Dodging a Bullet thread

Bebestation

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I meant in this summer
I feel like this too.

I was a bit disappointed when it was looking like we were targeting Dutch players like Brobbey and Gakpo whilst also targeting Rabiot etc.

At the end our transfers have been a different quality to what we were linked.
 

onemanarmy

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Grealish
Pepe
Saul Niguez
Ziyech
Griezmann
Malcolm
Ndombélé
...

so many players we were linked to and people were desperate for us to get them who were terrible or just not worth the money paid.
 

Luka Mora

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Thomas Tuchel
Timber
Nunez
Tagliafico
Pulisic

Though we caught a bullet directly in the chest with the Sancho transfer last season when we got ripped off for78 million.
 

Rampant Red Rodriguez

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Telling Pogba to 0 1 2 1 after his contract rejection, and he's out until the new year now. Definitely a missed bullet there.
 

Escobar

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I feel like this too.

I was a bit disappointed when it was looking like we were targeting Dutch players like Brobbey and Gakpo whilst also targeting Rabiot etc.

At the end our transfers have been a different quality to what we were linked.
Some links this summer were shocking, if not to say worrying
 

davidmichael

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Every time I’ve ever seen the term ‘dodged a bullet’ I immediately think of Marcelo Salas all those years ago, he was great when we were first after him in the latter 90’s but I remember post injury when we were apparently back in for him again (2001-2002 ?) and it turned out he was completely finished.
 

Luka Mora

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What don't you understand? If we got Timber we would not have got Martinez, who got defender of the year in holland and is clearly better than Timber.

If we got Tagliafico who is in his 30's we would not have got Malacia
 

drmuji

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I think Pogba not taking an extension was a big bullet dodged. I really can't deal with that circus. I hope Antony doesn't go that route
 

JanK

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What don't you understand? If we got Timber we would not have got Martinez, who got defender of the year in holland and is clearly better than Timber.

If we got Tagliafico who is in his 30's we would not have got Malacia
Timber is coming in winter or summer, Tagliafico would be for Malacia, hence replacing Shaw.
 

NoPace

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Grealish
Pepe
Saul Niguez
Ziyech
Griezmann
Malcolm
Ndombélé
...

so many players we were linked to and people were desperate for us to get them who were terrible or just not worth the money paid.
Griezmann and Ziyech would have been fantastic signings if we'd gotten them when Atletico and Ajax did, and considering Griezmann (Already in the French squad for a few months by then) had just scored 26 in 69 in his last 2 seasons at Socieded as a left-footer playing mostly on the left he was kind of a no-brainer. Ziyech was almost 1 in 2 for Twente from the right wing too, though Eredivisie goals are scarier.

Our problem has been missing out on the signings that teams like Atletico, Ajax, Liverpool made from mid-table sides in top leagues or players at top clubs in smaller leagues.
 

Pughnichi

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Jean Michael Seri - quite a bit of noise for this guy. People expecting/hoping for next Kante (me included)

went to Fulham. Underwhelmed in EPL, now at Hull in Championship
 

Ole'sgunnarwin

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Thomas Tuchel
Timber
Nunez
Tagliafico
Pulisic

Though we caught a bullet directly in the chest with the Sancho transfer last season when we got ripped off for78 million.
Never understood the Sancho thing. He was the last choice attacking player at the euros. He's always been rather slow and players can look better than they are in the Bundesliga. No surprise how that's turned out
 

jokervn91

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Timber is coming in winter or summer, Tagliafico would be for Malacia, hence replacing Shaw.
Doubt Timber is coming before we get rid of Lindelof or Maguire. Even so spending big on another CB isnt really a great strategy when we have other big holes to fill.
 

BenitoSTARR

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Arnautovic would've been a good option this season.
Call me old fashioned but I’d rather not have someone with his views at the club.
I was all for getting Arnoutovic about 3/4years ago when he was still at West Ham, thought he would be great for a couple of seasons.
My issue is him as a person more than his footballing ability.

