Going big in the transfer market

amolbhatia50k

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I've always believed that youth and making stars is a huge part of the culture of this football club, and it's something that gives me a lot of satisfaction as a fan.

But this summer we just had - Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo - what it does that I think a football club of this stature needs, is give us the need and belief to win.

One one hand, we now have what is Imo the best attacking talent among any team in the PL, as well as arguably 3/4 of our back 4 being among the best in the league too. So the expectation levels have suddenly sky rocketed. From a team where many would say "it's a process, long term vision needed etc" we've gone to "that is some squad", and that I think is important. I'm not a fan of Mourinho but he keeps stressing on the importance of not being comfortable and having that pressure to win (funny as he's at Roma now). SAF advised Klopp I believe to pick a club where there's a pressure to win (he seemingly didn't listen). But despite my love for youth and development, a big club does sometimes need to wake itself up and realise that meandering upwards at a 5 degree angle isn't really cutting it (we've developed well in recent years tbf). The signing of Bruno and this summer has IMO given us that shot in the arm. It's like when Chelsea spend and everyone says "they better win something now?". Yes it sounds silly as it does when Merson says it about us. But it's really not given this is Manchester United, we spend boatloads and now we have a squad with the talent that we do. That's a positive IMO.

On the other hand, it's not just expectation. Having these players increases the belief within the squad to achieve excellence. Bruno has given the club a lift like I've rarely seen. Sancho is a huge talent who will in yike frighten defenders. Varane a WC and multiple CL winner. Ronaldo is Ronaldo. Sancho aside these players are desperate for success now. They arent interested in a 5 year plan and know that they've (Varane and Ronaldo at least) achieved all these things before and can do it again. That'll rub off on the rest you'd imagine.

I know this is a bit of a rant and maybe didn't deserve a new thread. But I feel a lot of people get annoyed at people now putting pressure on us but my point is that the pressure is a good thing. Manchester United with its current stature and financial might should have to win. We should be going into the weekend thinking we have to get the 3 points and not doing so being a dent in our season. That mentality has to be there.
 

tenpoless

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The signings for this window have been weird. Varane and Ronaldo are big names but we bought them for peanuts in comparison to what we get. Both of them were also part of Fergie's plan so... its more about turning back the clock because the odds of getting them were in our favour. But you look at the younger talents we have and see how its not all about short term. Its a mix of both.
 

Mindhunter

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Good thread. It has been clear for ages that having patience and building something special over a long period of time is virtually impossible in the PL because of the money flowing around. Your carefully assembled pieces will be dismantled by huge wages paid by oil clubs.

We needed this injection in world class talent to help bridge the gap that we had between being an exciting team and being absolutely ruthless. There is always scope to blood youngsters but not for the sake of it. Youngsters who are generation talents like Greenwood and Rashford would make it to the team regardless.
 

ghagua

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It's been 8 years since we last won the league. About time pressure was placed on the owners and management for the club to starting winning again. The last time this happened, I remember us going 26 years to win the title again. The owners might be happy finishing the top 4, but the fans want more. If United do not win the title while Ronaldo is here, I can see a future where we don't win the title for a few more years. Win now should be the club's mentality.
 

amolbhatia50k

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The signings for this window have been weird. Varane and Ronaldo are big names but we bought them for peanuts in comparison to what we get. Both of them were also part of Fergie's plan so... its more about turning back the clock because the odds of getting them were in our favour. But you look at the younger talents we have and see how its not all about short term. Its a mix of both.
True but they're all on huge wages and Sancho had a big transfer fee. It's as much about stature of player as it is the financial outlay (which will be big in wages). Players like Bruno, Pogba, Ronaldo and Varane don't want incremental progress. Like Conte when he arrived at Chelsea they'll want to win big trophies soon. That's a positive for thr club imo. Dream big and all that.
 

MZX7

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I've always believed that youth and making stars is a huge part of the culture of this football club, and it's something that gives me a lot of satisfaction as a fan.

