Why is it so hard for Utd to get transfers done in and out?

MUFC OK

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I think ultimately because we don’t have the appetite to compete from board level. We appoint nobody’s to important positions and are shocked when they can’t deliver competence.
 

steffyr2

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Who is the guy talking?

At a high level, Utd has kept up with the Oil states (City & PSG) and the Russian oligarchs (Chelsea) for spending on players. People quote the numbers spent all the time. We just do a bad job of running the club.

[However, it's possible that we don't see the amount of money City, PSG and Chelsea really spend -- I wrote that somewhere else recently.]

BTW, my conspiracy theory is that the locals who control Man Utd day to day send out MUST and Green&Gold every time they really screw up. And you guys fall for it every time.
 

RedDevilQuebecois

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Remember hearing something similar last season, that a lot of important decisions kept getting held up because approval was needed from the owners in Florida.
Fecking hell. Can no one among those stupid fecks buy a flat in a posh district in London or anything just to keep people in the loop? Pathetic excuse.
 

redIndianDevil

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You understand nothing.

Read post #192 which was actually posted by hp88.
Its you who don’t understand anything. Did the Glazers do anything illegal when they did the leveraged takeover? They didn’t. It was all legal back then.

So according to the guy in the video only crooks like Abrahamovic and the Sheikhs with stolen wealth can buy and run football clubs. Sure Boehly is happy to spend money on players now for Chelsea but let’s see how long that lasts. He will also revert to meaningful spending.

To me one thing is clear, you can’t say we haven’t spent money in the transfer market when compared to our peers. We have either spent more than them or on par with them. That is all that matters to me.

the guy in the video goes on about City, PSG etc but doesn’t talk about Bayern Munich or Juventus or Dortmund etc. They are also well run clubs andwhy can’t we emulate them. Liverpool lucked out by appointing an excellent manager.
 

NoLogo

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For the record, we are absolutely nowhere near when Klopp came in. There’s a well known story about how the data science team at Liverpool explained to Klopp how unlucky he’d been in his last season at Dortmund when he arrived at Liverpool as they’d done a full statistical analysis on it.

At that point Klopp realized how good the DS team and scouting structure Liverpool had in place.
And you’ve seen it play out in the brilliant transfers they’ve made.

We are utterly a million miles away. Don’t for one second fool yourself into thinking us now is a similar situation to Klopp arriving at Liverpool.
I wasn't referring to our staff structure but to the players they recruited back then. They went for high potential targets that weren't on the list of all the big clubs yet, instead of chasing players like de Jong, who is already at a big club. To a certain extend we have done that now with Malacia and Martinez, I think this needs to be the way forward, without CL football and the current chaos at our club no one of the big names wants to join us and we need to adapt our transfers accordingly.

The staff problem of course needs solving as well, we need to get back to hire really good people in every position but for that we need a DOF and technical director who are good enough to assemble such a team.
 

SteveTheRed

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Because we are constantly negotiating from a position of weakness.

We are in the mud, every club and agent knows this.
 

Green Arrow

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The club is run by incompetent people who have no idea how to run a football club. Every player, agent and club know that we are desperate for players, and we are always negotiating from a point of weakness.
The club can't sell any players because they are on high wages and the contract lengths are too long.
 

SuperiorXI

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We put inexperienced people in the job of negotiating for the hardest targets from a position of panic and desperation.

Look at who we've gone for this window, none of our targets give off the long term planning/long term target vibe. They're ETH ex-players or bargain hunting.
 

Lentwood

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Because we are constantly negotiating from a position of weakness.

We are in the mud, every club and agent knows this.
It's basically this. When we go for a big name, both they and their club know we're desperate/cash-rich and milk us dry.

When we go for a unknown player/gamble, the club add 'United tax' and so suddenly it becomes less appealing to try to unearth a rough diamond...because if you're paying £40m+ anyway it's still quite high-risk

We can counter this by getting more organised. Targeting players who have favourable contract situations, players who really want to join us for whatever reason and will force a move and also by targeting players at clubs who wouldn't be able to turn-down a decent offer for one of their players.

Whilst we're shopping at the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich etc....it's never going to go well for us!
 

Drifter

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We just have to face facts, we are not the draw anymore, and we have an incompetent backroom staff
 

Daslogisch

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It's difficult to get (proper) players in, because United don't play CL and don't look like a club contending for silverware anytime soon. Hence elite players are not interested generally.

Getting players out is difficult since they're on very high wages. No one wants Uniteds misfits at the wages they're currently on and these players won't just drop those wages.

The latter problem is one every big club faces, hence why usually these players go out on loan rather than be sold.
 

Swearing Budgie

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Top clubs strengthen their squads when they are on top. We wait until a player is on his last legs before even considering replacing him. And then actually do nothing.
 

Skills

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It's basically this. When we go for a big name, both they and their club know we're desperate/cash-rich and milk us dry.

