Manchester United banter 5

31 Jul 2026 11:38:45
I do wonder what the departure of the Manager Eddie Howe will do to any hopes of us signing their left back Hall.
Reports suggest Hall and Howe had the same agent, and that presented a conflict whilst both were there, but that now is not the case. Does that make it easier? Newcastle fly off to Spain for pre-season training later today, apparently. The new manager due in tomorrow does look a strange decision, but I can’t see him wanting to let too many key players go.

They have let several players go already, and Guamares looks likely as well.

If we are interested in Hall, is it now easier to get him or harder? If we wait for them to sell Guamares, it feels like they may be more determined to keep Hall.

Looks ideal for me and we cannot go into a season relying on Shaw. Dorgu isn’t a good enough left back.

Why are we waiting?

31 Jul 2026 13:28:53
It's hard to know if it makes it easier or harder.
They have lost 2 already in Gordon and Tonali.
Bruno looks set to go, so do they need to sell Hall. Will he push himself out like it appears Bruno will or Isak did?

You seem to have no idea how transfers work, Redman. It's not like the days of old where you're sent an offer to the club chairman.
Nowadays
You need to get agreement with an agent.
Then the players.

The agent needs to see if the selling club are open to offers and get an indication of what offer will be accepted.
Only then will clubs enter club-to-club talks.
If the player's club won't engage or get a heads of agreement with the agent for the player's departure, no offer will be made.
Discussions happen between clubs and agents before anything else can happen.
You say why are we waiting?
How do you know we are?

You've no idea what conversations are happening and the order things need to be done in.
The selling club will often not agree to a sale and meanwhile look for a replacement so as not to disadvantage themselves, and then when that's done agree to a sale when they have sorted their cover.


I spoke with a current EPL manager about this only a few weeks ago.
The managers/coaches rarely get involved until late in the day, with some exceptions.

The costs are very, very complex, with many hands in the pie, so, and to quote him, "nothing is as it seems from the outside."
He said complex contracts, agents, and outsiders make things very difficult.
When he was a player, he had teammates who had signed over all their rights and responsibility to agents/companies that controlled their every move, and they had little or no say.

I think Hall is a super player and would be a good signing, but Newcastle don't have to sell, and unless they give an indication they will accept an offer then what can you do.
They may have, after speaking to Hall, agreed to sell him but when they are ready.
So we either wait for him or move on.

31 Jul 2026 13:33:00
I'd like Hall. But not sure we'll go for a marquee left back. I know Shaw is injury prone and getting on a bit, but he's had arguably his best season for many years in terms of performance and injuries, and Hall will expect to be first choice. I just don't feel that the club considers Shaw quite done just yet. Maybe just me.

31 Jul 2026 13:38:58
Sell Shaw whilst he has some stock, after his amazing season, everyone keeps raving about.

31 Jul 2026 14:12:05
You'd find fewer buyers for Shaw than Rashford.

31 Jul 2026 14:28:17
But Shaw probably wouldn't be as fussy as Rashford.

31 Jul 2026 14:46:58
TW,

Amazed any players get sold based on your post, but they do, and when a club don't want to sell.
Somehow, Liverpool managed to buy Isak, Spurs Tonali. Amazing how it keeps happening, and to think it's not done on the back of a cigarette packet. There again, Woodward would have bought Benson & Hedges for our defence.

31 Jul 2026 15:11:43
Why are you amazed? It's how all transfers get done for the overwhelming majority.
It's very different from how it was in our day.
When all parties want the same thing, it works efficiently.

The difficulty happens when a player needs to force an exit. Most don't.
Tonali is nothing like Isak, he was allowed to leave easily when the price was met. The fact you compare/liken the 2 shows how little you understand.


Isak forced his way out, not training and refusing to play, going on strike effectively.
It's becoming a bit more common but still unusual for a player to do that, as it destroys his and his agent's reputation and breaks trust. It's not something the buying club likes to see happening either.

Woodward is gone thankfully but the negative impacts of his decision making and transfer ignorance will live with us for a while yet.

31 Jul 2026 15:27:31
TW,

You missed the sarcasm in my "amazed".

Oh, things have changed since we bought Big Jim Holton, but didn't Ronaldo say something about being a slave before we sold him.

Look, I understand the principles and the nuances, yet we need to get deals done. Another season of only Shaw at LB is high risk. Plus a CM, plus a ST.

31 Jul 2026 16:06:34
I'm sure they will get done what they can. We need all sorts, so won't get things done this summer. Selling clubs won't make it easy, Red Man. If Newcastle can spoil things for us until the last day of the window, they will. They are not there to help us, they are the opposition.

