I'm worried about the Summer, it's simply NOT looking good.

[UnitedSofa]

We all believe the Glazers don't like spending money (despite £1BN being spent since Fergie left but that's a discussion for another day) but this Summer is going to require £300M - £400 MINIMUM. If we want to keep challenging. We are in danger of losing so many players.

Lingard - Gone
Pogba - I'm still hopeful he'll stay but think he's gone.
Cavani - Gone
Ronaldo - Question marks over his future, but I'd like him to stay.
Marital - More than likely sold or loaned out - he simply does not want to be here.
Bailly - Wants out
Greenwood - Less spoken about him the better
Henderson - Is more likely to go than to stay.
Mata - We can't keep him for another season can we?

Need a DM and a CM if Pogba goes - Can Garner fill the void, don't think we can expect to fill a WC player with Garner and expect the same quality.
Need TWO strikers (in my opinion)
There's talk of a CB after Maguire's poor form. Is he on the chopping block too?

We are in serious danger of having a ridiculously small squad, going from one extreme of a bloated squad to the other in a ice thin squad.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

We all believe the Glazers don't like spending money (despite £1BN being spent since Fergie left but that's a discussion for another day) but this Summer is going to require £300M - £400 MINIMUM. If we want to keep challenging. We are in danger of losing so many players.

Lingard - Gone
Pogba - I'm still hopeful he'll stay but think he's gone.
Cavani - Gone
Ronaldo - Question marks over his future, but I'd like him to stay.
Marital - More than likely sold or loaned out - he simply does not want to be here.
Bailly - Wants out
Greenwood - Less spoken about him the better
Henderson - Is more likely to go than to stay.
Mata - We can't keep him for another season can we?

Need a DM and a CM if Pogba goes - Can Garner fill the void, don't think we can expect to fill a WC player with Garner and expect the same quality.
Need TWO strikers (in my opinion)
There's talk of a CB after Maguire's poor form. Is he on the chopping block too?

We are in serious danger of having a ridiculously small squad, going from one extreme of a bloated squad to the other in a ice thin squad.

Only if you want to keep buying average overpriced English players

 

[Redlyn]

We should be all over viable Bosman's and not spunk most of the transfer budget on a single overpriced player. Need to be shrewd. We keep martial, Bailly and Henderson. Everybody else + Jones can go.

 

[DWelbz19]

Yeah, the squad is extremely thin at the moment. You can get away with this if the squad is of a high quality - e.g. Bayern - but our guaranteed starters are all massively out of form, and there's no major repercussions. There are some positions in the squad right now such as Fernandes, Ronaldo, and one of the two wingers who will basically just start near enough every game because we just simply don't have any options!

 

[MUFC OK]

I think we need to look at 4 x £40m signings as a minimum, which is doable as a lot of players have contracts expiring across Europe.

I'd sell Henderson, surely we can get £25-30m for him.

With wages freed up we should look at someone like Kessie, maybe Kamara.

Akanji is apparently available on the cheap. I'd love Tchouameni as I think he's perfect for us and maybe Nunez from Benfica. We could get 4 of those 5 for less than £160m in my opinion.

 

[kouroux]

The likelihood of not playing any European football being there, it is hard to make any projections at the moment.
One thing is sure, all the players listed won't go in the same transfer window

 

[11101]

Good. A big squad is for challenging on multiple fronts. We're not there yet, we need to get the core right, start winning games, and then we can add the backup players later.

We've hung on to average players for far too long. Nobody on that list would be a big loss. If we cut all those players and buy a good striker and a proper defensive mid we will be in a far better place going into next year.

 

[cyberman]

So many of them havent made an impact for us? CL isn’t that important for me since whoever else finishes there won’t make top 4 all that much harder to achieve next summer and if we are rebuilding then what’s the panic about not playing in it for a season? Especially if it means we simply pay 100m for Rice and allow this circle of nonsense to continue. We have enough players to build around in our squad that we can have a competitive first 11 but not have the squad and without CL do we need a big squad?
Get Mejbri in there, sign a DM and a striker and we are more than half way there imo

 

[Drizzle]

We can't fix all the problems and the ever-widening holes in the squad by buying expensive players.

The only way we address this meaningfully is:

1) promote the right youth players - the likes of Mejbri, Garner and maybe one or two less obvious ones will fill out the squad and give us something to develop.

2) smart free transfers and low cost options nearing the end of contracts. Two or three of these may only cost £30-40m total. That will include defensive midfield too as we cannot afford to blow our budget on Rice, however ideal he'd be for us.

3) good young strikers are expensive so we'll have to bite the bullet on that one, at least £50-60m probably.

