12 Oct 2020 13:56:47
Hi Ed, hope everyone is well. Now the dust has settled, is there any chance Ed you could give us a summary of any players we are targeting for the January window? Completely understand if not, but thanks anyway.

{Ed002's Note - Manchester United have agreed to complete the transfer of Amad Traore by December 31 to allow him to move in January subject to a Work Permit etc.. However, Manchester United would have been aware of an issue that blocked the sale of his brother Hamed Treore from Empoli to another English side earlier in the summer that resulted in the extention of his loan at Empoli with an obligation to buy included. It relates to the players arriving in Italy with false paperwork and that means they could potentially be in the country illegally. So there might be another hurdle to deal with.

Aside from that, clubs don't usually plan for January transfers and I am not aware of anything that the club may wish to do.}

1.) 12 Oct 2020
12 Oct 2020 15:34:21
The January window tend to be used by those who have maybe changed manager, or to offload a few players who aren't playing. In general players who are playing well prefer not to move in January, especially ahead of the summer international tournament as if they have a drop in form that could cost them a place in their national side.

I very much expect Amad Traore to be our only "signing" of January. With maybe 1 or 2 players departing either on loan or permanently.

2.) 14 Oct 2020
14 Oct 2020 09:29:12
You may have changed manager by then though, Shappy?

3.) 14 Oct 2020
14 Oct 2020 10:21:34
Silvered, we may well have done. But I still don't see the club spending in January unless someone like Sancho or Upamecano becomes available. It would need to be a either a long term target or a top level player available for a bargain. I can't see either happening.

Good players don't tend to move in the January when there is an international tournament in the summer. The risk of not settling, or not getting games and thus missing out on going to a tournament with their national side is too great.

If we change manager I expect it'll either happen mid December or early January, otherwise we won't change manager until the end of the season. Either way the club are unlikely to sanction spending during a financial crisis for a manager who will likely have had no more than a few weeks with his players.

In the past 30 years we have only made 12 January signings, of which only Evra, Vidic and Bruno can be considered successes. While Saha had he avoided injury probably would have been as well. It's a pretty terrible success rate.

Whether Ole keeps his job or we have a new manager, I highly doubt the club will make any January signings.

4.) 14 Oct 2020
14 Oct 2020 12:29:37
The club didn't even spend money the last time Sancho and Upamecano were available😃😃.