31 Jul 2026 21:40:09
We need to be ruthless, just get rid of players and pave the way for the newer direction.
I think you'd find ubs come in for Shaw, but he is probably just riding the last wave. I hope, beyond hope, we aren't dumb to renew his deal like we did with Maguire.

The door was wide open, just say goodbye to Maguire, and we buckled at the last minute and kept him. One more year for the boys, hey.

31 Jul 2026 11:25:11
Wow, Rip Franco Baresi, best central defender I have ever seen in my lifetime. What a player.
Was part of imo the best club side I've seen in my lifetime, AC Milan of the late 80's, early 90's.
I even had the Mediolanum sponsored shirt before it was pinched by a tea leaf on holiday many years ago.

31 Jul 2026 11:56:16
Part of that era of unbelievable Italian defenders, Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta etc. Brilliant player and a big loss.

31 Jul 2026 12:55:53
?Tassotti at RB too. Ancelotti, Evani, Rijkaard, Donadoni across midfield, Gullit & Van Basten up front. What a side.

31 Jul 2026 13:30:05
Magic team. Hard as nails and plenty of flair.

31 Jul 2026 21:13:49
My favourite team of all time in that era (beyond Utd). Pure class all the way through it.

31 Jul 2026 23:18:38
The golden age of Italian football for sure. Names that just roll off the tongue. Yet, according to some on social media, all the greatest players to ever play the game are playing it now. Baresi had it all and just looked so calm and composed, absolute world class, and his medals prove it.

31 Jul 2026 23:24:54
My favourite defender ever.

30 Jul 2026 23:38:34
Style of play?
Understandably, a lot of the posts have been focused on the recruitment of players. Hopefully there will be a few more astute signings but my purely personal view is that we won't get good value on players Madrid or PSG don't want.
I'm more interested in the style of play that we develop this year and it will be interesting to see if Carrick can stamp his identity on that.

The second half of last season was fairly pragmatic and really just showed how chaotic Amorim was.
It would be great to see the side develop a really strong identity again and that will be how I judge Carrick more than anything else.

31 Jul 2026 06:48:57
RedD

Chaotic? No. Amorim had a fixed idea and had a style of play he wanted to implement. It wasn't going well, but it needed time and the right players. Carrick implemented more of a counter-attack game.

We don't really know yet what style Carrick wants. We only know Middlesbrough.

I am equally of the opinion that Madrid players are not necessarily the answer; they are being let go, if they are, for a reason.

31 Jul 2026 10:16:27
NRD, I agree that you rarely get good value signing players from other top sides. Not only is there normally a good reason for why they are prepared to sell them, they are also normally on high wages already, meaning you are forced to paying large fees and wages for a player that for some reason a top side is prepared to let leave.

There are also occasional exceptions to the rule. Sometimes a player just wants a new challenge, or a top club is facing financial challenges and needs to sell a player, or they have a new manager who wants to take the team in a different direction that does not suit a specific player. However, these are rare and you will want to be 100% sure that this is the reason for the sale as it will be an expensive purchase, which comes with higher risks.

For example, I rate Tchouameni as a top player, but personally I think he is someone to probably avoid this summer. He'd be very expensive (70m+, and wages of around 350-400k per week), and you have to wonder why Real Madrid would be happy to let him go to fund the signing of a 30 year old who needs an operation and has a recent history of injury issues. The final issue is that I'm not sure Tchouameni fits the current football meta. When looking around for alternative players with a similar style of play/skill set it becomes obvious that there are very few options. Personally I think that is because the current football landscape doesn't really have a place for that old school defensive midfielder.

Midfielders now typically fall into one of two categories, technically gifted passers, and physically dominant pressers. Both are expected to do a large amount of defensive work, but they are also both expected to contribute to ball progression either through passing or carrying.

For me Tchouameni is more like the Makelele, he'll stay deep, shield your back four, win the ball when it comes near him, and make mostly safe, short passes to more technically secure teammates. He's not a presser who'll jump out to win the ball, and he's not an expansive passer who will switch play with 50 yard passes, or thread dangerous through balls through the middle. He's also not a player who'll typically get on the ball and carry it 30-40 yards up the pitch, or dribble through lines of pressure.

Really he specialises in winning the ball in front of the back four, and being able to drop deep between the CB's to allow them to get on the ball and pass forward. Undoubtedly he's the best in the world at doing that. Unfortunately in the modern game that isn't a skill set that has proven to be particularly successful given how other teams are playing. At Real Madrid for example they don't get pressed high all that often, and they tend to have the majority of the ball. Meaning for most of the game their is little need for a player like Tchouameni to be on the pitch and he doesn't really offer enough on the ball to justify him being there. That is why they want to replace him with Rodri, a player who is good defensively (not as good as Tchouameni though) but also great on the ball.