4) most importantly, hire the right manager who can work with young, hungry but raw players - as well as a few older bigger names whose egos will need to be managed.

 

[gregor]

I think we should accept that you can't buy trophies and look for cheaper young players instead of Halland's etc. Hopefully Arnold, Murtough, and others learned something in past seasons.

For me, it is much better to watch young players develop as a team than buying experienced world-class players season after season, and then you find out that they don't function together because they are used to a different system.

We have enough experienced players, so let's build around them with young players who have the potential to become world-class.

 

[#07]

I'm really looking forward to it actually. I don't see how we can move forward as a club without moving on the bulk of our squad.

Our dressing room is not great. Keeping hold of the wantaways and the moaners will just poison any new players we bring into it. Get rid. Start over.

Even if it means giving more Elangas a chance, even if it means we're seeing Garner, Laird, Mengi and the likes more. Fine. Cos what we're seeing right now is supposedly 'class' players sacking it off when the going gets tough. We'd get more value out of some kids giving it 100% for 90+ minutes than big names giving it a go for half an hour, then deciding that working hard just aint for them.

 

[Lemon Moon]

Personally I'm excited to see the back of most of the players mentioned. Even Ronaldo to be honest, legend, Goat, God but we both need to move on.

New manager, new approach. Fresh start. Bring it on!

 

[UnitedSofa]

Only if you want to keep buying average overpriced English players

In an ideal world we'd buy hidden gems like the first time Kante came to the league or a Forfana type player but those sorts of buys are risky and imo only suited when there's a more stable ground. The squad is shaky at the moment, loss of form all over the shop.

 

[pocco]

I'm really looking forward to it actually. I don't see how we can move forward as a club without moving on the bulk of our squad.

Our dressing room is not great. Keeping hold of the wantaways and the moaners will just poison any new players we bring into it. Get rid. Start over.

Even if it means giving more Elangas a chance, even if it means we're seeing Garner, Laird, Mengi and the likes more. Fine. Cos what we're seeing right now is supposedly 'class' players sacking it off when the going gets tough. We'd get more value out of some kids giving it 100% for 90+ minutes than big names giving it a go for half an hour, then deciding that working hard just aint for them.

Prepare to be dazzled, because that's exactly what will happen. Already briefs that we won't spend a lot if we don't get CL football. Thankfully there's a few free agents that are of good quality this summer, but the other big clubs will no doubt hoover them up as we stand idle.

 

[Lemon Moon]

I'm really looking forward to it actually. I don't see how we can move forward as a club without moving on the bulk of our squad.

Our dressing room is not great. Keeping hold of the wantaways and the moaners will just poison any new players we bring into it. Get rid. Start over.

Even if it means giving more Elangas a chance, even if it means we're seeing Garner, Laird, Mengi and the likes more. Fine. Cos what we're seeing right now is supposedly 'class' players sacking it off when the going gets tough. We'd get more value out of some kids giving it 100% for 90+ minutes than big names giving it a go for half an hour, then deciding that working hard just aint for them.

My feelings exactly. Be good to get the wage bill down too. Hope we don't go bringing in anymore mercenaries on silly high wages!

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

I’m also watching with trepidation because at the moment I’m completely mentally checked out. I didn’t even care about that City result because I have zero optimism right now. The good news is that the only way is up from that point. A new manager and some fresh faces can change things quicker than many realise and hopefully can bring a new sense of optimism.

 

[JJ12]

Personally I'm excited to see the back of most of the players mentioned. Even Ronaldo to be honest, legend, Goat, God but we both need to move on.

New manager, new approach. Fresh start. Bring it on!

That’s the attitude - I hope our board have the same attitude.

Some of the ex united players are right - we need to sacrifice a year or 2 to build years to come. Just in time for when Klopp fecks off hopefully.

 

[macheda14]

Good. A big squad is for challenging on multiple fronts. We're not there yet, we need to get the core right, start winning games, and then we can add the backup players later.

We've hung on to average players for far too long. Nobody on that list would be a big loss. If we cut all those players and buy a good striker and a proper defensive mid we will be in a far better place going into next year.

I agree, look at the way Liverpool and Klopp went about it. He started off building a fantastic first 11 and now theyve really started to build depth. Mane-Firmino-Salah are still their first choice, but Diaz and Jota (who can play left and upfront) both offer great depth. CB they have 3/4 very good CBs. Keita wasn't the great starter he was supposed to be, but he's very good cover.

