Ed Woodward - "something'll 'appen this summer littleman"

[golden_blunder]

I said it 2 months ago, that Ed would use the situation to spend less. It was tongue in cheek but looks like it will come to pass

 

[tjb]

I dont understand the aversion to grealish on the right. He's a complete attacker. If teams only played players in one specific position, we would not know that David silva could play out wide or that greizman would be best as a second striker. Aside from throwing 100m plus at sancho,there are not many right wing options in football and the ones at the big teams currently were all converted at one point or another. I see grealish in the di Maria mould, having the creativity and the twofootedness to play from either flanks and roam centrally if need be.

 

[Offside]

Hopefully we get a few in. I think that the impact of this situation on the sport will also mean clubs will be less reluctant to cash in on players too.

 

[POF]

I dont understand the aversion to grealish on the right. He's a complete attacker. If teams only played players in one specific position, we would not know that David silva could play out wide or that greizman would be best as a second striker. Aside from throwing 100m plus at sancho,there are not many right wing options in football and the ones at the big teams currently were all converted at one point or another. I see grealish in the di Maria mould, having the creativity and the twofootedness to play from either flanks and roam centrally if need be.

Rashford can play on the right too. Remember that cracking finish in the win over Spurs at Wembley. If Sancho is the one they want but can't sign him this upcoming window, there's no point signing a specialist right winger who isn't up to the mark just to fill a spot.

Another attacking player who can play in attacking roles across the front line would be invaluable to this United squad. If he has the right character and they feel he would relish the step up then he doesn't need to fit the positional box some want to put him in.

 

[SirAnderson]

Wow I can't believe Ed actually said "feck". Amazing times we living in.

 

[Adisa]

People saying this is an excuse simply don't understand the reality.
All our three income streams are taking a serious hit. Whats more, we cannot really predict future cash flows because we have no clue how long this thing will go on for.

 

[Litch]

Might be right but equally as Ole said, it presents an opportunity to be aggressive in a market which could fast track our rebuild by 2/3 years. Utd are probably the only teams this summer who could do this based on its revenue.....

 

[RUCK4444]

People saying this is an excuse simply don't understand the reality.
All our three income streams are taking a serious hit. Whats more, we cannot really predict future cash flows because we have no clue how long this thing will go on for.

This is where the brand will help, we could overspend and take a loan out to cover the deficit and ride it out until things are back to normal and spend less in the next window.

Spending more than we should in one window isn’t as drastic as it sounds to a business our size.

If it were me I would overspend at this opportune time and recoup by not spending in the next window.

Hardest part would be explaining it to investors on the Exchange. I wouldn’t dress it up, tell em like it is, we need players and right now it’s a buyers market.

 

[Tom Cato]

I said it 2 months ago, that Ed would use the situation to spend less. It was tongue in cheek but looks like it will come to pass

I just don't get this opinion that Ed doesn't want to spend money? Is this the net spend conspiracy theory again?

 

[Withnail]

I said it 2 months ago, that Ed would use the situation to spend less. It was tongue in cheek but looks like it will come to pass

He'd be mad not to. Every club will be looking to get players on the cheap and save money given they've all taken a financial hit.

 

[golden_blunder]

He'd be mad not to. Every club will be looking to get players on the cheap and save money given they've all taken a financial hit.

I agree. But he may be of the opinion that too much expenditure right now would be a gamble. Don’t know when footy will be back, don’t know when gate receipts and match day merchandise income will be back, don’t know if sponsors will cut back or even go to the wall. I honestly wouldn’t blame him if he doesn’t spend other than a few loans of freebies

 

[Pep's Suit]

Of course he's right. Even if this season is finished 1/4 games this season would be played BCD, that's 20M+ less from ticket money. And that's just one thing.

 

[tenpoless]

There will be no big money signing...
Because all the players will be available for cheaper prices (and cheap to Ed)
And this is when We use the opportunity to sign some of the biggest names in football
Watch this space

 

[ThierryHenry14]

No one has money in the next transfer window. Clubs are struggle big time to even pay wages at the moment. There will be player exchanges, free transfers, and that's pretty much it.

 

[Sandikan]

I dont understand the aversion to grealish on the right. He's a complete attacker. If teams only played players in one specific position, we would not know that David silva could play out wide or that greizman would be best as a second striker. Aside from throwing 100m plus at sancho,there are not many right wing options in football and the ones at the big teams currently were all converted at one point or another. I see grealish in the di Maria mould, having the creativity and the twofootedness to play from either flanks and roam centrally if need be.

