Summer Transfer Window

[Zed is not dead]

All transfer windows are considered critical during the moments we're in them.

The problem we've had is treating every summer as critical and then scratching around desperately to tick off every item on our shopping list even when the price is too high because we've believed that missing out is going to make the difference between winning the league or not.

Well, the reality is that it's not. We're nowhere near close enough to be making RvP or Carrick type signings for over the top prices to put the cherry on the cake. We need accept some lean years to actually make the cake first. It's what what Arsenal did when they sold their overpaid stars and put trust in their prospects. And it's what Newcastle and City did despite all their riches giving them the freedom to throw away as much money as they want.

By treating every window as critical, we're tricking ourselves into believing that every signing is vital for our survival.

Missing out on Amrabat might cost us a handful of points over the course of the season. But we could instead invest those savings on a hungry but potential world class 20 year old next summer. Short term pain for long term gain.

Very sensitive post.
People complain about the lack of strategy but to me it looks like for once they’re planning for the future.
Replacing the players you can without sacrificing too much depth (which explains why we weren’t that desperate to get rid of Maguire and McT, as much as we may hate them here they can provide depth and be correct squad players), getting in younger players because the squad is ageing, getting more « system players » than individual game changers, and give time to the manager to get his squad.

We’re not yet at the stage where the team needs a bit of tweaking to be competitive.
Look at Arsenal and Liverpool, over which people are creaming themselves here, they didn’t have overnight success, and had some pretty shit periods before being competitive.

 

[Dr. T]

Very sensitive post.
People complain about the lack of strategy but to me it looks like for once they’re planning for the future.
Replacing the players you can without sacrificing too much depth (which explains why we weren’t that desperate to get rid of Maguire and McT, as much as we may hate them here they can provide depth and be correct squad players), getting in younger players because the squad is ageing, getting more « system players » than individual game changers, and give time to the manager to get his squad.

We’re not yet at the stage where the team needs a bit of tweaking to be competitive.
Look at Arsenal and Liverpool, over which people are creaming themselves here, they didn’t have overnight success, and had some pretty shit periods before being competitive.

I just don't see the future-planning when it comes to the midfield. First we signed Casemiro for his twilight years (and I think that his leadership is what the squad needs btw, just that it's not exactly forward-planning). Second we signed Mount in the last year of his contract as 'one for the future' (massively overpaying in the process) when we could have held our cards to our chest and tried to get him on a free next year. Third we jettisoned our one specialist backup DM/CM (Fred) leaving us ridiculously short in the first three games of the season, and everyone screaming for an Amrabat-type player, our midfield totally exposed.

Fair enough, the manager wanted Mount over everyone else I suppose, and we can argue on whether that's the right idea or not, or whether we're now understaffed, but it seems so temporary and off-the-cuff. Forward-thinking clubs have transfer gurus to handle the long-term approach to the transfer market and don't allow the manager full control, and this mitigates some of the player-side risk of changing managers (i.e. new manager having a bunch of square pegs for round holes like United in the last decade). If it all goes pear-shaped for ETH, I'd be amazed if Mount played his way into a more conventional midfield structure, unless we sign Superman for the CDM role.

 

[sullydnl]

I realise that this doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but if we get Amrabat (big if) then I think we've had an excellent transfer window tbh, particularly with the financial constraints that were flagged well in advance of the summer.

I just think people's reasonable doubts about the manager's plan for the team (i.e. the double attacking midfielders and transition-focus), concerns about a spate of injuries and very understandable negativity towards the ownership situation are impacting the way they view the business we've done.

But once you accept the manager's plan is the one we have to recruit towards and all those other factors are either extraneous or limitations the football department have to recruit within, all of our signings have been ones that fit our intended set-up and make perfect sense. And to my eyes we will have clearly improved our squad on last season, once everyone is fit.

If these transfers don't work out I think it's a lot more likely to be because ETH's plan was wrong for the team, not because the transfer business wasn't good for ETH's plan.

 

[theatreofdreams777]

We are such a badly run club. You only have to look across the city to see the stark difference between us and them. We are a big club by name only. The rest is so bang average it's ridiculous. Each day under the Glazer ownership we regress more and more. It's so stark at this stage it almost feels like self-sabotage. A club like Utd looking at 6 loan signings in the last year or so. Utterly shameful ownership for a club of our size.