Yeah, just like in this clip, he just glided and ran through all the defense. Probably a tad faster than his predecessor Kaka too.
Lightning quick!
 

jesperjaap

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Two spring to mind for very different reasons:

1) Steven Defour - Seemed to follow the transfer chase of Van Nistlerooy, talented young player in Europe on brink of a move here, gets a big injury, Ferguson writes a letter. Never saw him play until he was at burnley and may have been a result of the injuries.....but he wasnt very good at all

2) Paul Gascoigne - Probably the most talented English player I have ever seen, an absolute joy to watch in his pomp. Seen so many comments about "Just think what he could have been under the strict stewardship of Ferguson"....well Ferguson was of course a brilliant man manager, but my gut instinct is as brilliant a player and as brilliant a man manager Ferguson was.....it would have went horribly wrong if he came here and maybe even possilby affected the squad building at the time negatively
 

Tyrion

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Mario Goetze? I remember a time that Dortmund were the German Spurs (namely a decent team whose every good player was linked with United).
 

colombianmancunian

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Núñez, can’t believe we were in for that donkey.

Griezman. He would havebeen Sanchez 2.0.

Longstaff. Nowhere near good enough for us.

Dembele. Perpetually injured, lacks end product, bad mentality… I know the Dembelievers will crucify me for noting the deficiencies of their beloved.
 

Son

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Griezmann, Morata and Alexis Sanchez up front was a possibility :lol:

Gabriel Barbosa we might have also signed as Man City went for Gabriel Jesus that same summer.

Shows how City could spot a player back then and we just looked at whatever the flavour of the month was.

Person above said Longstaff too (maybe the worst player of the lot) we’d have been bottle jobs FC with Pogba in midfield beside him.
 

kthanksbye

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Núñez, can’t believe we were in for that donkey.

Griezman. He would havebeen Sanchez 2.0.

Longstaff. Nowhere near good enough for us.

Dembele. Perpetually injured, lacks end product, bad mentality… I know the Dembelievers will crucify me for noting the deficiencies of their beloved.
I know this is not the thread for this but he's got 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 starts this season. 13 assists and a goal in the league in 15 starts last season. This is not just aimed at you, but most people here who talk about Dembele haven't been watching him play since Xavi took over last season.
Also, isn't it worth considering that if you think there are Dembelievers, which means there are many people saying Dembele is playing well, there could be a reason behind it? Or did so many of us just pick a random name and decided to sing his praises?
 

Erik the Red

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I know this is not the thread for this but he's got 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 starts this season. 13 assists and a goal in the league in 15 starts last season. This is not just aimed at you, but most people here who talk about Dembele haven't been watching him play since Xavi took over last season.
Also, isn't it worth considering that if you think there are Dembelievers, which means there are many people saying Dembele is playing well, there could be a reason behind it? Or did so many of us just pick a random name and decided to sing his praises?
Dembele is definitely a talented player, but I think the issues are 1) has he justified his transfer fee (fee is not the player's problem, but is a burden that will always sit on their shoulders), and 2) can he be relied upon to be the team talisman, and when he played he has been very good, but he has been injured far too much.

For a free transfer in the summer, Dembele would have been a great addition, but would you rather a player who gets you 14 goal involvements in 15 games a season, or someone who potentially can get 42 goal involvements in 45 games a season for £86m? We already have Martial who can do well for us but is always injured. Who is going to play the other 30 games when Dembele is injured?
 

Bocca9978

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The problem with saying “dodged a bullet” most are assuming we were linked and the media was right.
The media is rarely right about these things. It’s made up bs.

Saying that, I’m glad we didn’t get Depay.
 

Primex

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Griezmann, Morata and Alexis Sanchez up front was a possibility :lol:

Gabriel Barbosa we might have also signed as Man City went for Gabriel Jesus that same summer.

Shows how City could spot a player back then and we just looked at whatever the flavour of the month was.

Person above said Longstaff too (maybe the worst player of the lot) we’d have been bottle jobs FC with Pogba in midfield beside him.
This :lol::lol:,add Bale, Mcguinn and David Brooks to that front three,we literally would have been a mid table team by now.