[crossy1686]

Just a reminder guys that contracts are extended and pay is increased based on performance all over the world in many different fields of work. It's part and parcel of doing freelance/consultancy work. De Gea hasn't just been shown the back door after 30 years stacking shelves at Tesco.

 

[sullydnl]

A bit conflicted about this treatment. On one hand its objectively an poor thing to do and comes across as very unprofessional. On the other hand I'm desperate for us not to have him between the sticks next season as I genuinely think it would stop us from progressing - I'd genuinely be gutted if we start the season with him in goal.

The club have handled it all very poorly though. I'm also perplexed as to why its taken them this long and this late to come to the conclusion he's not deserving of a new contract.

But we still are offering him a new contract, just a more reduced one than the already reduced one he had previously agreed. Presumably in line with a shift to him no longer being the guaranteed #1.

Which is the problem with people praising the club for being "ruthless". If we had been ruthless then we would have decided he wasn't good enough ages ago, we would have planned to replace him decisively, there would currently be no contract offer on the table at all and it would have been bluntly communicated to him and the world as soon as the season ended (at the latest) that he wasn't wanted. Which would be hard but fair.

Instead we've been humming and hawing over what we want to do like someone hoping their boyfriend/girlfriend will make the decision to break up with them so they don't have to do it.

 

[Majiek7777]

He needs to just go. July 1st can't come soon enough.

TenHagBall next season baby. Playing out from the back. It will be so refreshing

De Gea isn't a club legend in my eyes. More of a club great.

 

[edgecutter]

Has it really though?

Let's not pretend everyone would be ok if we did the same thing to say, Martinez or Rashford.

He's moaned and complained about not playing, and when Ragnick wanted to use him he showed up 4 days late from the African Cup of Nations. He couldn't care less about United and we really should be giving him the boot.

Martinez and Rashford have had good seasons and will be starters next season, so of course we won't be happy if this happened to them. De Gea should have been replaced several years ago, and he needs to be shown the door which doesn't compare to the players you have listed.

 

[crossy1686]

Has it really though?

Let's not pretend everyone would be ok if we did the same thing to say, Martinez or Rashford.

Why would we dump our best players? That makes zero sense.

 

[altodevil]

Total disgrace if true. Not at all how I'd want my club to be run.

 

[Cloudface]

Not really sure we are getting the full story here. Smells like a bit of a brief to save face.

Although it wouldn't surprise me if the club about faced after another one of Dave's business end of the season calamity showcases.

 

[Sylar]

I'm just thinking if we did pull a contract, then offered him lower wages again... What happens if ddg signs that? I really don't see how that benefits man united.

Keeping him as a number two makes no sense. Especially if there's a likelihood where he may play cup games, which when it comes to the business part, hes got a horrible record.
And if we get a keeper injury, you would rather somebody solid and reliable or similar to the first choice in style even if not as good. Not someone completely different in style meaning you have to change the whole set up

 

[Tango80]

Why would we dump our best players? That makes zero sense.

In case they lose a bit of form hypothetically?

Jazz it up as much as you want, it's double standards, plain and simple. I don't believe for one minute the same stance would be taken for any other player. Shitty behavior is fine as long as it fits the narrative, apparently.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

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[CM]

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[Oranges038]

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[redzombie]

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JFC that's brutal

 

[Edwards6]

Total disgrace if true. Not at all how I'd want my club to be run.

Would you rather us be nice and keep him when he's clearly not good enough anymore?

 

[sullydnl]

Would you rather us be nice and keep him when he's clearly not good enough anymore?

This is a pretty odd argument given the treatment we're complaining about still involves a contract on the table for De Gea to sign.

 

[Bastian]

It seems this is being pinned on ETH. It's hard to know, but given how the club has been in the past and plenty of new people getting into positions, it's a bit chaotic. And then there's the whole sale and the uncertainty over the transfer budget.

I cannot imagine that ETH would prioritise keeping de Gea if he has any chance of getting in a GK who can tactically play the way he wants to play. So if the goal posts have shifted quite dramatically from the end of the season up to now in terms of what we can spend maybe ETH was being told he had to limit recruitment to a striker and midfielder, a defender if he's cheap enough.

It's been badly handled but I assume it is down to the hierarchy above ETH. And it seems obvious that we should not retain de Gea, even as a backup. Why has no serious club offered him a contract from January onwards?

 

[nainaisson]

This is a pretty odd argument given the treatment we're complaining about still involves a contract on the table for De Gea to sign.

