Rate our (extended) Summer 2020 Transfer Window

[DarkDog]

So, let's talk about it
First, i wrote on 10th of August that Sancho deal is unlikely. My reasoning was based on how and when have Glazers spent the money.
2013/14 season Moyes hired Club spent 27,5 million pounds. We already had secured CL under Sir Alex, club chased sponsors whole summer. Net spend 27,5 million pounds. In January when we were 7th in the league Glazers spent 37,1 million pounds on Juan Mata to try and make the Champions league
2014/15 season LvG was hired Club spent 153,5 million pounds. We finished 7th last year under Moyes, Glazers wanted back to Champions League because of Adidas and Chevrolet deals which meant that club would earn roughly 30% less from sponsors if we were not in Champions league. Net spend 107,5 million pounds.
2015/16 season LvG got us back to CL. Club spent 105 million pounds on new players but sold 94 million pounds worth of players. Net spend 11 million pounds. We had already secured Champions League football so time to enjoy the fruits.
2016/17 season Mourinho hired to get us back to Champions league. We spent 146 million pounds and sold 46 million pounds worth of players. Net spend 100 million pounds. Mourinho finished 6th so our squad wasn't up to the level of other teams in the league but he won us the golden ticket to Champions League via Europa League.
2017/18 season. Club spent 146 million pounds on players and only made 10 million pounds on player sales. Net spend 136 million pounds. Only time that we spend when we were in Champions league. And we saw the results instantly. We were riding high until Pogba was made captain and he got injured against Basel in champions league. Results worsened but we still finished 2nd in the league. We got into the champions league but Mourinho wanted backing by the board.
2018/19 season. The best example of how Glazers operate. Team was good enough to finish Top 4. We made champions league, Club spent 47 million on backup midfielder, 3rd choice goalkeeper and right back for the reserve team. Income was 30 million so Net spend 17 million pounds.
2019/20 season. OGS first season, club spent 140 million on new players and made 35 million. Net spend 105 million pounds. Club was 8th in the league in January and fans frustration had come to boiling point when Glazers spent 67 million pounds on Bruno Fernandes, after which OGS guided us to 3rd in the league and it was pretty obvious it was as much this team would go. Fans wanted to build on the success. But as Glazers have achieved their goal which is Champions League...
2020/21 season. Club spent 47 million pounds and made 18 million on sales. Net spend of 29 million pounds + already agreed deal on Amad Traore in January worth of initial 21 million pounds.

I already wrote it on 10th of January and got lost of hate for it. ''Sancho will come, u will see'' others defended Glazers that this is not good climate.
Actually this was the best climate for buying clubs. Glazers will never release us from the shackles they themselves have put on ourselves. They took out a loan of 140 million pounds that went straight into their pockets.
If fans dont start working together this will never change. We will never be above average.
Manchester United will NEVER buy Sancho. Sancho is the target that the club wanted since he wanted to leave Man City. Sancho wanted to join Manchester United. to be our nr 7. And now the Glazers and Woodward bought 33 year old Cavani who played 14 games last season and 21 games the year before. And those muppets gave Cavani the nr 7 shirt. They are hoping that there are idiots who will buy that shirt.
Every one who is defending Glazers, Woodward and Judge are as much as fault for this. Stop making excuses for them.

 

[Devil may care]

Looking at it in the cold light of day it was obviously a shit show but Telles is a good buy and I think most United fans will always get behind the signing of 2 young attacking talents, we just have to hope the scouts are more competent than the board but we have to realize it'll probably be 18 months before they contribute anything.

The thing that really pisses me off is the Cavani deal, I didn’t want him period but if it was at least a 1+1 deal with a regular squad number I could have stomached it, but a guaranteed 2 year deal for a has-been is stupid and giving him the #7 is the deathblow to any hopes of us going back for Sancho, so they've simultaneously fecked this window up and removed any hope for tne next couple.

 

[Bilbo]

Impossible to accurately rate this window right now. 3 of these 5 are obvious gambles. With our budget I'd rather we filled out the squad than spent it all on one player, and you dont get 5 sure thing good-enough players with our budget, so we've rolled the dice on some of them. We've signed a LOT of young talent recently, and now we can add Diallo and Pellestri to that list, so in years ahead we could look back on this window as being massive, or it could end up being very poor.