I was going to say the same thing. Is our squad better than last year? I don't think so. Some of the transfers we made are quite underwhelming like Reguilon, Bayındır and Amrabat. These are Europa League level signings but apparently you're moaning too much if you don't like them.

 

[gerdm07]

It bothers me that we might have 2 loans from other clubs. I thought a big club like United always bought and were the club that loaned players out.

This could be a good window if Hojlund contributes 10 to 20 goals and Amrabat is effective from day one in the PL. We'll see.

 

[MadMike]

So including the last day deals, we have signed this summer the following players…

GKs:
- Onana
- Bayindir

DFs:
- Reguilon (loan)

MFs:
- Mount
- Amrabat

FWs:
- Hojlund

It might have taken a frustratingly long time, but it’s hard to argue that the club haven’t backed ETH in the market again. A lot of these players (Onana, Mount and Amrabat for sure, perhaps even Hojlund) seem to be personal preferences of Ten Hag.

The squad has undergone a big transformation in the space of 14 months. From the team ETH inherited it seems that only Varane, Shaw, Rashford and Fernandes and AWB retain their starting positions in the squad. And perhaps only with the exception of AWB, there’s an agreement that the others are all class players.

There’s an expectation from me at least, that the team should start gelling and playing like a Ten Hag team from some point this season.

 

[Van Piorsing]

Just a detail, but still... apart from Evans, we've managed to drop age bracket of signings below 30.

 

[flameinthesun]

I'll go against the grain....bringing in Onana, Mount, Amarabat and Rasmus....plus Reguillon to cover the LB injuries. I think is a decent to good window in relation to incomings.

 

[lsd]

We have literally gotten everyone Ten Hag wanted this window yet there are still people blaming the board and saying this has been a disaster.

It's unreal at times

 

[lsd]

I was going to say the same thing. Is our squad better than last year? I don't think so. Some of the transfers we made are quite underwhelming like Reguilon, Bayındır and Amrabat. These are Europa League level signings but apparently you're moaning too much if you don't like them.

A back up keeper, a short term deal for a left back due to an injury crisis noone could have seen plus Amrabat an upgrade on Fred.

This is what you consider worthy of moaning about.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Good window.

Outgoings could have been better (Bailly, Maguire and VDB), but you can't win them all.

 

[Ace of Spades]

I realise that this doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but if we get Amrabat (big if) then I think we've had an excellent transfer window tbh, particularly with the financial constraints that were flagged well in advance of the summer.

I just think people's reasonable doubts about the manager's plan for the team (i.e. the double attacking midfielders and transition-focus), concerns about a spate of injuries and very understandable negativity towards the ownership situation are impacting the way they view the business we've done.

But once you accept the manager's plan is the one we have to recruit towards and all those other factors are either extraneous or limitations the football department have to recruit within, all of our signings have been ones that fit our intended set-up and make perfect sense. And to my eyes we will have clearly improved our squad on last season, once everyone is fit.

If these transfers don't work out I think it's a lot more likely to be because ETH's plan was wrong for the team, not because the transfer business wasn't good for ETH's plan.

I still would not call it excellent. It could have been better if we could sell Maguire and get a CB in and maybe a made the Greenwood decision quicker to get another striker maybe.

The end result seems positive, but it could have been better, and they way we got there is not something that should be normal.

The outgoing transfers have been awful as usual.

 

[Cnaiür urs Skiötha]

Maybe it can be called a positive window in the sense ten Hag got his players, but overall I am not very confident going into the new season. If anything I feel we are weaker and more unbalanced than last year.

 

[MancunianAngels]

It's been a good window if the club gets Amrabat over the line

Our squad is ultimately in a better state than last season.

We have sorted the keeper situation out and strengthened the midfield. I still think McTominay should stay for another season as he will be important if we stay in four competitions.

You can't really criticise the desperate hunt for a left back because you couldn't imagine Shaw and Malacia both getting injured.