But this summer we just had - Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo - what it does that I think a football club of this stature needs, is give us the need and belief to win.

One one hand, we now have what is Imo the best attacking talent among any team in the PL, as well as arguably 3/4 of our back 4 being among the best in the league too. So the expectation levels have suddenly sky rocketed. From a team where many would say "it's a process, long term vision needed etc" we've gone to "that is some squad", and that I think is important. I'm not a fan of Mourinho but he keeps stressing on the importance of not being comfortable and having that pressure to win (funny as he's at Roma now). SAF advised Klopp I believe to pick a club where there's a pressure to win (he seemingly didn't listen). But despite my love for youth and development, a big club does sometimes need to wake itself up and realise that meandering upwards at a 5 degree angle isn't really cutting it (we've developed well in recent years tbf). The signing of Bruno and this summer has IMO given us that shot in the arm. It's like when Chelsea spend and everyone says "they better win something now?". Yes it sounds silly as it does when Merson says it about us. But it's really not given this is Manchester United, we spend boatloads and now we have a squad with the talent that we do. That's a positive IMO.

On the other hand, it's not just expectation. Having these players increases the belief within the squad to achieve excellence. Bruno has given the club a lift like I've rarely seen. Sancho is a huge talent who will in yike frighten defenders. Varane a WC and multiple CL winner. Ronaldo is Ronaldo. Sancho aside these players are desperate for success now. They arent interested in a 5 year plan and know that they've (Varane and Ronaldo at least) achieved all these things before and can do it again. That'll rub off on the rest you'd imagine.

I know this is a bit of a rant and maybe didn't deserve a new thread. But I feel a lot of people get annoyed at people now putting pressure on us but my point is that the pressure is a good thing. Manchester United with its current stature and financial might should have to win. We should be going into the weekend thinking we have to get the 3 points and not doing so being a dent in our season. That mentality has to be there.
All well and good, but we still need a proper midfield. Without a DM, we will struggle. At least in the Champions League. Great attack wins you games, a great defense wins you tournaments.
 

tenpoless

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True but they're all on huge wages and Sancho had a big transfer fee. It's as much about stature of player as it is the financial outlay (which will be big in wages). Players like Bruno, Pogba, Ronaldo and Varane don't want incremental progress. Like Conte when he arrived at Chelsea they'll want to win big trophies soon. That's a positive for thr club imo. Dream big and all that.
Exactly. Relying on academy or young talented players aren't enough when other clubs are spending like crazy on top of the very good team they've already got. If United go with that approach, the club will forever be in a place where they "almost" win something but never actually do it. You can't deny the mentality Ronaldo and Varane brought to the club. These are players that have won it all and they will refuse to lose a chance to win a trophy. With young players you might get something very good in 3-4 years but by the time they reach such level, if the rest of their team aren't up to it then it's almost pointless. Next thing you know they want to leave. Regarding wages I'd rather pay someone like Varane 2-3 times "normal" wages than to have 2-3 mediocre CBs.
 

NinjaZombie

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The problem with building slowly with youth is, you need big players to guide them and instill that winning mentality.

Just relying on youth makes them susceptible to accepting they're always in the process, making them accept mediocrity as the process goes on and on endlessly. Arsenal, anyone?

Roy Keane and Giggs had Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce etc. Keane in turn, together with Cantona, guided the likes of Scholes, the Nevilles, Beckham and even Ole to a certain extent. Rooney and Ronaldo benefited from Giggs, Scholes, Neville. Here's hoping the young lads in the squad learns from Ronaldo, Varane etc.
 

Freak

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What I like about our recruitment is we have added leaders and experience to complement our young talent.

You look at the squad and you have the the following who are leaders have experience in winning titles:

Varane (Champions league Varane)
Ronaldo (well he's won everything except the World Cup)
Pogba (World Cup winner, Italian league winner)
Bruno (Euros winner with Portugal)
Matic (Premier league winner)
Mata (Premier league winner)
Cavani (French league winner, Copa Italia etc.)
De Gea (Premier league winner)
Maguire (no titles, but a leader)

You need these characters to guide and push our talents. We have a really nicely balanced squad of experience and talent. Well done to Ole.
 

