Yup, feels like he peaked too early! If we hold on to De Gea, that will help his case I suppose, but i'd have expected a CB and forward this window - I think the majority of United fans would agree with that.If we've lost out on Pedro, and don't sign anyone else this window, then I'd say he's fecked up all the goodwill be built up in the early parts of the window.
That will only be a worthwhile argument if we source someone along the lines of Kane, Bale, Benzema, Reus - but if we don't because "they aren't for sale" then we missed a trick of adding a player of good calibre in Pedro who is available, appears to be open to the move, and we faffed over instalments despite having freed up a bucket load of cash in weekly wages.Oh FFS. There is probably a good reason why we didn't already bought Pedro. Maybe there is another player available, maybe LVG doesn't rate him as much as Barca, we will never know.
I don't believe for a second that Woodward wouldn't pay asking price if LVG would tell him he absolutely needs him.
How do you know that. It is all guesswork. It is reported that Chelsea didn't payed 30m euros upfront too.That will only be a worthwhile argument if we source someone along the lines of Kane, Bale, Benzema, Reus - but if we don't because "they aren't for sale" then we missed a trick of adding a player of good calibre in Pedro who is available, appears to be open to the move, and we faffed over instalments despite having freed up a bucket load of cash in weekly wages.
Fair point - it just seemed too close to completion for there not to have been interest on both parties.How do you know that. It is all guesswork. It is reported that Chelsea didn't payed 30m euros upfront too.
Maybe just maybe LVG don't want Pedro as much as we think...
We probably have interest in many players, it is obvious we had interest in Pedro, but i think LVG changed his mind about him for some reason. Maybe he want to give youngsters the opportunity or maybe there is another player which we were chasing available.Fair point - it just seemed too close to completion for there not to have been interest on both parties.
Exactly. Like any of us know the intricacies of these deals.When you don't know what the feck is going on, blame Woodward.
Yup.When you don't know what the feck is going on, blame Woodward.
We need too.I feel we will get another big signing.
We certainly got the money for it.
Yeah, we definitely need to add another striker. If Rooney continues to struggle, then we arguably don't have a single top class striker in our side. Been a long time since that was the case.We need too.
I just don't see how anyone can think that the same attack as last season (where we scored something like 60 goals) - RVP / Di Maria + Depay (even if he is a huge upgrade on the former two) is enough to challenge.
Problem is that i see huge similarities between this window and that one under Moyes.I feel we will get another big signing.
We certainly got the money for it.
At this point in time, how could you tell whether he fecked up in any way though? The most likely scenario is that Van Gaal decided against the deal or that the player chose Chelsea. I don't believe that the deal broke down because we were haggling about paying €5m in installments or whatever was being reported. It doesn't make a lot of sense.If we've lost out on Pedro, and don't sign anyone else this window, then I'd say he's fecked up all the goodwill be built up in the early parts of the window.
Thats why I said, "don't sign anyone else this window"At this point in time, how could you tell whether he fecked up in any way though? The most likely scenario is that Van Gaal decided against the deal or that the player chose Chelsea. I don't believe that the deal broke down because we were haggling about paying €5m in installments or whatever was being reported. It doesn't make a lot of sense.
I feel as if the Caf both blame and praise Woody too much based on which players we get in, when in reality it's most likely not up to him. He just negotiates.
Fair enough, I don't find a lot to worry about personally. We look solid to me, better than last year anyway. Not world beaters yet, but except for a select few years we never really did.Thats why I said, "don't sign anyone else this window"
Unless LVG really thinks we're fine as we are... which I'd find worrying.
I feel the exact same thing, someone along the lines of Laporte or GriezmannI feel we will get another big signing.
We certainly got the money for it.
He did want Pedro but the reasons for blocking the deal are not money-orientated imo. Neither Van Gaal nor Woodward have a history of penny-pinching. It's more comfortable for transfer muppets to throw shit at Van Gaal because of his alleged valuation of Pedro than to admit they don't rate our academy products or don't trust the manager at all for starters.Your head is in the clouds or the sand if you believe the "Van Gaal didn't want him" line.
