Harsh Realization

SolidState

You don't even know how ITK he is
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
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Ok guys, weve all had a bit of fun now, the papers have been going crazy with the reported 200m to spend and the fact that Moyes wants to rebuild the squad.

However all of this is conjecture, we need to be prepared and seriously prepared to have a terrible summer.

Weve already had an embarrassing tirade last summer chasing down Fabregas and then Koke neither of which were all too bothered about leaving their clubs.

Now weve just had reports weve yet again failed miserably to get in Kroos who all along was very unlikely. Im pretty sure well go on wild goose chases for Reus and Shaw only to be pipped by other teams or specific situations.

This could turn our to be extremely damaging to the club and its good that Woodward is trying so early but all this info needs to be kept under wraps. We cant have fiasco after fiasco.

At this stage its not whether the market is good, were not in that situation anymore, were not top of the table and choosing our players simply because of price.

Other teams will improve, they wont just sit still and wait for us to catch up. If we have the funds we need to be offering bids that simply cant be turned down. I dont mind us spending 4x £50m if it keeps us in contention and brings us up a level. We can then get into the game again, challenge for titles and resume as normal.
 
So the guy who's been going all transfer Muppet is now warning us not to go all transfer Muppet.
 
Just have faith. The Glazer's have proved they are not stupid - they know investment will be needed to keep the club on top. Without that their stock price will plummet and the club will be worth half it is today.

We clearly have the money in the bank aswell according to the reports, so it's all about if the players WANT to join us.
 
It's really like two different persons posting. We weren't after Koke last summer. And we don't need to spend 4x50m to improve on what we have. Get a grip, it won't be like last summer.
 
You have to believe that the Glazer's know they have to spend this summer. This could be a watershed year for United, with a lot of the old guard leaving we are going to need replacements and they have to get right because we can't afford too many years like this one.

The club does seem to be going after their targets early, they have likely already made contact. At least we should now early how things are going with it being a World Cup year. Hopefully there will be two or three key signings before the World Cup starts, because if there aren't, nothing much will happen transfer wise during the Cup and it will be a desperate mad dash to get players in before the season kicks off.
 
It's really like two different persons posting. We weren't after Koke last summer. And we don't need to spend 4x50m to improve on what we have. Get a grip, it won't be like last summer.

This about sums it up for the OP
 
Glazers are business men. They know this team needs investment. Why let the team fall out of Europe when it brings in so much money? That makes no sense. Paying £200 Million for players that will last 10 years with us continuing to win trophies makes a lot more sense financially.

We will spend, and have already done so. De Gea, Smalling, Jones, Mata, RVP and Fellaini were all signed in the last three years on frees?

We missed out on CM's last year because of reasons beyond money.
 
It's all about choices. Last summer Fabregas was never going to leave Barelona, and Atletico Madrid aren't stupid. Eventually they'll sell Koke, but only when he's reached his full potential, so they can get all the money they can from his transfer.

Same thing with Reus, if we make a bid... Dortmund will lose Lewandowski this summer, and they have made it clear to everybody that they don't like selling more than one key player each summer. So, there's a big chance that we'll a find a closed door regarding Reus.

Shaw is a whole different case. Southampton (and the rest of the world) know that we are in desperate need of a LB and they won't make it easy for us. We may need to spend some extra cash for Shaw or Baines.

Bayern Munich also don't have any intention to let Kroos go and we may find ourselves chasing chimeras once again.

But there are many players we could sign without breaking the bank and going through endless negotiations. Players like Carvalho, Fernando, Garay, Rakitic, Fazio, Mangala, Lallana, Marchisio, Gaitan etc. I still can't understand why we didn't make a move for Cabaye...

Liverpool are interested in Benfica's Markovic and Ola John. They both have shown great promise, especially the 20 yo Serbian winger. Look how useful players like Coutinho or Eriksen have proven to be.

I hope that we've learned from last summer's mistakes and i believe that this time we have a list of players we could sign and improve our squad.
 