 

[Himannv]

Donny van de Beek - Good player for a team that plays a different kind of system with different tactics. He's well-suited to play against a pressing team and for a side that aims to move the ball very quickly and has a good amount of possession. He's more about clever flicks, nudges, and passes around the box and requires someone else to make the initial play. Certainly gives us better squad depth in midfield.

Alex Telles - Not a better player than Shaw. Can cross the ball and might be alright in attack, but in the long term I think Shaw will outperform him and he's technically a better player as well.

Edinson Cavani - We're getting him at the wrong time. He will have his moments but will not consistently deliver for us. A good upgrade on Ighalo perhaps.

Amad Diallo (2021) - Too soon to have an opinion and I've never watched him play. Looks good in youtube clips, but so did Bebe.

Facundo Pellistri - See above.

To summarize, a couple of youngsters with potential who have hardly played competitive football, a backup striker who is past his best, backup LB, and a midfielder for the squad. Nothing special, but that's not the whole story.

What makes it a "Nooooo..." for me is the way we went about our business. We spent months chasing one target and rushed into 4 signings at the very end of the window, none of whom are obvious first teamers. In the meantime, our performances have taken a serious hit at the start of this season and we seem unsettled as a team.

 

[Bilbo]

Looking at it in the cold light of day it was obviously a shit show but Telles is a good buy and I think most United fans will always get behind the signing of 2 young attacking talents, we just have to hope the scouts are more competent than the board but we have to realize it'll probably be 18 months before they contribute anything.

The thing that really pisses me off is the Cavani deal, I didn’t want him period but if it was at least a 1+1 deal with a regular squad number I could have stomached it, but a guaranteed 2 year deal for a has-been is stupid and giving him the #7 is the deathblow to any hopes of us going back for Sancho, so they've simultaneously fecked this window up and removed any hope for tne next couple.

Who cares about the #7 anymore anyway. Any status that number ever held has been watered down so much that its irrelevant really.

 

[ovoxo]

Looking at it in the cold light of day it was obviously a shit show but Telles is a good buy and I think most United fans will always get behind the signing of 2 young attacking talents, we just have to hope the scouts are more competent than the board but we have to realize it'll probably be 18 months before they contribute anything.

The thing that really pisses me off is the Cavani deal, I didn’t want him period but if it was at least a 1+1 deal with a regular squad number I could have stomached it, but a guaranteed 2 year deal for a has-been is stupid and giving him the #7 is the deathblow to any hopes of us going back for Sancho, so they've simultaneously fecked this window up and removed any hope for tne next couple.

Wasn’t it 1+1 for Cavani?

 

[Cr0Wb@r]

I always felt that for the system we allegedly want to play, a proper DM is needed. Our best performances last year when that role functioned properly (whoever was there). In that regard, I do not foresee much change in our performances overall. There is a massive gap in the middle of the pitch which exposes our bad defence and negates our often capable offence. The only potentially good thing is the young recruits which can either work out well or be sold in the future. So 3/10.

 

[Devil may care]

Who cares about the #7 anymore anyway. Any status that number ever held has been watered down so much that its irrelevant really.

It still matters, even if just from a marketing point of view, we always put it on what we see as the big attacking addition, we've given it to an injury ravaged has-been and Sancho won't be coming.

Wasn’t it 1+1 for Cavani?

I saw a tweet with 2022 on it regarding him, but I hope you're right.

 

[Bilbo]

It still matters, even if just from a marketing point of view, we always put it on what we see as the big attacking addition, we've given it to an injury ravaged has-been and Sancho won't be coming.

Its something United fans have built up but few others care about. All of our shirts between 1 and 11 will have a long history of outstanding players wearing it.

 

[cpmurphy]

Those signings are Woodward's way of telling Ole his time is up. Ole would have given his list of players he wanted and I can't see Cavani been on that list. If he speaks out its goodbye Ole aka Mou. if he tries to play the club card and make out he is happy with the signings and we don't get top 4 the fans will want him out. So we sign a new manager. he will give Woodward a list of players he wants. Woodward and Judge will decide who they want and the merrygoround will continue.