The main weaknesses in the squad are at centre back (still relying on Maguire is a concern) and up front (another experienced striker alongside Højlund would have been nice).

As I also keep saying, the other clubs haven't improved that much. Massive question marks over everyone apart from the divs (and even they are arguably slightly weaker than last season.)

 

[nickm]

I realise that this doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but if we get Amrabat (big if) then I think we've had an excellent transfer window tbh, particularly with the financial constraints that were flagged well in advance of the summer.

I just think people's reasonable doubts about the manager's plan for the team (i.e. the double attacking midfielders and transition-focus), concerns about a spate of injuries and very understandable negativity towards the ownership situation are impacting the way they view the business we've done.

But once you accept the manager's plan is the one we have to recruit towards and all those other factors are either extraneous or limitations the football department have to recruit within, all of our signings have been ones that fit our intended set-up and make perfect sense. And to my eyes we will have clearly improved our squad on last season, once everyone is fit.

If these transfers don't work out I think it's a lot more likely to be because ETH's plan was wrong for the team, not because the transfer business wasn't good for ETH's plan.

Absolutely. I think there's a clear strategy behind the signings. Ten Hag is signing for his new tactical structure. Half of the criticism is coming from people who don't seem to want to understand how his aims are different to last season - Ten Hag himself alluded to that when he said our problems in the first couple of games weren't with an 'open midfield', like all the muppets on here have been saying, they were with the forwards and the defence who weren't playing their roles in the new system, properly, and if you accept his plan, he was right!.

We don't know how it'll all come together and there are a few unavoidable risks in there thanks to FPP (eg the new striker), but now he has his players, the success of his tactical setup will be down to his coaching, and he's good at that. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes together.

 

[Red Rash]

I realise that this doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but if we get Amrabat (big if) then I think we've had an excellent transfer window tbh, particularly with the financial constraints that were flagged well in advance of the summer.

I just think people's reasonable doubts about the manager's plan for the team (i.e. the double attacking midfielders and transition-focus), concerns about a spate of injuries and very understandable negativity towards the ownership situation are impacting the way they view the business we've done.

But once you accept the manager's plan is the one we have to recruit towards and all those other factors are either extraneous or limitations the football department have to recruit within, all of our signings have been ones that fit our intended set-up and make perfect sense. And to my eyes we will have clearly improved our squad on last season, once everyone is fit.

If these transfers don't work out I think it's a lot more likely to be because ETH's plan was wrong for the team, not because the transfer business wasn't good for ETH's plan.

I respectfully disagree. I think we started off well getting Onana, Mount and Hojlund over the line but later in the window has been tragic.

We had the best chance we will get to sell Maguire and McTominay for decent fees but we weren't able to get rid. We are also keen on selling Donny but really struggling to get rid of him too.

In my opinion Amrabat will be a good signing but we should have got him in 2-3 weeks ago. He has been begging for United, Fiorentina are keen to sell and he fills a gap we need to cover. We are now 3 games into the season and he will need time to adapt and get used to his new team mates.

I'm also very worried about our attack this season. I think and hope Hojlund will do well but Martial can't be trusted for injury issues and we should have brought in an experienced striker to give us more goalscoring options.

At most I'd give this window a 6/10 as I think the board have shown their incompetence once again and ruined a bright start to the window.

 

[croadyman]

Mad to think we have signed six players but none of them is backup CB or proven ST. I understand we couldn't get Kane so went for Rasmus,however still needed a backup one like a Taremi/Orban. Frustrated we didn't get a backup CB,however IF we see Silva/Diomande as Varane's successor then I get waiting for them.

Think anyone going over 6/10 is mad

 

[sullydnl]

I respectfully disagree. I think we started off well getting Onana, Mount and Hojlund over the line but later in the window has been tragic.

We had the best chance we will get to sell Maguire and McTominay for decent fees but we weren't able to get rid. We are also keen on selling Donny but really struggling to get rid of him too.

In my opinion Amrabat will be a good signing but we should have got him in 2-3 weeks ago. He has been begging for United, Fiorentina are keen to sell and he fills a gap we need to cover. We are now 3 games into the season and he will need time to adapt and get used to his new team mates.