He signed a contract already and Ten Hag vetoed it, I read somewhere. Of course it's hard to tell what version of events is true.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

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[Adnan]

This is a pretty odd argument given the treatment we're complaining about still involves a contract on the table for De Gea to sign.

It was reported that ten Hag wanted to keep him around as #2 due to his positive influence in the dressing room. I discussed this with others when the news came out and was fine with it as long as De Gea was no longer #1. EtH tried to keep Matic around for the same reason.

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[Edwards6]

This is a pretty odd argument given the treatment we're complaining about still involves a contract on the table for De Gea to sign.

What's the complaint then if he's still being offered the chance to stay as a No2 on lower wages? his performances don't warrant anymore than that

 

[Pickle85]

What's the complaint then if he's still being offered the chance to stay as a No2 on lower wages? his performances don't warrant anymore than that

Do you not see why (if true) the club offering DDG a contract, which he signs, then retracting that before signing themselves and offering another one for less money is worthy of complaint?

 

[sullydnl]

It was reported that ten Hag wanted to keep him around as #2 due to his positive influence in the dressing room. I discussed this with others when the news came out and was fine with as long as De Gea was no longer #1. EtH tried to keep Matic around for the same reason.

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Aye and in isolation I would have no problem with that if De Gea was fine with those terms, even though there's a very strong argument that we would be spending far, far too much on our second choice goalkeeper in that scenario.

But in this case the context is initially agreeing a contract with him to be #1, withdrawing it, then offering that contract to be #2. And that's different.

I would argue that:

a) He probably shouldn't have been offered the contract to be #1 in the first place because it's been clear all season he isn't up to the job.

b) He definitely shouldn't have been offered that contract to be #1 if we weren't actually certain we wanted him to be #1 next season.

c) It's needlessly disrespectful to tell someone you think they're worth less than they're being paid, agree a new salary, then come back a few weeks later and say "actually we think you're worth even less than that". Even if your final assesment of their worth is the correct one.

d) This should all have been resolved before now. Not still be ongoing with a contract still on the table for him to potentially sign.

It's all needlessly messy and indecisive. He should just have been cut lose as cleanly as possible.

 

[Oranges038]

Would you rather us be nice and keep him when he's clearly not good enough anymore?

Alex Ferguson dropped Jim Leighton for a cup final replay and that was it for him. Utd won the cup and the rest is history.

Sometimes you have to be ruthless, but this whole thing is just a mess. With nobody really knowing whats going on, but it makes the club look really bad.

 

[Edwards6]

Do you not see why (if true) the club offering DDG a contract, which he signs, then retracting that before signing themselves and offering another one for less money is worthy of complaint?

If the reports are true then maybe its because signing a GK wasn't seen as a priority earlier in the season but De Gea's performances proved it is a priority and we need a new No1 so if he stays its only as a back up on reduced wages.

 

[Dve]

His bad end of the season ruined it for him.

 

[arthurka]

375k/w contract for years and we are acting like he has been treated badly. We are finally showing some guts.

 

[Eric_the_Red99]

Alex Ferguson dropped Jim Leighton for a cup final replay and that was it for him. Utd won the cup and the rest is history.

Sometimes you have to be ruthless, but this whole thing is just a mess. With nobody really knowing whats going on, but it makes the club look really bad.

Yeah, we really haven’t been ruthless - we’ve dithered and delayed and hoped the situation would solve itself and eventually somehow stumbled into the correct decision at the last possible moment. It’s hard to believe that such incompetence is possible at a club like United.

 

[Adnan]

Aye and in isolation I would have no problem with that if De Gea was fine with those terms, even though there's a very strong argument that we would be spending far, far too much on our second choice goalkeeper in that scenario.

But in this case the context is initially agreeing a contract with him to be #1, withdrawing it, then offering that contract to be #2. And that's different.

I would argue that:

a) He probably shouldn't have been offered the contract to be #1 in the first place because it's been clear all season he isn't up to the job.

b) He definitely shouldn't have been offered that contract to be #1 if we weren't actually certain we wanted him to be #1 next season.

c) It's needlessly disrespectful to tell someone you think they're worth less than they're being paid, agree a new salary, then come back a few weeks later and say "actually we think you're worth even less than that". Even if your final assesment of their worth is the correct one.

d) This should all have been resolved before now. Not still be ongoing with a contract still on the table for him to potentially sign.

It's all needlessly messy and indecisive. He should just have been cut lose as cleanly as possible.