LoneStar

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The Galactico model absolutely works, you just need to look at what Real Madrid did when they were breaking transfer fees for fun. Culminated in 4 CLs for them. Also, there's a lasting effect of this, since you can see talents like Mbappe dream of playing for them, since his idols played there.

We can always be stuck in this cycle of development, since there will always be something missing. But our transfers have now propelled us to another level, and this will push the players, the coaching and management to deliver trophies.
 

shahzy

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The answer is ideally you are the best. Then you add in 1 big name and younger talents every season. It keeps the squad fresh and hungry. The moment you feel comfortable because you are at the top, over a period of 2-3 years you will notice a deterioration in performance due to age, decrease in hunger. I think we will see it with Liverpool this year. They have stood still and history has taught me this is a good way to fall off the slippery slope and it is REALLY hard to get back up. Look at us and arsenal for example. This is the first time since 2012 where we can say we actually have a team capable of winning stuff.
 

Leftback99

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It's how it should have been since 2013 but we made a complete mess of it until Solskjaer came in.

We spent big under Van Gaal he just absolutely wasted it, setting us back years. I think people forget how poor the squad was when he left it.

Under Solskjaer we have slowly built the squad back up to a position of strength where the holes in it are obvious and we can pick and choose the best in the transfer market, instead of needing almost a whole new team.
 

charlenefan

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What I like about our recruitment is we have added leaders and experience to complement our young talent.

You look at the squad and you have the the following who are leaders have experience in winning titles:

Varane (Champions league Varane)
Ronaldo (well he's won everything except the World Cup)
Pogba (World Cup winner, Italian league winner)
Bruno (Euros winner with Portugal)
Matic (Premier league winner)
Mata (Premier league winner)
Cavani (French league winner, Copa Italia etc.)
De Gea (Premier league winner)
Maguire (no titles, but a leader)

You need these characters to guide and push our talents. We have a really nicely balanced squad of experience and talent. Well done to Ole.
Was Bruno in the Euro's squad? Didn't think he'd established himself yet at that point?
 

amolbhatia50k

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All well and good, but we still need a proper midfield. Without a DM, we will struggle. At least in the Champions League. Great attack wins you games, a great defense wins you tournaments.
I'd argue that A) defensively, in an age where the standard of individual quality has fallen (set off a little by defensive organisation and pressing), our backline is, on paper, one of the better ones around. B) achieving greatness is not always about having every single component in your team just right. Yes our midfield is not special but masking /protecting your weaknesses (lack of playmaking in midfield) and accentuating your positives (ridiculous strength in attack and good defence) is what it takes to reach the top. City don't have a CF but work around it. Let's get the best version of our players (see Fred for Brazil) and we should be challenging.
 

amolbhatia50k

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It's been 8 years since we last won the league. About time pressure was placed on the owners and management for the club to starting winning again. The last time this happened, I remember us going 26 years to win the title again. The owners might be happy finishing the top 4, but the fans want more. If United do not win the title while Ronaldo is here, I can see a future where we don't win the title for a few more years. Win now should be the club's mentality.
Absolutely. I'd say credit to them for buying quite well and bagging these players we've got , but as a club of this size, this is the first time since SAF left that I feel we've got overwhelming quality in some areas of the pitch. Backline is extremely competent and attacking options are actually one of the best pools of any team in Europe now. So this pressure of winning big trophies is IMO just what this club needed even if some seemingly dislike it. We mock Chelsea or RM managers saying they better win something, but that sort-of tells you that their ambitions are indeed big.
 