Players can play in different positions yes.
But you don't usually pay big money to buy a player who excels in one position, and play them elsewhere. That's pretty foolish. Even sillier when it's a position they don't play in at all.

How can you mention a player like Di Maria as an example, when we tried to change his position and it didn't work?!

 

[littleman]

Quotation marks are used to literally quote someone

This is a little misleading

 

[Brightonian]

Quotation marks are used to literally quote someone

This is a little misleading

It's a forum not a newspaper. The understanding is if you have any interest at all you'll open the thread and read the actual comments in full.

 

[littleman]

Man the world is dumb as HELL what the feck is going on who needs people I hate Britain and the Queen stinks

Oh ok

 

[Le Red]

All clubs are going to be affected, but the rich clubs will still be rich, and the others will be in tatters.
If anything, it will be much easier to buy assets such as Sancho and Grealish, so using Covid as an excuse to make shit in the market is making a fool of the supporters yet again.
Still, the muppet in me chooses to believe EW meant we'll look to buy good players but will not overspend because it makes no sense to pay Neymar money when everyone is broken.

 

[cyril C]

Clubs still need to recruit new players and move out surplus one. So there will still be lots of movement. But swapping is more likely particularly involving expensive one.

In fact, the likes of Jones, Lingard, Smalling, being inexpensive, should be in great demand.

 

[Withnail]

It's a forum not a newspaper. The understanding is if you have any interest at all you'll open the thread and read the actual comments in full.

Surely anyone reading the title can gather it's paraphrasing, given the fact that they're on the caf along with the likelihood of Woodward using those exact words?

I really don't understand the confusion/complaints here by some.

I take what he said to mean no one's spending massive money but we'll still have our targets and will bring in the standard 2 or 3.

Although if prices go to absolute hell, isn't there a danger clubs will hang on to the likes of Sancho in the hopes prices are closer to normal the following window?

 

[TheReligion]

No one has money in the next transfer window. Clubs are struggle big time to even pay wages at the moment. There will be player exchanges, free transfers, and that's pretty much it.

United have money, and so will City, but yeah everyone else will be struggling.

 

[OleBoiii]

"...and furthermore: everyone of the Caf sucks! #Murika #LoveTheGlazers #SafWasOverrated #GiggsIsTheOnlyLikeableUnitedPlayer"

 

[TheReligion]

Not sure why the meltdown with this. Wasn't it the Athletic suggesting that United and another club or so will be the only in England able to spend this summer? Obviously the amounts won't be as big across the board but United will be able to compete, as usual, relatively. If anything there will be less competition for signings as the majority of other clubs won't be able to pay big outlays.

Could well be a good transfer window to exploit if you line to the right targets.

 

[crossy1686]

I said it 2 months ago, that Ed would use the situation to spend less. It was tongue in cheek but looks like it will come to pass

Well if the values of the players have plummeted at least 20% then it makes sense that we'd spend less. Our fans constantly give Ed shit for our poor dealings in the transfer market, and getting our pants pulled down in a market that's normalised will just be embarrassing.

 

[crossy1686]

United have money, and so will City, but yeah everyone else will be struggling.

Did you miss the part where they were in massive breach of FFP?

 

[TheReligion]

Did you miss the part where they were in massive breach of FFP?

Good point although still imagine they'll have something under the bed hidden away.

 

[crossy1686]

Good point although still imagine they'll have something under the bed hidden away.

They can be sat on literal mountains of cash, but they can't spend more than they make, and now they're being done for not only spending above their means but also cooking the books. They wouldn't dare spend heavily.

 

[Brightonian]

Surely anyone reading the title can gather it's paraphrasing, given the fact that they're on the caf along with the likelihood of Woodward using those exact words?

I really don't understand the confusion/complaints here by some.

Yes exactly.

 

[Greck]

All clubs are going to be affected, but the rich clubs will still be rich, and the others will be in tatters.
If anything, it will be much easier to buy assets such as Sancho and Grealish, so using Covid as an excuse to make shit in the market is making a fool of the supporters yet again.
Still, the muppet in me chooses to believe EW meant we'll look to buy good players but will not overspend because it makes no sense to pay Neymar money when everyone is broken.