 

[golden_blunder]

So many of them havent made an impact for us? CL isn’t that important for me since whoever else finishes there won’t make top 4 all that much harder to achieve next summer and if we are rebuilding then what’s the panic about not playing in it for a season? Especially if it means we simply pay 100m for Rice and allow this circle of nonsense to continue. We have enough players to build around in our squad that we can have a competitive first 11 but not have the squad and without CL do we need a big squad?
Get Mejbri in there, sign a DM and a striker and we are more than half way there imo

I get that people like potential but at this point we don’t know what route he will go. Personally im not convinced he’s ready for a full season of 1st team football. On one hand he has been said to have been prepared to play the Pogba role, but on the other hand I wouldn’t mind him getting 6 months of a loan. I have concerns over his self control. He’s hit headed

 

[horsechoker]

We don't play in the summer so it's looking very good

 

[El Jefe]

We should be all over viable Bosman's and not spunk most of the transfer budget on a single overpriced player. Need to be shrewd. We keep martial, Bailly and Henderson. Everybody else + Jones can go.

Absolutely. This is one of the better free agent markets and we should be all over a few of those players.

We have too many positions to fill so its important now more than ever to make shrewd signings.

 

[Loon]

I think some of it will depend on who is spending the money. It's possible the new manager will find players capable of playing his system without breaking the bank.

 

[cyberman]

I get that people like potential but at this point we don’t know what route he will go. Personally im not convinced he’s ready for a full season of 1st team football. On one hand he has been said to have been prepared to play the Pogba role, but on the other hand I wouldn’t mind him getting 6 months of a loan. I have concerns over his self control. He’s hit headed

I’m not saying build the midfield around him but if we are rebuilding then it’s the perfect time to get him involved.

 

[golden_blunder]

I’m not saying build the midfield around him but if we are rebuilding then it’s the perfect time to get him involved.

Im just saying we should plan regardless of him. If he’s able to come in that’s a bonus but we should plan without just in case

 

[Smores]

People won't like it but we need to sign a core of reliable players first even if they're just a 6 or 7 out of 10 each game.

Focus on fundamentals then add the talent on top because having a team of hot and cold players who don't trust each other is a nightmare. No point adding talent on top of the same issue.

We won't be signing top talent in all the needed positions that's for sure.

 

[Mepp]

It's been proven over the past years that we are terrible at doing deals and struggle to do two at once. I just see struggle and little movement this window. Expectations are way too high for a lot of fans when you look at our past record

 

[flameinthesun]

Ive said this in a few threads, my concern isn't the amount of players leaving (that can potentially be a blessing), I don't have a concern with the plan that we have said that we are implementing (Ralf interim, then move upstairs and get in Poch/ten haag), I don't even have a concern that we may be recruiting without the lure of champions league (the type of players we should be targeting e.g. nkunku etc would come here with champs league).

The concern I have is we have already gotten off on the wrong foot with this plan. The fact Ralf has no idea if he's staying as a consultant, what his role will be, how that role will interact with murtough/fletcher is a big red flag....I'm willing to give Richard Arnold this summer but I don't like what I'm seeing regarding Ralf's position. If there is already confusion around that, which should be the simplest part of the plan then this summer is going to be an absolute mess.

I also think the fact we haven't identified our manager with 2 months left of the season is a red flag. If Barca or Bayern wanted Ten Haag he would have signed a pre-agreement already with them. The fact that we still have no clue who our manager will be tells me we are hoping we can go the budget route with poch getting fired from psg or Ralf ending the season decently so they have a reason to give it to him permanently.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Strangely I'm looking forward to it.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

We came 2nd last season, and 3rd the season before, so the players clearly have the ability but something has happened this season to cause everyone to fall off a cliff together.

A top manager is more important in my opinion and I don't think Rangnick is the answer. £300M - £400M minimum is such an exaggeration especially as money has not been the answer to the performances over the last 8 years, so why would another £400m be the solution to the problem?

I don't think another full squad overhaul is the answer.

 

[Beaucoup]

Ralf's got a track record of talent spotting, I'm sure that's part of the consultancy role. After managing the squad he should have a good idea what's needed and will advise the club/new manager accordingly.

 

[Member 101269]

We're increasing seeing that clubs don't have money; Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal. Spurs (they have cash) and us (some cash), City will get what they need. While OP says there are challenges, I can see many bargains as clubs try to offload.

 

[Plant0x84]

Never mind not looking good. It’s not good, and it won’t be good for sometime. Oh and you can forget £300-400m. It’s pie in the sky. If that’s what you truly expect then I’d give up now, save yourself the heartache!