I'm also very worried about our attack this season. I think and hope Hojlund will do well but Martial can't be trusted for injury issues and we should have brought in an experienced striker to give us more goalscoring options.

At most I'd give this window a 6/10 as I think the board have shown their incompetence once again and ruined a bright start to the window.

The bold is all fair criticism. I had been thinking simply in terms of the players we did recruit but sales and the timing of transfers are relevant too, so it's valid to mark our business this summer down for those reasons.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Mad to think we have signed six players but none of them is backup CB or proven ST. I understand we couldn't get Kane so went for Rasmus,however still needed a backup one like a Taremi/Orban. Frustrated we didn't get a backup CB,however IF we see Silva/Diomande as Varane's successor then I get waiting for them.

Think anyone going over 6/10 is mad

A rare, calm and balanced post from the Croadlord

And yeah, completely agree. It’s almost surreal that Utd have signed 6 players with none of them being a proven CF or a CB of any description.

As I’ve said previously, this squad will struggle greatly to finish top 4 imo.

 

[Adebisi's Hat]

so do you lot think were are done now with the transfers in this window or will there be another surprise. Tolibo would be nice.

 

[Canuckred64]

so do you lot think were are done now with the transfers in this window or will there be another surprise. Tolibo would be nice.

I was hoping that might still happen, doubt it though.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

ten Hag identified our main priorities, and they were all signed pretty quickly. That said, one could argue whether the right profile of player was signed. For me, Mount and Hojlund wouldn't have been at the forefront of my mind when looking for players who occupy the midfield and striker position, but ten Hag has obviously identified something where he can work and mould these players into someone that fits his system.

I think another priority was signing a player to cover or potentially sit beside Casemiro, who it looks we now potentially have in Amrabat.

Reguilon wasn't planned, but decent cover whilst Shaw and Malacia are out.

Overall, I'd give it a 7, but that's mainly because Mount isn't the ball playing midfielder I'd have liked, and Hojlund is unproven. Onana and Amrabat are more shrewd signings, in my opinion.

 

[A-man]

All transfer windows are considered critical during the moments we're in them.

The problem we've had is treating every summer as critical and then scratching around desperately to tick off every item on our shopping list even when the price is too high because we've believed that missing out is going to make the difference between winning the league or not.

Well, the reality is that it's not. We're nowhere near close enough to be making RvP or Carrick type signings for over the top prices to put the cherry on the cake. We need accept some lean years to actually make the cake first. It's what what Arsenal did when they sold their overpaid stars and put trust in their prospects. And it's what Newcastle and City did despite all their riches giving them the freedom to throw away as much money as they want.

By treating every window as critical, we're tricking ourselves into believing that every signing is vital for our survival.

Missing out on Amrabat might cost us a handful of points over the course of the season. But we could instead invest those savings on a hungry but potential world class 20 year old next summer. Short term pain for long term gain.

Great post!

 

[Big Ben Foster]

We have literally gotten everyone Ten Hag wanted this window yet there are still people blaming the board and saying this has been a disaster.

It's unreal at times

That's part of the problem though. Some of us don't believe the manager should be the one dictating our transfer strategy.

 

[abailey123]

Not a bad window but we’ve just got the amrabat deal done a little too late for me.

We’ve now got good depth all over the park.

Onana (Bayindir)

Wan Bissaka (Dalot)
Varane (Lindelof)
Martinez (Maguire, Evans)
Shaw (Malacia, Reugilon)

Casemiro (Mainoo)
Amrabat (Eriksen, McTominay)

Bruno (Mount)

Antony (Pellistri, Amad)
Hojlund (Martial)
Rashford (Sancho, Garnacho)

Good depth all across the pitch.

 

[Belisarius]

I would give us an 8/10 for incomings. Maybe a 5/10 for outgoings. Averages out to 6.5 / 10 overall.

 

[Tincanalley]

Amrabat will be interesting to see close up

 

[pocco]

My main frustration is that I don't see the point of gunning for top 4 just to go and sign mid level players. To me you need to get top 4 and bring in some very good or potentially very good players and build, otherwise you're just consolidating as an also-ran. Hojlund may fall into the latter category but nobody really knows what to expect and Serie A experts are saying to keep expectations down for now.