When we go for a unknown player/gamble, the club add 'United tax' and so suddenly it becomes less appealing to try to unearth a rough diamond...because if you're paying £40m+ anyway it's still quite high-risk

We can counter this by getting more organised. Targeting players who have favourable contract situations, players who really want to join us for whatever reason and will force a move and also by targeting players at clubs who wouldn't be able to turn-down a decent offer for one of their players.

Whilst we're shopping at the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich etc....it's never going to go well for us!
Correct. Then we also need critically move away from the back the manager mentality.

If you're going to work like that, you can't work off managerial wish lists. The club has to have its own set of targets, while the head coach feeds in positional requirements.
 

We need an rvn

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We just have to face facts, we are not the draw anymore, and we have an incompetent backroom staff
Unfortunately that's the truth.

Owners / inept board / no CL / lack of success over the last 10 years etc all add up

The simple question is (without the Man Utd fan hat on)- if you were a player and all three City / Liverpool and Utd were in for you then we'd be the last choice for many at the moment (mentioned those three in particular if you take into account the geographical area as some always mention the Manchester weather factor but that clearly isn't the case if you look at the current squads of 'pool and city)
 

::sonny::

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The average is 3/4 new players/season

My prediction after 31th August

Henderson > Heaton promoted 2nd

Telles > Malacia

Matic > Garner/Zidane
Pogba > Rabiot
Mata > Eriksen

Lingard > Hannibal
Greenwood > Chong
Cavani > Arnautovic (20 million)
 
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Sky1981

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The answer is simple

Barcelona : Fighting on 3 front. 50% chance of winning la Liga, probably 15% chance of winning CL. Nice City. Big Wages 400k kicking in. Nice Weather

United : 40% chance of making top 4, 50% chance of becoming the next batch of deadwood, future uncertain, 0% chances of winning CL, probably 30% chances of winning EL, same salary offered if not much less, shit weather. Shit team. Imagine working along with the likes of Martial, Rashford, Shaw, Maguire, those England primadonas, ETH wasn't even a nice boss, he's certainly no better than Xavi.

Transfer is not some complicated matter, if your offer too good to refuse it will happen.

Now hand in heart, would you move to United if you're FDJ? What do we have to offer?
 

Bestietom

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We could surely try and offer a couple of players to Ajax and try and get Antony deal done.
 

JB7

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It's basically this. When we go for a big name, both they and their club know we're desperate/cash-rich and milk us dry.

When we go for a unknown player/gamble, the club add 'United tax' and so suddenly it becomes less appealing to try to unearth a rough diamond...because if you're paying £40m+ anyway it's still quite high-risk

We can counter this by getting more organised. Targeting players who have favourable contract situations, players who really want to join us for whatever reason and will force a move and also by targeting players at clubs who wouldn't be able to turn-down a decent offer for one of their players.

Whilst we're shopping at the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich etc....it's never going to go well for us!
This is the issue isn't we. We're more often than not going for players who have no reason to be desperate to leave their current clubs, while their current clubs have no reason to need to sell them.

People on here get whiny when you mention at looking what we did under Ferguson and some of the methods still being relevant , but we primarily signed the best players from clubs in the rung below our own, that was a strategy that worked for 20 odd years under him. They were stepping up to the biggest club they'd ever played for so you got that extra 10% out of them, they also very often wanted to leave once it was clear we were interested so their clubs became motivated sellers.

It's a strategy that still works with a proper scouting set up. Looking at the clubs Liverpool have signed players who became big players for them since 2016; Southampton, Newcastle, Hull, Southampton, Roma, Monaco, Leipzig, Roma, Wolves, Bayern, Porto, Leipzig, Benfica. Only Bayern are a club anywhere near their level.

Obviously City have spent fortunes but the clubs those players have come from in the same period; Everton, Schalke, Barcelona, Dortmund, Bilbao, Monaco, Spurs, Monaco, Benfica, Real Madrid, Leicester, Juventus, Atletico, Benfica, Bournemouth, Valencia, Aston Villa, Leeds, Dortmund. It's interesting to note that the players that came in from Barcelona and Real Madrid were both quickly shipped out too.
 

Bestietom

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You can scrap lack of money, we have spent a fortune on new players and have one of the highest wage bills in Europe, it's just sheer incompetency from the people leading this club that has brought us to that point.
So who is giving the go ahead for these latest transfers. Surely has to do with money. We need the RIGHT players is gone out the window then.
 

NoLogo

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So who is giving the go ahead for these latest transfers. Surely has to do with money. We need the RIGHT players is gone out the window then.
The right players don't want to come or aren't for sale. The problem is that we don't have a plan B and now are in panic mode. How hard can it be at the start of the season to come up with a list of players you want for every position and then see if they are available?
 

Lentwood

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Correct. Then we also need critically move away from the back the manager mentality.

If you're going to work like that, you can't work off managerial wish lists. The club has to have its own set of targets, while the head coach feeds in positional requirements.
100% agree. Managers are incentivised to think about the 'now' whilst in-reality, the club should be thinking at least two or three windows ahead.