 

[the_cliff]

Only if you want to keep buying average overpriced English players

Unfortunately that's what's going to happen, we're gonna end up with Rice/Kalvin Phillips and Kane for 300 mill.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Spoiler

 

[Red-Man-Walking]

Just looking at possible free agents for problem positions this summer on Transfermarkt:

CB - Christensen, Rudiger, Romagnoli, Ginter, Tarkowski, Zagadou, Stark, Luiz Felipe
RB - Mazraoui, Aurier (lol), Djibril Sidibe, de Sciglio, Vrsaljko
CM - Kessié, Brozovic, Kamara, Tolisso, Gross, Sergi Roberto
AM - Isco, Fabio Carvalho, Eriksen
RW - Dembele, Brooks, Bernardeschi, Januzaj (), Cristian Pavón, Bale (lol), Di Maria ()
CF - Mbappe (), Dybala, Belotti, Lacazette, Kramaric, Danilo, Origi, Welbeck ()

Not exactly an outstanding bunch, but if we are going mass exodus this summer and we only have a small budget if we miss CL, there are options to pad out the squad, and most of them are the right side of 30 to have some value to sell on in 1-2 seasons to turn a profit if they don't work out.

 

[LennartsParadis]

Its only that amount if we are to be delusional enough, to think we’ll challenge for the title immediately. Way too many people are still just that, delusional.

It doesn’t matter how many years we’ve been in a rebuild. It hasnt fukn worked. We are still there, ground zero.
We need a manager, a plan and restructure to fit said plan. There is a level of commitment needed, that the club just hasn’t shown since SAF left. Yes we spend money, but that means jack shit when we dont follow through in other areas.

What is the strategy, what is the vision, where is the structure to support this? Nobody knows, fukn NOBODY. This delusion needs to come to an end. Formulate a tangible 3-4 year plan and stick to it. At least the club will have a direction, rather than this half hearted throw whatever and see what sticks approach.

 

[mav_9me]

Never mind not looking good. It’s not good, and it won’t be good for sometime. Oh and you can forget £300-400m. It’s pie in the sky. If that’s what you truly expect then I’d give up now, save yourself the heartache!

I'll be happy if we spend 400m£ in next 3 summers.

 

[Bilbo]

We all believe the Glazers don't like spending money (despite £1BN being spent since Fergie left but that's a discussion for another day) but this Summer is going to require £300M - £400 MINIMUM. If we want to keep challenging. We are in danger of losing so many players.

Lingard - Gone
Pogba - I'm still hopeful he'll stay but think he's gone.
Cavani - Gone
Ronaldo - Question marks over his future, but I'd like him to stay.
Marital - More than likely sold or loaned out - he simply does not want to be here.
Bailly - Wants out
Greenwood - Less spoken about him the better
Henderson - Is more likely to go than to stay.
Mata - We can't keep him for another season can we?

Need a DM and a CM if Pogba goes - Can Garner fill the void, don't think we can expect to fill a WC player with Garner and expect the same quality.
Need TWO strikers (in my opinion)
There's talk of a CB after Maguire's poor form. Is he on the chopping block too?

We are in serious danger of having a ridiculously small squad, going from one extreme of a bloated squad to the other in a ice thin squad.

It's going to be a great summer. Embrace it. There are obviously big problems within our squad and a lot of them are moving on. New manager, new start. A bunch of tired old players that either aren't contributing or aren't good enough gone. Just what we need. I can't wait.

 

[the_cliff]

Just looking at possible free agents for problem positions this summer on Transfermarkt:

CB - Christensen, Rudiger, Romagnoli, Ginter, Tarkowski, Zagadou, Stark, Luiz Felipe
RB - Mazraoui, Aurier (lol), Djibril Sidibe, de Sciglio, Vrsaljko
CM - Kessié, Brozovic, Kamara, Tolisso, Gross, Sergi Roberto
AM - Isco, Fabio Carvalho, Eriksen
RW - Dembele, Brooks, Bernardeschi, Januzaj (), Cristian Pavón, Bale (lol), Di Maria ()
CF - Mbappe (), Dybala, Belotti, Lacazette, Kramaric, Danilo, Origi, Welbeck ()

Not exactly an outstanding bunch, but if we are going mass exodus this summer and we only have a small budget if we miss CL, there are options to pad out the squad, and most of them are the right side of 30 to have some value to sell on in 1-2 seasons to turn a profit if they don't work out.

Good Post.

Mazraoui (With ETH) hopefully, Brozovic and Kessie really stand out.

 

[abkmufc92]

This squad needs a massive overhaul, how many fecking seasons do we need to continue with the same overrated shit players and expect a different outcome.

Who cares if we have a thin squad, what's the point of having a big squad when none of these cnuts can be relied upon.