 

[ovoxo]

I saw a tweet with 2022 on it regarding him, but I hope you're right.

The useless lot at sky have it as 1+1

https://www.skysports.com/football/...nchester-united-sign-striker-on-one-year-deal

 

[sullydnl]

Daniel Harris' view.

 

[Reddevil1978]

Cavani is a one year + option for another year. It's on the official website.

 

[Nick7]

Additions are good, not great, the way we went about the window was awful. I don’t think anyone we signed makes us much better.

 

[Reddevil1978]

VDB and Telles could very well make the first team this season and stay there.

Cavani on a 1+1 is better than a straight 2 years contact.

Young wingers, who knows time will tell.

We might even buy from the championship before the 16th. Any decent CBs ?

 

[Infra-red]

Telles is better than Shaw and should displace him. The others will be bench players.

Failing to sign Sancho for £100m+ is forgivable; failing to sign any starting CB, DM or a RW is not.

 

[Dan600]

I honestly don't know how I feel right now. I would say overall incomings/outgoings a 5/6 out of 10, but when looking at the squad management it's lower I feel. We have got some bodies in and shifted 1 or 2 out. But both parts feel like we haven't completed the desired business. Romero/Jones/Rojo still remain despite quite clearly being unwanted. We wasted all that time chasing Sancho, to instead bring in a striker in Cavani of completely different pedigree/playstyle, plus a couple of youngsters to play on the RW instead, but 1 must be for the U23s, the other doesn't arrive until January. We identified at the start of the window RW as our key/main priority, and then didn't get a starter in.

Originally it was getting briefed we wanted a RW, a LB, a ST, some were saying CB, but that seemed a mixed message. We got an AM, a LB, a ST, and 2 young RWs not immediately for the first team. So arguably we got some in,

Ins:
Van De Beek £35M - Was an opportunity rather than a specific target. Doesn't currently get in the starting line-up, but could be gradually being eased in. Looks a good signing in isolation, but where does he fit into the squad, what was he bought for? He's absolutely better than Pereira or Lingard so is an upgrade, but the question is whether the money should have been used elsewhere. With time I'm sure he will be an important member of the squad. 6/10

Telles £13.5M - We looked for a LB all summer, and we got one. Reguilon was seemingly first choice, but the buy back option meant it was a no go. Hopefully a good player for us, enabling Ole to hopefully feel comfortable enough to drop Shaw if he hides anymore. He was willing to pick Williams but seemed uncomfortable doing so. 7/10

Cavani £Free - Seemed to be a panic buy alternative to getting a first choice RW, a second choice ST. As much as some are upset, I feel this is a good signing. Many wailed when pundits said we needed a new #9 striker because it would replace Martial. Cavani won't replace Martial, but will be a capable deputy, and will hopefully offer some vital knowledge to our young forwards. The only question marks are the injury record and the wage packet, seemingly around £175k/Week. If he stays fit he offers a great plan B and can help Ole teach the forwards a few tricks. 7/10

Pellestri £7.65M - Unknown punt based on a recommendation by Diego Forlan. Apparently can play RW on in a 10 position (Like we need another!). I know nothing about him so wait to see what he can do. £10M, similar to a punt on Dan James last summer, gets a free pass to settle in, hopefully Forlan has a decent eye for talent, always liked him as a player, so I have misplaced faith. Rated with Diallo.

Diallo Initial £18.9M - Another arguable punt, but could cost £40M, so must be more to him. I've heard a lot spoken about him, especially with last years Youth Champions League thing. If he's as good as some people think this could be inspired, will he be a Januzaj, a Ronaldo, or an Henriquez. Given that we haven't signed an immediate first choice RW I have to give these 2 a lower rating, not for the players themselves, but for the failure of the original objective of getting a first teamer in. 5/10

Ighalo (Loan Renewed) -


Outs:
A Pereira (Loan) - I think we all know now that he will never be good enough to hold down a place in the team. Maybe a permanent move would have been best for him and for us, but this gives him a chance to put himself on the market. The option to buy is great, but never gone be used so in that sense not so much. 6/10