Yes the market definitely projects to see transfer prices fall but this wont kick in at least for a couple months, maybe even a year when clubs are struggling to balance their books. If we ring up Dortmund today and ask for Sancho, do you think they're going to give us a Corona discount? Of course not.

Additionally If one expects market prices to fall then buying Sancho for 100m right before the fall happens is just bad business. Only a transfer muppet who cant keep his jimmy in its holster would do that. Ed is many things but I don't think he's lacking money sense

 

[UpWithRivers]

Yes the market definitely projects to see transfer prices fall but this wont kick in at least for a couple months, maybe even a year when clubs are struggling to balance their books. If we ring up Dortmund today and ask for Sancho, do you think they're going to give us a Corona discount? Of course not.

Additionally If one expects market prices to fall then buying Sancho for 100m right before the fall happens is just bad business. Only a transfer muppet who cant keep his jimmy in its holster would do that. Ed is many things but I don't think he's lacking money sense

Its more complicated than that. Yeah we can gamble hoping that we pay 80 instead of 100. 20 mill saved seems good. But Dortmund arnt poor so they will just hold on to their asset. 20 mill potential saved could turn out to be a loss if prices recover next year plus the impact for not recruiting yet again for a position we are crying out for could loose us more than 20 in terms of league position and sales and sponsorship etc.

Big teams take the risk. 20 mill is not going to kill us but not recruiting will have a major detriment.

 

[Greck]

Its more complicated than that. Yeah we can gamble hoping that we pay 80 instead of 100. 20 mill saved seems good. But Dortmund arnt poor so they will just hold on to their asset. 20 mill potential saved could turn out to be a loss if prices recover next year plus the impact for not recruiting yet again for a position we are crying out for could loose us more than 20 in terms of league position and sales and sponsorship etc.

Big teams take the risk. 20 mill is not going to kill us but not recruiting will have a major detriment.

Complicated things can be summed up and one thing that's easy to sum up anywhere is buying big right before a projected recession is bad and unwise. The impending recession isn't just projected it's guaranteed. There's no gambling around that fact but there is planning to mitigate it

 

[bosnian_red]

We'll be better off than just about every other club, but yeah will still be harder. Definitely be next to impossible to sell anyone now without paying part of their wages, which is probably more of the killer compared to the fees in the first place for us.

 

[UpWithRivers]

Complicated things can be summed up and one thing that's easy to sum up anywhere is buying big right before a projected recession is bad and unwise. The impending recession isn't just projected it's guaranteed. There's no gambling around that fact but there is planning to mitigate it

There are different strategies if you are poor and if you are rich. If you are rich you start planning to take advantage of the recession. Yes save money and cut costs etc but if you can overtake your rivals by injecting cash while others are saving and selling then thats the better strategy. And thats what we should be doing.

 

[mancan92]

Those title changes are hilarious

 

[Dave Smith]

Clubs still need to recruit new players and move out surplus one. So there will still be lots of movement. But swapping is more likely particularly involving expensive one.

In fact, the likes of Jones, Lingard, Smalling, being inexpensive, should be in great demand.

The problem is not their fees but their wages. If they were good enough to be interesting the big hitters then sure, they could probably take the hit but these players will be moving to mid-range clubs were their wages will be at the top end of their wage bill.

Players like Lingard, Jones and Smalling are actually why I see little movement as Utd are going to stuck with them owing to their wages.

 

[Real Madras]

To think any club can go and spend hundreds of millions of pounds during these uncertain times need a reality check. My opinion on Ed coming out was expected albeit slightly late and I dont think he’s said anything wrong. I can’t see Sancho signing for that sort of fee unless we lose Pogba who will also command a similar fee if not more which goes back to my point of the top clubs not able to spend these figures. We won’t be splashing the cash this year.

 

[macheda14]

One massive consideration is whether next season will go ahead as planned. Why would you spend huge transfer fees on players when you might not see any income for maybe a year?

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

One massive consideration is whether next season will go ahead as planned. Why would you spend huge transfer fees on players when you might not see any income for maybe a year?

This/.

Before any major outlay I can see clubs wanting to see football being played without any issues for a period of time.

It’s actually prudent, if football were to restart then be postponed again clubs finances could be hit further & we seem to be one club that could capitalise in such a situation.

 

[P-Nut]

Seems Woodward has added some extra context to his comments the other day, slightly backtracking or more specifically clarifying what he meant...

https://www.skysports.com/share/11980801