EtH

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Absolutely agree with OP. The signing of Ronaldo on top of our already quality squad means that the usual excuses will no longer suffice. And that is the way it should be. We should be challenging on all fronts every season.
 

adexkola

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The Galactico model absolutely works, you just need to look at what Real Madrid did when they were breaking transfer fees for fun. Culminated in 4 CLs for them. Also, there's a lasting effect of this, since you can see talents like Mbappe dream of playing for them, since his idols played there.

We can always be stuck in this cycle of development, since there will always be something missing. But our transfers have now propelled us to another level, and this will push the players, the coaching and management to deliver trophies.
The Galactico model failed the first time.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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Develop and supplement with top talent from the market. That's what we've done the past few years and it's how you get a squad as good as ours at this point. The only successful side I can think of in the past 20 years that hasn't really done this is City. They've basically just thrown tons of money at hot names and then had Pep mould it all together to create a successful side. They also struck gold in bringing in Aguero, Kompany, Silva etc. to kickstart their competitive era.

But look at Bayern, Madrid (yes Madrid), Barca, Chelsea, Liverpool etc. and they've all done the above. I never liked when people would worry about whether bringing in a top player would hurt development of some fringe youngster, because at a certain point if you ever want to have success on the level of the United of old you can't just be a daycare that houses a bunch of work in progress.

Also, and I'm not going to pretend who really identifies transfers these days, we've had a much more cohesive and sensical transfer strategy. Even if every player doesn't work out, you understand why the club targets certain players and brings them in. So even if we tend to dally with negotiations, we are going after the right players.
 

Adnan07

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What I like about our recruitment is we have added leaders and experience to complement our young talent.

You look at the squad and you have the the following who are leaders have experience in winning titles:

Varane (Champions league Varane)
Ronaldo (well he's won everything except the World Cup)
Pogba (World Cup winner, Italian league winner)
Bruno (Euros winner with Portugal)
Matic (Premier league winner)
Mata (Premier league winner)
Cavani (French league winner, Copa Italia etc.)
De Gea (Premier league winner)
Maguire (no titles, but a leader)

You need these characters to guide and push our talents. We have a really nicely balanced squad of experience and talent. Well done to Ole.
Didnt Maguire win the PL with Leicester?
 

The Boy

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Was Bruno in the Euro's squad? Didn't think he'd established himself yet at that point?
Good spot, he wasn't, he had his first senior international appearance in 2017.
 

RedBanker

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The playing staff has been sorted. The onus is firmly on the manager now. We have to be in the mix for major silverware and bag at least one this time.

Am also happy that Pogba is playing at a great level and once Sancho clicks the attack will be amazing. The loss of form of AWB is a worry though.
 

jackal&hyde

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We've improved the first 11 significantly and I do feel my expectations are higher then they would have been with lesser(younger) players coming in.

Nevertheless, 3 new players in the starting 11 will take a bit of time for chemistry to build with probably a few months in to the season seeing things come together. In the meantime, there will be plenty of people losing their minds after any draw or mediocre performance thinking real football is like FIFA.
 

red4ever 79

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The playing staff has been sorted. The onus is firmly on the manager now. We have to be in the mix for major silverware and bag at least one this time.

Am also happy that Pogba is playing at a great level and once Sancho clicks the attack will be amazing. The loss of form of AWB is a worry though.
Still in desperate need for a cdm
 

Lentwood

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We have earned the right to buy some big names in the Summer by laying the foundations over the last two/three years.

Again, you have to give Ole huge credit for that. Do you think the likes of Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo sign for Utd if we are regularly finishing 6th?

Do you think we could even afford them if we hadn't just (finally) achieved back to back Champions League qualifications?

We're in a good place now going into each window. We know we have the foundations in-place, so we can target one or two big signings who can come in and improve us from the outset. Under Moyes, LvG and Jose, it constantly felt like every signing was one step forward, one step back
 

izak

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I strongly agree with OP, it's time we went big and try to win something, the pressure is very good, any of those players who can't live with this sort of pressure should be kick out of the club ASAP, no fecking about go out there a win football matches.