The same notoriously fussy van Gaal who has a history of being incredibly picky when it comes to players and unwilling to be bullied with fees, and if possible prefers to give youngsters a chance?Your head is in the clouds or the sand if you believe the "Van Gaal didn't want him" line.
Why wouldnt anyone believe that?Your head is in the clouds or the sand if you believe the "Van Gaal didn't want him" line.
Oh how generous of you. They're all super realistic targets.He's definitely gone down in my book after fecking up the Pedro transfer.
He can only redeem himself with a Muller, Bale or Lewandowski type deal, in my opinion.
Also worth noting the players we've moved on - RvP, Falcao, Nani, Di Maria, Rafa etc. which has likely massively rebalanced our wage bill and positioned us well for future transfers.There has been a lot of good press for Woody in recent times, but just how impressive has he been in the transfer Windows.
I'll start with the ins, but someone feel free to belp me out with the sales!
Obviously this is all speculation, we can't know quite how impressive or not he has been, but it's fun to speculate!
In (source - soccerbase for values):
Fellaini - £27.4m
Was available at £24m, other targets didn't work out. Got reserve choice and not a huge premium, but still over priced. Woody rating 4/10
Mata - £37.1m
Was one of Chelseas best players, yes maybe not wanted any more, but still managed to buy from one of biggest rivals. That being said there was an advantage from Chelseas point of view to strengthen us against rivals that season having already played us twice. Overall 7/10
Herrera £29m release cause, hard to say impressive, just standard business lined up well in advance. 5/10
Luke Shaw - £27m very expensive youngster, but Chelsea competition and rated one of best left backs, also English. You'd have to say fair but not wow business. 5/10
Rojo - £16m fair price, impressed for Argentina, overall fairly good business for relative unknown 6/10
Falcao - a loan at huge cost for a potential megastar. Given our lack of Champions League you have to say good business at the time even if expensive and didn't work out. 7/10
Di Maria - Madrid fairly happy to sell and we still paid £60m, but he was one of their best players and arguably a world xii. Price seems fair, convincing him to join a non Champions League club is good work. Again 7/10
Valdes - free top class gk, albeit recovering from injury. Seems good business even if didn't work out 8/10
Daley Blind - £13.8m sounds pretty cheap and likely work done on LVGs part, but overall good value 7/10
Depay - £31m expensive for a talented youngster, but arguably well worth it with huge potential. A deal struck at the last min. Feels like one of best deals even if price is arguably just the going rate. 7/10
Darmian £12.7m - another relative unknown, but fairly cheap to solve a RB problem. 7/10
Schweinsteigar - £14.4m sounds cheap for a man of his calibre, but might not be at his best and comes with astronomic wages. Good work to get him though for a fair price 8/10
Schneiderlin - £25m, probably a relatively easy signing to make, but good price when you compare to Shaw. Could easily have been £10m more. 8/10
Romero - free, sounds like a backup and can't go too far wrong for free 5/10
Overall I'd lean at 7/10 performance. Reasonable for the less known players, going rate/ fair for the others.
So we chase a player for about a month, haggling over £2 million (God knows why....) and then one of our biggest rivals get the deal done in 2 days. Then journalists get a "LVG didn't want him anyway." line from the club.Why wouldnt anyone believe that?
Exactly. I struggle to imagine Van Gaal on the phone, talking to Woodward who's in Catalonia:We've spent almost £250million since last summer, there's almost no chance this has anything to do us penny pinching.
You'll believe what you want to believe.So we chase a player for about a month, haggling over £2 million (God knows why....) and then one of our biggest rivals get the deal done in 2 days. Then journalists get a "LVG didn't want him anyway." line from the club.
It's ridiculous. I'd say it's trying to save face but there's none to be saved.