The manager should have one vote, as should the rest of the 'transfer committee'....the other reason for this is, as we have seen, managers come and go but the steaming turds they sign/renew are left circling the bowl long after they have moved on with their severance pay
 

Bondi77

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What about when Arnold met the yobs in the Pub and said money was not an issue in getting players?
 

izak

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Simple the players we want don't want to play for us and the once that want to play are too expensive.
 

Bebestation

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We last won the CL like 15 years ago.

Chelsea have won it twice since. Liverpool are getting to finals every season. City have the best manager that should realistically win it soon as well.
 

UnitedSofa

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We last won the CL like 15 years ago.

Chelsea have won it twice since. Liverpool are getting to finals every season. City have the best manager that should realistically win it soon as well.
Feck me. I was like nahhh can’t be. Then realised 2008 was like 14 years ago :(
 

dove

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We struggle to find players that would make negotiating process easier for us, such as contract expiring in a year, player being unsettled, club wanting to sell, etc. We always seem to pick the most complex targets that we can possibly find that are either very important players for the selling club, or not ready to push for a move. That, and also us being incompetent at it means we suck at it.
 

stoinz

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We do have the money and we did spend loads. We are just so incompetent in spending them. We tried to save money by haggling late into window only to pay the asking price or pump for an overpriced alternative. We walked away from deal thinking we made a point of not being cowed into making unreasonable deals only to suffer for one season and going back to the same target. We also can't seems to sell any players at all, we end up keeping them or sending them on loan while paying part of their salary only to lose them on free transfer. I'm don't have any details but I suspect if we scrutinize each window, we will always inevitably spend more than we budget or close to it.

The ironic thing is I think the reason we overspend is because we do not want to overspend. It is like the previous company that I worked for, the only guiding principle is cost savings, spending only when it is too late. Always end up spending more while causing undue stress on staff and customers.
 

R'hllor

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United tax does exist but doubt its introduced in every counter offer. We cant have both ways, we cant flap our gums with watch this space and buy on cheap, its a approach thing. If you approach it as selling club, then you introduce % on next sale etc. Also if we have problems with transfer fees,they can switch focus on free transfer market, pay extra to whisperers, go get players on loan.

Seems Serie A clubs have no shame nor they are bothered with it, they approach you and ask X player to come on 2 year loan, with option to buy and all other loop whole stuff.
 

Bestietom

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The right players don't want to come or aren't for sale. The problem is that we don't have a plan B and now are in panic mode. How hard can it be at the start of the season to come up with a list of players you want for every position and then see if they are available?
Seems there is an ordeal for every transfer we try to do, while others just get it done.
Mane out Nunez in straight away.
Philips and Haaland in for City without any fuss.
Spurs and Arsenal signed players early.
 

amolbhatia50k

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What prior competence / track record do Murtough and co have in football transfers?
 

amolbhatia50k

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The right players don't want to come or aren't for sale. The problem is that we don't have a plan B and now are in panic mode. How hard can it be at the start of the season to come up with a list of players you want for every position and then see if they are available?
There are always right players available. If absolutely ready made ones aren't then you go for developing talents that smaller clubs find and sell off for a huge fee. But the potential to find them is always there. I think Malacia could prove to be one. But we don't get enough of these done. Which is why we are desparately shuttling about as usual. I guess Murtough needs to learn on the job too.
 

MUFC OK

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Who is the guy talking?

At a high level, Utd has kept up with the Oil states (City & PSG) and the Russian oligarchs (Chelsea) for spending on players. People quote the numbers spent all the time. We just do a bad job of running the club.

[However, it's possible that we don't see the amount of money City, PSG and Chelsea really spend -- I wrote that somewhere else recently.]

BTW, my conspiracy theory is that the locals who control Man Utd day to day send out MUST and Green&Gold every time they really screw up. And you guys fall for it every time.
Yes but that's nothing without a strategy. How many times have we been in this situation in a transfer window, the season starting and players not through the door? We panic buy with over inflated fees and it's rarely been clear who is identifying the players.

It's like we don't know what we are looking for or do but only by position, not by style of play, character etc.

Btw I agree that there's definitely more to the packages/incentives that City, PSG are offering players than is made public.
 

MUFC OK

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What prior competence / track record do Murtough and co have in football transfers?
This is it. Can't believe the club has successfully pulled the wool over some of our eyes, talking of a new direction with emphasis on excellence, when in reality it's the same repackaged shite from before. People appointed to positions that are not best in class, or have no experience in that class at all.

Seen so many posts on here stating "give X a chance", yet inevitably they show their ignorance again. Appointing random new personnel to positions is not strategy. It's just a PR cover to keep the heat off our owners.
 

Bestietom

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Every season now, It's an ordeal trying to sign players. Then we hear there is no one available that will improve us.
My God, what the fans are expected to swallow.