Dalot (Loan) - Less confusing now we have signed Telles, third or even fourth choice on either side. But I was a little unhappy he was moved before several others (Rojo, Jones, TFM). He still has potential, hopefully a spell away will do him good, and we will see whether he comes back better. Whether Ole brings him back after, or sells him on I don't know. I feel like selling him could be a mistake, but lets see, we have plenty of other good youngsters coming through too, so he may end up sold after this loan. 6/10

Smalling (£13.5M)- Probably best for him and us. Got the move he wanted, as much as people are calling for him to be used again it would feel rather kneejerk, akin to a panic buy to put him back in the team. Maybe fee is a little low but other than that. 6/10

Borthwick Jackson (Free) - Didn't realise he was still here. 6/10

Sanchez (Free) - Didn't want to be here. Got rid of that ridiculous wage. Right Call. Just De Gea/Pogba on £300k+ now, which is interesting. 8/10

Chong/Levitt/Garner (Loan) - Hopefully a good move for them. Chong/Garner have started well, should be good experience. 8/10

J Pereira (Loan) - Not sure he's good enough, just by last season's loan reviews. Still young, but no place at the club for him currently. 7/10



Net Spend: £61.6M

Squad Management
Currently, we have 27 senior squad players that are over 21 and have to be registered, so maybe 2 more to go? Domestic window is still open, as are a few other leagues like Portugal, I imagine Romero/Rojo will be looking for moves away, Phil Jones I'm not sure what's happening with, possible he could get a move if someone like Fulham/Burnley get desperate for a spare CB. If Romero stays by the end of all the windows closing I will be surprised.

Goalies
We have 4, and Romero has shown time and again how capable he is, yet we couldn't sell/move him on. 4/10

Full Backs
Dalot out frees up the squad postion for Telles in terms of depth but he is under 21 so didn't need a squad number regardless. We have the right balance here for now though. 7/10

Centre Backs
We have Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly, Jones, Tuanzebe, Mengi all listed as first team CBs. We shifted 1 in Smalling, but couldn't move Rojo and Jones on. Again, I wasn't expecting us to sign any, however much we "need" one, we need to sell unfortunately before we can buy. Important to remember that Liverpool managed to shift Lovren, and City Otamendi, begs a question why we still have Rojo/Jones at the club if they are unwanted. It looks bad but Tuanzebe is not exactly thought of as being injury prone before last season, if we can get him back, and start getting Mengi integrated if he really is good enough, then we have decent competition here, withstanding another injury plague. 5/10

Central Midfield/Attacking Midfield
We have six bodies here, plus extra options in Lingard and Mata if in an emergency we need an attacking mid. If anything the signing of Van De Beek was decent management, but our problem seems to be more in the defensive side of things. Matic seems to be our only midfielder who can be reliably disciplined in the middle of the park, McTominay/Fred are maybes. The problem seems to be trying to get Bruno/Pogba into the same team, and that is without considering Van De Beek. We have options here but look a little top heavy if anything now, which is mad. Maybe its time to try a narrow 4-2-3-1, with Pogba/Bruno/Van De Beek/Greenwood behind one of Rashford/Martial/Cavani. Ole has given himself a difficult decision here, how does he fit/keep all these attack minded players happy? The rating would be lower if not for the quality we have, but it's now up to the manager to get the best out of them. 6/10

Forward Line
As we've been saying we still needed a senior RW but that opportunity appears to have gone, at least for European football. I am doubtful we will make any more domestic signings now to rectify this, we have Rashford, Martial and Greenwood, then Mata, Lingard, and Cavani, and then Pellistri, James and Ighalo. Amad Diallo replaces Ighalo in January (ACON withstanding). A lot of competition now which is more than enough for the front 3 positions. 7/10

 

[sp_107]

After giving 100K+ to Henderson as No:2, Not selling Romero shows how inept our board is. I feel sorry for that guy.

 

[Loon]

We should have gone all out for a CB. I think it will cost us top four, Solskjaer his job, and us another Woodward throw of the dice.