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A few days ago you were telling us we had deals for major players pretty much wrapped up.

What's changed since then?
 
Who knows what's going to happen. Just try and enjoy the unpredictability and wait and see what happens - it could all turn good again very quickly.
 
All these unattainable players will not look so unattainable if decided to go around meeting release clauses. I have rarely, if ever, seen a release clause met and a player not leave.

Someone mentioned Atleti would not want to sell Koke now because they cam get maximum value when he fully develops. Yes, but then we could give them maximum value now. His clause is 50m euros.

PSG have a team full of previously unattainable players. Silva, Cavani etc. Ludicrous release clauses were met. If Atleti get offered 50 million, they will do a Koke deal. Dortmund would also sell Reus for 50m I imagine. Juve would accept 60m gor Vidal. We would accept 80m for Rooney.

If we get our dick out and slap it on the table, people will take notice. Unless of course, we simply have a small cock, which all reports suggest we do not this summer.
 
I don't get it. You are happy to believe the tabloids when they say we are after x,y and z but when x,y and z are heading else where, people assume United have failed because the tabloids said we were after them.
Papers use United to sell copies - simple as!
The CEO and Co are paid a lot of money to make the right deals happen. You have to trust they can do the job after settling in for a while now.
Calm down, Poppet!
 
All these unattainable players will not look so unattainable if decided to go around meeting release clauses. I have rarely, if ever, seen a release clause met and a player not leave.

Someone mentioned Atleti would not want to sell Koke now because they cam get maximum value when he fully develops. Yes, but then we could give them maximum value now. His clause is 50m euros.

PSG have a team full of previously unattainable players. Silva, Cavani etc. Ludicrous release clauses were met. If Atleti get offered 50 million, they will do a Koke deal. Dortmund would also sell Reus for 50m I imagine. Juve would accept 60m gor Vidal. We would accept 80m for Rooney.

If we get our dick out and slap it on the table, people will take notice. Unless of course, we simply have a small cock, which all reports suggest we do not this summer.

I agree. If a club is willing to pay a player's price, then the potentially selling club have a massive incentive in selling. Players like Reus and Koke will definitely be extremely expensive for basically 3 reasons: a) They are very good b) They are very young c) Their clubs will be in the CL next year as well. So if the Glazers are indeed willing to splash the cash in the summer, those players can indeed be bought but only for the right (and to be certain, gargantuan) price.
 
I actually think that it could be a good thing NOT landing those big names. Look I'd love 1-2 world class players like everyone else here, but one of the rare positive about the Moyes appointment was his scouting. Maybe a bit hit and miss but he unearthed some real gems. Maybe after one year of scouting his 3rd-4th choices are still quality players and when we eventually move on from him, the next manager still has money to spend.

Look at Roma last year. Benatia, Ljajic, Strootman, Gervinho not the biggest names, but they made such a huge impact. Strootman and Benatia especially would make us a much better team.

Rakitic 20m, Lars Bender 25m, Alessio Cerci 12m, Benatia 25m =83m + selling Chicharito, Nani, Cleverley, Young = ca 50m net. Not to mention how much we'd save in wages with the leaving of Ferdinand, Giggs, Evra and Vidic. I still believe in our squad and I hope Moyes can add some decent players for the next manager.
 
Why Are fans so scared about going for big names because we might get turned down??

Well I'm not a big contributor to the transfer portion of the forum or what SolidState's claimed in the past, but to answer your question, for me, going for some of these named players to be turned down is a time issue, with Fabregas last summer, everyone and their dog knew we weren't going to get him, even Wenger warned that he'd spoken to him in the past 6months and he was going to give it another year at Barça, yet we persisted with chasing him for over a month and then by the time we realised it was a ploy we'd missed a few other deals as well as missing Fellaini's buyout clause deadline and panicked badly approaching the last days.
While I feel the club has possibly learn't from last summer, Kroos in particular seems someone leveraging us, I just hope we have a solid Plan B this time if the A listers give us the run around.
 