I certainly don't expect us to sign Bellingham and Mbappe, but signing players that have probably proven they're not top class isn't the way. I look at the profile of Arsenal and Chelsea signings and they're young players that have the talent to become top class. I can't say that about the players we target. And on top of that it looks like we'll need to replace two of our signings on Casemiro and Eriksen within the next year or two.

Basically, it's just not the approach I'd have took at all.

 

[Todd]

I had big hopes for our summer haul; on the heels of a very good season I thought that we'd sign some key players that could put us in a position to get to the next level. Now, I'm left feeling like we've barely been able to tread water, while most of the teams around us have gotten better.

Onana (8/10): one of the top 'keepers in Europe, and the exact type of 'keeper we needed for our upgrade. The fee wasn't terrible, either. Our smartest signing.

Amrabat (7/10): an example of very smart business. A player who fits the profile for what we've been missing in our midfield. Taking him on loan with the option to buy for a low fee was a job well done on our part, I think. If he can perform at his World Cup level, we'll look like geniuses with this one.

Reguilon (6/10): not a player to get excited about, but given that we're facing a LB injury crisis, and, more importantly, that we've done this one in a smart manner as well, with the option to break the loan this winter, I'm not worried about this. Hopefully he can do a job for us.

Hojlund (5/10): the most scrutinized club in the toughest league in the world had an absolutely desperate need for a striker who could hit the ground running, roll with the pressure and bang in goals regularly, and we've pinned our hopes on a kid young enough to still be dealing with teenage acne. And furthermore, we've paid a massive fee for him, basically ensuring that we're putting all of our eggs in one basket. This is a huge gamble and if he winds up being the type of striker who gets us 10 goals a season, we're going to look ridiculous. I worry about the pressure this lad is going to be under.

Mount (4/10): we overpaid for a Chelsea reject with one year left on his contract, and when we desperately needed a #8 we bought a #10 and are basically hoping that the guy can turn into something that he really isn't. And in the meantime, every time he plays alongside Bruno, it's going to hang Casemiro out to dry. This is the type of player you spend 35 million on to be a backup to Bruno, not 55 million on to be a starter. Really bad business on this.

Bayindir (4/10): it doesn't sound like Fenerbache had much faith in this lad, which is especially worrying since it's likely that he'll be playing in several matches for us while Onana is away for AFCON.

 

[sincher]

A lot depends on Hojlund and Onana, as to how good our window is.

Personally don't think very much of the other signings but maybe one or two can come good.

 

[Canuckred64]

Are we done with Requilon and Amrabat, or are we working on bringing in anyone else?

 

[Red Royal]

Are we done with Requilon and Amrabat, or are we working on bringing in anyone else?

That's all folks
Evans too of course

 

[Canuckred64]

That's all folks
Evans too of course

I thought we were supposed to be talking to Nice about Todibo?

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

I had big hopes for our summer haul; on the heels of a very good season I thought that we'd sign some key players that could put us in a position to get to the next level. Now, I'm left feeling like we've barely been able to tread water, while most of the teams around us have gotten better.

Onana (8/10): one of the top 'keepers in Europe, and the exact type of 'keeper we needed for our upgrade. The fee wasn't terrible, either. Our smartest signing.

Amrabat (7/10): an example of very smart business. A player who fits the profile for what we've been missing in our midfield. Taking him on loan with the option to buy for a low fee was a job well done on our part, I think. If he can perform at his World Cup level, we'll look like geniuses with this one.

Reguilon (6/10): not a player to get excited about, but given that we're facing a LB injury crisis, and, more importantly, that we've done this one in a smart manner as well, with the option to break the loan this winter, I'm not worried about this. Hopefully he can do a job for us.

Hojlund (5/10): the most scrutinized club in the toughest league in the world had an absolutely desperate need for a striker who could hit the ground running, roll with the pressure and bang in goals regularly, and we've pinned our hopes on a kid young enough to still be dealing with teenage acne. And furthermore, we've paid a massive fee for him, basically ensuring that we're putting all of our eggs in one basket. This is a huge gamble and if he winds up being the type of striker who gets us 10 goals a season, we're going to look ridiculous. I worry about the pressure this lad is going to be under.