To be honest with you, this should've been sorted during Woodward's time at the club and Solskjaer to his credit nearly sorted it out when it was reported that he had promised Henderson the #1 spot. But De Gea threw a tantrum and according to reports Solskjaer then went back on his word hence Henderson is still pissed off to this day. That problem will hopefully now be dealt with and I've suspected for sometime that he was going to be released. The club have been actively scouting goalkeepers since the start of last season and hired goalkeeping analysts to assist in the process. They've been planning to bring in a new goalkeeper for some time imo.

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Below article from October 2022

Samuel Luckhurst: "Manchester United are in the process of hiring a goalkeeper recruitment analyst to identify potential first-team targets."

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...s/man-united-news-goalkeepers-latest-25393923

Below article from October 2022

The Athletic: "Tony Coton, United's chief goalkeeping scout, has been travelling throughout Europe checking out options to rival first-choice David de Gea,"

"That is why United are currently searching the market for goalkeepers who match the Ten Hag copybook. Diogo Costa at Porto is having an excellent season and the 23-year-old is being watched by United staff. Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, 25, is another on United’s list."


"Tony Coton, United’s chief goalkeeping scout, is leading the research and is set to be busy travelling Europe for the next few months, feeding back first-hand reviews to the club’s data system. A goalkeeper of good age to play for United over the coming decade is the primary target."

https://theathletic.com/3732056/202...avid-de-gea-future?source=user-shared-article

 

[mctrials23]

If he wasn't in the manager's plans, it would have been known way before the season has ended so why was he offered a new contract?

Not sure what you mean. EtH has been here a year and DDG had a year left on his contract. The club clearly didn't want to renew at his silly salary and EtH probably didn't know if he could use DDG or get him to adapt to the style he wanted. Telling him to sling his hook mid-season probably wouldn't have been a good decision. Withdrawing the offer probably wouldn't have been a good decision.

I think they were in a shitty place and hoped that DDG would give them an out by not agreeing to the contract. He didn't.

If it is true then it's a disgraceful way to behave to a player who has given many years to the club. People are getting confused between no longer wanting a player and treating him like dirt.

We have paid him a kings ransom for those years. Lets not get carried away. As I stated, we wouldn't have offered him nearly £400k/week off our own backs. He took us to the cleaners with his last contract. I agree that its been a complete mess though.

 

[crossy1686]

In case they lose a bit of form hypothetically?

Jazz it up as much as you want, it's double standards, plain and simple. I don't believe for one minute the same stance would be taken for any other player. Shitty behavior is fine as long as it fits the narrative, apparently.

How is it shitty behaviour or double standards? You keep your best players, you let go of the ones that aren't good enough for your ambitions anymore.

And if Rashford or Martinez put in the kind of performances that De Gea has over the next 3 seasons then they should go also, the same way Sancho or Maguire should also be shown the door this summer.

You can't have shite players on massive wages dragging down the squad just because you feel sorry for them. We're not a charity, and that kind of thinking doesn't win you anything.

 

[crossy1686]

Total disgrace if true. Not at all how I'd want my club to be run.

What do you want? A charity? Yeah let's keep De Gea on massive wages, let's renew Maguire instead of pushing him out and lets give Martial and Sancho bumper contracts, maybe then they'll feel better and the club will be run in a way that you want it to be, like we're midtable.

 

[crossy1686]

His bad end of the season ruined it for him.

It's on him. You can't cost the team like that when the team has ambitions to win things. He should go somewhere where there's less pressure and he'll be fine.

 

[altodevil]

What do you want? A charity? Yeah let's keep De Gea on massive wages, let's renew Maguire instead of pushing him out and lets give Martial and Sancho bumper contracts, maybe then they'll feel better and the club will be run in a way that you want it to be, like we're midtable.

No, just a bit more respect for a player who won our player of the year award four times.

 

[CoopersDream]

What do you want? A charity? Yeah let's keep De Gea on massive wages, let's renew Maguire instead of pushing him out and lets give Martial and Sancho bumper contracts, maybe then they'll feel better and the club will be run in a way that you want it to be, like we're midtable.

That's not the issue here, though. Few thinks we should give him a new contract. However, if he, as it is reported, actually signad a deal only for it to get pulled and we offered a new lower deal instead then it looks very poor from our side. That's not how United should be conducting their business.

 

[crossy1686]

No, just a bit more respect for a player who won our player of the year award four times.

Okay, and what does that look like exactly?

That's an individual award, and he won it at a time when most of our squad was average and we haven't been winning anything. If we'd have been winning trophies do you think a GK wins player of the year?