We are in disarray.

 

[Devil may care]

Its something United fans have built up but few others care about. All of our shirts between 1 and 11 will have a long history of outstanding players wearing it.

The #7 at United is still seen as special, football is built on that kind of romanticism, it's like the #10 shirt for Argentina or Brazil, and the club still see it as special, even if it's partly a cynical marketing angle, giving it to a player who is the antithesis of it says everything and seals the casket on any chance of Sancho coming.

The useless lot at sky have it as 1+1

https://www.skysports.com/football/...nchester-united-sign-striker-on-one-year-deal

Hopefully this is true and we bròom him after 1, like with Ighalo.

 

[Stadjer]

5/10 is considered solid? If i get a 5/10 on an exam i fail the class...

I would rate the window 5/10 but certainly wouldnt call it a solid window. It isnt good enough but not a total disaster.

 

[The Purley King]

Shambolic. And that is being polite.
The youngsters may turn out to be superstars, so we may look back on this as being a fantastic window, but how we went about it was completely scattergun.
More annoying than who didn't come in was who didn't leave. Feel for Romero who surely must go in January, and wtf are Lingard, Rojo, Jones still doing here.......

 

[Bilbo]

The #7 at United is still seen as special, football is built on that kind of romanticism, it's like the #10 shirt for Argentina or Brazil, and the club still see it as special, even if it's partly a cynical marketing angle, giving it to a player who is the antithesis of it says everything and seals the casket on any chance of Sancho coming.

I don't see why this has gotten anything to do with whether Sancho ever signs for us, unless you have intel that nobody else has which suggests that its some kind of deal-breaker for him

 

[sammsky1]

 

[sammsky1]

@Spoony

 

[Terminator]

4/10.

How do we still not a first team RW?

 

[Spoony]

@Spoony

I know, just taking the piss.

 

[Devil may care]

I don't see why this has gotten anything to do with whether Sancho ever signs for us, unless you have intel that nobody else has which suggests that its some kind of deal-breaker for him

I'm not claiming to be an ITK, to me it's just common sense, we give the #7 to next big thing, or at least what we hope will be, giving it to Cavani would be like giving it to Ighalo, no way we plan on going back for Sancho to unveil as our new #24 or whatever, Woodward is an incompetent feck when it comes to transfers but he knows marketing, Sancho #7 was the ticket.

 

[croadyman]

Telles is better than Shaw and should displace him. The others will be bench players.

Failing to sign Sancho for £100m+ is forgivable; failing to sign any starting CB, DM or a RW is not.

Totally agree we should have signed DM but blame Ole for his blind faith in Scott & Fred covering Matic, in regards to CB blame Woody & Judge for not reacting quicker on Upamecano along with a hopeless starting RW pursuit as well.

 

[Bastian]

I'm a muppet, so all the signings are somewhat exciting.

As far as rating the window with view to our stature and the ambition we should have, it just reinforced yet again the fact that we are a terribly run club with incompetent people in most key positions.

Also: 5/10 = can't complain?

 

[croadyman]

4/10.

How do we still not a first team RW?

Because we got played by Dortmund and didn't have the business sense to move on to alternative targets quick enough

 

[Murray3007]

would give it a 4/10,

VDB I think will be a starter come the end of the season, same with Telles, every chance with Cavani as well, can play RW as well as ST, problem there all ready to late both Telles and Cavani could have been done months ago and now look like desperation signings, don't no enough about the young boys but seems poor when we need players for now. talk we can still get players from the championship and wouldn't mind Beundia from Norwich, excellent footballer and would be a better option for coming of the bench then Lingard etc

 

[croadyman]

would give it a 4/10,

VDB I think will be a starter come the end of the season, same with Telles, every chance with Cavani as well, can play RW as well as ST, problem there all ready to late both Telles and Cavani could have been done months ago and now look like desperation signings, don't no enough about the young boys but seems poor when we need players for now. talk we can still get players from the championship and wouldn't mind Beundia from Norwich, excellent footballer and would be a better option for coming of the bench then Lingard etc

Yeah we need to go and get Buendia or Benrahma because like you say it's better than relying on fecking Lingard to change a game.