The mentality has to be put your body on the line to win, So every player has to pull his weight when trusted unto the field, we needed competition within the squad, if not players like VDB would come from Ajax and think it's a giving because they were both for £40m so they've got to start week in week out, Look at even Jesse doing his bit and trying hard to impress that's what we want to see at this football club.
 

justsomebloke

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I've always believed that youth and making stars is a huge part of the culture of this football club, and it's something that gives me a lot of satisfaction as a fan.

But this summer we just had - Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo - what it does that I think a football club of this stature needs, is give us the need and belief to win.

One one hand, we now have what is Imo the best attacking talent among any team in the PL, as well as arguably 3/4 of our back 4 being among the best in the league too. So the expectation levels have suddenly sky rocketed. From a team where many would say "it's a process, long term vision needed etc" we've gone to "that is some squad", and that I think is important. I'm not a fan of Mourinho but he keeps stressing on the importance of not being comfortable and having that pressure to win (funny as he's at Roma now). SAF advised Klopp I believe to pick a club where there's a pressure to win (he seemingly didn't listen). But despite my love for youth and development, a big club does sometimes need to wake itself up and realise that meandering upwards at a 5 degree angle isn't really cutting it (we've developed well in recent years tbf). The signing of Bruno and this summer has IMO given us that shot in the arm. It's like when Chelsea spend and everyone says "they better win something now?". Yes it sounds silly as it does when Merson says it about us. But it's really not given this is Manchester United, we spend boatloads and now we have a squad with the talent that we do. That's a positive IMO.

On the other hand, it's not just expectation. Having these players increases the belief within the squad to achieve excellence. Bruno has given the club a lift like I've rarely seen. Sancho is a huge talent who will in yike frighten defenders. Varane a WC and multiple CL winner. Ronaldo is Ronaldo. Sancho aside these players are desperate for success now. They arent interested in a 5 year plan and know that they've (Varane and Ronaldo at least) achieved all these things before and can do it again. That'll rub off on the rest you'd imagine.

I know this is a bit of a rant and maybe didn't deserve a new thread. But I feel a lot of people get annoyed at people now putting pressure on us but my point is that the pressure is a good thing. Manchester United with its current stature and financial might should have to win. We should be going into the weekend thinking we have to get the 3 points and not doing so being a dent in our season. That mentality has to be there.
Personally I think OGS outdoes Mourinho when it comes to embracing the pressure to win. He's always been clearer about that than I think he gets credit for - in fact, on that point he often talks a lot more like the people who criticize him on discussion boards than those (myself included) who defend him and preach patience. Things were what they were when he took over, and inevitably it needed a rebuild and inevitably rebuilds take time and involve hiccups, but he doesn't sound to me like he intends that to last very much longer. Mourinho talked a lot about the pressure to win, but what did he do? Publicly sneered at his squad's quality, and complaining loudly that he wasn't being given the tools. Both of which amounts not to embracing the pressure to win, but to deflecting it away from himself. OGS doesn't do that. He supports his players, talks up his squad, and then piles on the pressure. From the players perspective; real expectation, from someone who's supported you when the going was rough. And through the Ronaldo signing, he's shown a real willingess to step out on a limb. That signing probably increases expectations and pressure a good deal more than Ronaldo's contributions (great though they are) improves the chances of meeting them. I don't think most fans would really have seriously expected us to win something big before that signing, now many do. And if it goes well, Ronaldo will get most of the credit while if it doesn't, he'll get the blame for not being able to get the best out of Ronaldo. That's being serious about embracing the pressure to win.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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We have earned the right to buy some big names in the Summer by laying the foundations over the last two/three years.

Again, you have to give Ole huge credit for that. Do you think the likes of Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo sign for Utd if we are regularly finishing 6th?

Do you think we could even afford them if we hadn't just (finally) achieved back to back Champions League qualifications?