Yeah.

Also said signing Kroos/Carvalho/Gundogan/Reus/Hummels in the summer was likely.
Did I? News to me. I was just confident we'd get Reus, Kroos and Shaw and we'd be bidding for Moura, Cavani
 
Why Are fans so scared about going for big names because we might get turned down??

For me it isn't so much that it's going after any player we can't get and pursuing that pointlessly for weeks and then when nothing happens being left with nothing but panic buys. I think it was clear our strategy last summer didn't countenance not signing Fabregas and Everton relenting on Fellaini and Baines. The end result was we didn't get Farbregas, paid far more for Fellaini than need be (didn't he have a minimum fee release clause that expired during the window?) and had to bid for a left back in the last 20 minutes of the widow.

I don't care about being turned down, I just don't have faith in the men in charge that if we are they have any 'plan B' and fear it might be the case that we identify 2/3 targets and if we don't get them "oh well."
 
I dont think people quite grab the issue here. The club (Glazers) have to invest because the way the club is set up it HAS to win or compete at the top every season. Its floated on the NYSE and every time the club does bad it loses value and money. Glazers have no choice but to splash out.
 
I don't get it. You are happy to believe the tabloids when they say we are after x,y and z but when x,y and z are heading else where, people assume United have failed because the tabloids said we were after them.
Papers use United to sell copies - simple as!
The CEO and Co are paid a lot of money to make the right deals happen. You have to trust they can do the job after settling in for a while now.
Calm down, Poppet!

And that's without even mentioning that the tabloids also do a lot of phone tapping.. A scout here, an agent there. All of a sudden they know who's making what moves and when. Ever thought about that?
 
And that's without even mentioning that the tabloids also do a lot of phone tapping.. A scout here, an agent there. All of a sudden they know who's making what moves and when. Ever thought about that?

There's all kinds of ways info gets leaked. Trouble is how discern the kernel of truth amongst all the bullcrap.
 
@Moriarty
I've learned not to believe anything until I see the player holding a united jersey with their name on it. Plus I honestly believe United will make max 2 signings this summer, maybe 3, and that they'll all come from the Prem.
 
@Moriarty
I've learned not to believe anything until I see the player holding a united jersey with their name on it. Plus I honestly believe United will make max 2 signings this summer, maybe 3, and that they'll all come from the Prem.

Not from a team that plays in blue and whose home is about 35 miles west of Manchester by any chance?
 
Not from a team that plays in blue and whose home is about 35 miles west of Manchester by any chance?
mmm.. that's an interesting question. It would certainly test the idea of whether having champions league football would make a difference to a players decision. But a club that we know our current manager would have a little more influence over. But I don't know, we'll have to wait and see wont we.. :wenger:
 
@Moriarty
I've learned not to believe anything until I see the player holding a united jersey with their name on it. Plus I honestly believe United will make max 2 signings this summer, maybe 3, and that they'll all come from the Prem.

Aye, we've been let down far too often. I still remember the Ronaldinho fiasco from a few years back and there's been more.
 
The Glazers have already proven that they are keen to spend. They did spend 60m+ on 2 players already.

What worries me is Moyes. I hope he doesn't spend much of the summer chasing ghosts (ex Fabregas).
 
Then harsh reality is that those who spend will always be okay. This is why we know that it is practically impossible that Simeone will make it a big three in Spain for a sustained period. We know that as he and his players impress, they will simply be plucked and the status quo will return. Likewise Dortmund. Klopp was making waves for a while, but Bayerns cash is undoing his work, his best players have left and will continue to do so, and he himself will eventually leave too.

There is no club that spends top dollar that is perennially coming 6th or so in their League. There are no regular Europa League qualifiers that can afford to have a team of £30m+ players. Any club that shows themselves to be elite spenders will end up with a share of the best players and be at the top. If we spend like a second rate team, then that's what we will become. If we spend with the biggest, we will be fine.