 

[Loon]

Anyone in this country we should go after before the 16th?

 

[fps]

I understand the signings that have been made, and Cavani does actually allow for a bit more frontline rotation.

But although we have lots of midfielders now, no combination of them covers all bases. The blend in the middle of the field is terrible and the team can’t dominate games until it’s fixed. Pogba can’t run, nor can Matic! And the other options simply aren’t as good!

 

[Murray3007]

Yeah we need to go and get Buendia or Benrahma because like you say it's better than relying on fecking Lingard to change a game.

to be fair every time I seen that beundia he was superb, created so many chances, something we lack here against teams who defend deep against us. think he would be an excellent signing, reminds me of mata a bit but can actually run at least

 

[croadyman]

Anyone in this country we should go after before the 16th?

Buendia
Sarr
Benrahma
Brooks

in that order

 

[croadyman]

I understand the signings that have been made, and Cavani does actually allow for a bit more frontline rotation.

But although we have lots of midfielders now, no combination of them covers all bases. The blend in the middle of the field is terrible and the team can’t dominate games until it’s fixed. Pogba can’t run, nor can Matic! And the other options simply aren’t as good!

Stupid reliance on Fred & McTominay could end up being Ole's biggest downfall of the lot

 

[edcunited1878]

8/10. We brought in players to add depth to the team, which was our target going into this summer. We bought smart, rather than throw ridiculous amount of cash on world class talent like we have been doing the past summer. We have fans on here that complain about £80m for Maguire. Could you imagine if we signed Sancho for £109m and he turned out to be a flop? Anyway, I am happy with it. MMM, will pull us through this season, if Ole gets his act together. Diallo and Pedistri are exciting prospects that shows good investment. They are one of the reason why I rated this window so highly.

DVDB, Cavani, and Telles are solid acquisition. We have been backed again.

Why is it just Ole's act to get it together? Rashford, Martial, and Greenwood have to get match fitness and match sharpeness back and that was going to take time after the shorten pre-season. Defensively the team is making too many individual errors to overcome and that's on the players. You don't have requisite players from the first 3 PL matches to just drop them because they aren't performing, although that seemed to be what Ole did in dropping Lindelof for Bailly and we saw what happened. The only other issue I have really with Ole through 3 PL matches is not starting VDB over Pogba. He might not have the passing range of Pogba, but the work ethic and intelligence with the ball and keeping it moving to retain possession is what's needed while everyone is trying to get up to speed. Then put on Pogba for 15 to 30 minutes for VDB or Bruno.

If you're rating Diallo and Pellestri high, then you're willing to give the manager time or the club the benefit of the doubt for the future because the teenagers aren't going to make an impactful effort for the first team or first XI until 3 years time.

Meanwhile, Cavani is only on a 1+1 deal, so you're going to actively seek out his replacement in 4-8 months time whether he leaves in June 2021 or June 2022. The Matic/Fred/McTominay DCM trio has to be resolved because Matic cannot play every match, Fred isn't a true CDM and neither is McTominay. Then while the young players are developing, who is going to be the backup left/right forwards? Dan James? Chong coming back from loan? Those are a little too underwhelming for a CL fighting club.

Also, part of the transfer window is to get rid of complete deadwood. If you truly believe Ole has been back for the now and immediate first team starters, I'm afraid you're wrong. And if you still believe he's been backed, then does Ole get the necessary time to gel with the new players (Cavani and Telles)?

So what was clearly addressed during the 2nd half of last season was not rectified in the summer transfer window. Only 1/3 of that was addressed and that was VDB. At minimum and at its priority, it was selling deadwood like a Romero, Lingard (both who are inside their final contracted year), Rojo, Jones. Then a right forward who would improve the starting XI or competently rotate with Greenwood with Sancho priority number 1 and Dembele or whoever else a second and third option (could still be Sarr, who knows). Then a CB to round out the trio of Maguire, Lindelof, and Bailly. Mengi and Tuanzebe are developmental CBs and neither will see real first XI minutes in the PL or CL unless there's a serious injury crisis.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Window could be 10/10 if Facundo and Diallo are world class.