We're in a good place now going into each window. We know we have the foundations in-place, so we can target one or two big signings who can come in and improve us from the outset. Under Moyes, LvG and Jose, it constantly felt like every signing was one step forward, one step back
Agreed, there were so many obvious holes in prior sides along with questions on managerial intent and how we wanted to play that it didn't make much sense just splurging cash on a clear WC player when he would be surrounded by dross. Now we have the luxury of being able to do so
 

Zlatattack

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If you're happy to give a manager and a team 4-5 years to develop, then you can slowly build, or if you're already at the top you can bring in talent. When the requirement is success today, then you need top quality senior players to help you get there.
 

cyril C

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The signings for this window have been weird. Varane and Ronaldo are big names but we bought them for peanuts in comparison to what we get. Both of them were also part of Fergie's plan so... its more about turning back the clock because the odds of getting them were in our favour. But you look at the younger talents we have and see how its not all about short term. Its a mix of both.
How old is Ronaldo? How old is Varane? How much are we paying Ronaldo? And how much did we pay for Sanchez? Age, wage, sign-on fee, agent, all play a part. But most important of all, is whether the player fit in.
 

bosnian_red

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To be successful you need both. Sir Alex wasn't successful by relying purely on youth, nor by going galactico. You want to do a smart rebuild as much as you can, but eventually you need that big push that you can't get through slow rebuilds. Sometimes you need to spend big to make that jump. With Ronaldo and Varane, we'll make a big jump with world class veterans to drag on the young promising talents. It helps them turn into top players too.

Having a big spending window early into a transition is pointless and a waste of money. You need to be smart with it and know when it's not a team that can win things, and know when it is a team that is ready to make the step and need that extra star player. Ole has done it perfectly.
 

meamth

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Agreed.

But it's a bit of annoyance when people whine about for not signing a proper CDM this window.

We had our blockbuster signing in Sancho (most of the budget went there) Varane isn't cheap at all if you add with Sancho's fee.

Expecting another 50-60 million out of thin air whilst we couldn't offload some of our bench players are a bit spoilt to be honest.

Big CDM signing next season, other areas are well covered now. That's a big positive if we look at the bigger picture.
 

Volumiza

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Agreed.

But it's a bit of annoyance when people whine about for not signing a proper CDM this window.

We had our blockbuster signing in Sancho (most of the budget went there) Varane isn't cheap at all if you add with Sancho's fee.

Expecting another 50-60 million out of thin air whilst we couldn't offload some of our bench players are a bit spoilt to be honest.

Big CDM signing next season, other areas are well covered now. That's a big positive if we look at the bigger picture.
This. We all know that ideally we still need a defensive MF but it grates seeing people still moaning about it after signing two world class stars and an exciting attacking prospect.

I can’t remember a better window.
 

Rojofiam

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What I like about our recruitment is we have added leaders and experience to complement our young talent.

You look at the squad and you have the the following who are leaders have experience in winning titles:

Varane (Champions league Varane)
Ronaldo (well he's won everything except the World Cup)
Pogba (World Cup winner, Italian league winner)
Bruno (Euros winner with Portugal)
Matic (Premier league winner)
Mata (Premier league winner)
Cavani (French league winner, Copa Italia etc.)
De Gea (Premier league winner)
Maguire (no titles, but a leader)

You need these characters to guide and push our talents. We have a really nicely balanced squad of experience and talent. Well done to Ole.
Mata is not a PL winner
 

tenpoless

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How old is Ronaldo? How old is Varane? How much are we paying Ronaldo? And how much did we pay for Sanchez? Age, wage, sign-on fee, agent, all play a part. But most important of all, is whether the player fit in.
The player has to fit in. But if the said player is only the quality of Lingard and James then we'll never win anything. And as I said I'd rather sign a player that costs 2-3 times more expensive than the average ones and on a much higher salary if their quality and experience is worth it. Age depends on the player. Greenwood and Ronaldo are exceptions to the age rule.
 

Bwuk

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Feb 29, 2012
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17,281
I agree. We shouldn't be buying players who don't improve the starting 11 imo. We have plenty of depth.