Mount (4/10): we overpaid for a Chelsea reject with one year left on his contract, and when we desperately needed a #8 we bought a #10 and are basically hoping that the guy can turn into something that he really isn't. And in the meantime, every time he plays alongside Bruno, it's going to hang Casemiro out to dry. This is the type of player you spend 35 million on to be a backup to Bruno, not 55 million on to be a starter. Really bad business on this.

Bayindir (4/10): it doesn't sound like Fenerbache had much faith in this lad, which is especially worrying since it's likely that he'll be playing in several matches for us while Onana is away for AFCON.

Agreed, but Onana's goalkeeping against Awoniyi was laughable so I am not convinced by him.

Höjlund is a massive gamble and Mount is not what we need. ETH needs both to work out this season.

 

[foolsgold]

Obviously too early to properly evaluate things but given the lack of a club sale I'm happy enough with the signings. People writing off Mount are over the top.

Obviously problem is we didn't sell Maguire.

 

[croadyman]

I thought we were supposed to be talking to Nice about Todibo?

Yeah Maguire digging in heels scuppered it

 

[croadyman]

I had big hopes for our summer haul; on the heels of a very good season I thought that we'd sign some key players that could put us in a position to get to the next level. Now, I'm left feeling like we've barely been able to tread water, while most of the teams around us have gotten better.

Onana (8/10): one of the top 'keepers in Europe, and the exact type of 'keeper we needed for our upgrade. The fee wasn't terrible, either. Our smartest signing.

Amrabat (7/10): an example of very smart business. A player who fits the profile for what we've been missing in our midfield. Taking him on loan with the option to buy for a low fee was a job well done on our part, I think. If he can perform at his World Cup level, we'll look like geniuses with this one.

Reguilon (6/10): not a player to get excited about, but given that we're facing a LB injury crisis, and, more importantly, that we've done this one in a smart manner as well, with the option to break the loan this winter, I'm not worried about this. Hopefully he can do a job for us.

Hojlund (5/10): the most scrutinized club in the toughest league in the world had an absolutely desperate need for a striker who could hit the ground running, roll with the pressure and bang in goals regularly, and we've pinned our hopes on a kid young enough to still be dealing with teenage acne. And furthermore, we've paid a massive fee for him, basically ensuring that we're putting all of our eggs in one basket. This is a huge gamble and if he winds up being the type of striker who gets us 10 goals a season, we're going to look ridiculous. I worry about the pressure this lad is going to be under.

Mount (4/10): we overpaid for a Chelsea reject with one year left on his contract, and when we desperately needed a #8 we bought a #10 and are basically hoping that the guy can turn into something that he really isn't. And in the meantime, every time he plays alongside Bruno, it's going to hang Casemiro out to dry. This is the type of player you spend 35 million on to be a backup to Bruno, not 55 million on to be a starter. Really bad business on this.

Bayindir (4/10): it doesn't sound like Fenerbache had much faith in this lad, which is especially worrying since it's likely that he'll be playing in several matches for us while Onana is away for AFCON.

So which striker should we have brought in and please don’t say Kane. He clearly didn't give us enough encouragement which says we weren't attractive to him. Then I also knew we wouldn't spend £120m plus on a single player either

 

[sillwuka]

Good window.

Evans as experienced emergency cb cover.
Reguilon who's experienced in Europe.
Amrabat to plug the gap in midfield.
We now have a new number 9 in Hojlund.
Mount to compete in the midfield and as a narrow rw.
Onana to lead us out from the back.

 

[bosskeano]

Getting in Amrabat was massive to say the least

 

[Todd]

So which striker should we have brought in and please don’t say Kane. He clearly didn't give us enough encouragement which says we weren't attractive to him. Then I also knew we wouldn't spend £120m plus on a single player either

The Hojlund money plus the Mount money could've gotten us Osimhen

Or, the Hojlund money plus half the Mount money probably could've gotten us Lautaro

I don't know about you, but I'd have happily taken Osimhen or Lautaro on their own over Hojlund plus Mount.