Like you I am also really interested to see how our style of play develops under Carrick. He seems like a good blend of idealism and pragmatism. He's clearly intelligent and can coach a ball dominant style of play similar to how he played as a player, and we saw that at Middlesbrough. Yet he isn't rigid with it, he's prepared to be flexible, and to adjust the team style to suit the players he has available. Which is what we need as we rebuild this squad.

Someone who has a preferred way of playing, a vision to aim for, but is prepared to adapt to get the best out of what he has until he has the right tools to play the way he wants.

It'll be interesting to see how we play this season, there are some interesting things we are seeing in pre-season, which is where Carrick can actually start to implement some of his principles of play.

We seem to be setting up more in a mid-block, rather than a low block or a high press. That gives good balance as it creates some space in behind but without bringing the wolf to your door like a low block. We seem to be looking to play in packs, with quick passes, one or two touch, drawing teams over to one side of the pitch, then quickly switching play into the space on the other side.

It's effective, and when it clicks you can get some lovely quick interplays and score some well worked goals. While it also allows good defensive coverage, which is creating more stability in defence and less pressure on individuals to save us. It's a very team focused approach, rather than playing to individuals. I think that is something that the media are missing out on as Bruno has thrived as it does get the best out of him, but it's not set up to play for him. If you take him out then it will still work the same, just maybe a slight drop in efficiency due to Bruno being replaced with a player not as good as him (although long term I can see Amad being his replacement and being excellent in there).

30 Jul 2026 22:25:31
I would like to believe we are cooking a lot behind the scenes, but it more looks to me like we lost the momentum with transfers.

31 Jul 2026 08:18:51
We need to sell players. We're notoriously crap at moving players on.

31 Jul 2026 08:35:40
Eric79,

You're bang on the money. Unfortunately, Utd have players that aren't particularly desirable, given the wages they're on and the fees Utd need to at least break even on their amortisation costs.

31 Jul 2026 08:51:42
The market generally has stalled. It tends to go like this, especially in a World Cup year. There will be a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and announcements could just come.

I would not be worried. We will get players in and need to judge the window fully once it is complete.

30 Jul 2026 22:13:53
Michael Carrick 10th longest serving Head Coach or Manager in the EPL ?.

30 Jul 2026 15:25:45
In his first interview since being sacked by Newcastle, Eddie Howe says he will be sorry to leave, but it will be nice to be able to wear a coat in winter without being called a poofter.

30 Jul 2026 20:16:07
If he can crack funnies like that, he should stop being a coach and be on the stage.

Thinking about it, he is. It's the first stagecoach out of town!

30 Jul 2026 20:21:44
You think that he actually said that? ????

30 Jul 2026 21:43:46
I'm pretty convinced he will leave. Whatever is being said, I don't see a way back for him. I think there will be plenty of teams move for him, and I would be mwking it clear to him h3 isn't first choice at United.

31 Jul 2026 00:30:38
Fizz, of course not, it just gave a way in.

30 Jul 2026 14:01:57
Sky reporting that Madrid are expected to make a bid for Rodri very soon. I wonder if United have been waiting for this to happen to then bid for Tchouameni. Would be a shame if he became available but United had gone elsewhere. I also read that although the boy has signed a contract, this was done prior to them expecting to go in for Rodri so he could still be available.

Think Rodri moving certainly starts a merry-go-round of CM's.

30 Jul 2026 16:14:17
I think that's exactly what's happening. The club will likely have a pipeline of deals teed up, which are contingent on certain outcomes.

If Rral buy Rodri, Camevibga for sure if surplus to requirements, and maybe Tchouameni. All being said, let's not waste all summer on this. Just bring in Baleba.

30 Jul 2026 16:34:26
If Rodri comes in along with Diomande (not sure they will stop there), then they will definitely be needing to sell. Whether that is Tchouameni or another is anyone's guess.

It would be no surprise if we are having conversations with everything dependent on the Rodri deal, and I think he would be a brilliant move at anywhere around the £65/70m mark.

Should it happen, it would also mean the logic at the start of the window of 3 midfielders with one in each of the £30/50/80m bracket!!

Onto Lewis Hall after that, especially with Eddie Howe leaving and looking like a real reboot in Newcastle.

30 Jul 2026 17:06:51
Rashford is causing a bottleneck also. If we could move him on, it would help considerably.

30 Jul 2026 20:51:40
I can't see any destination for Rashford... maybe big spending Spurs, but would we sell to them? Other than that, there's nowhere... unless Barca do what I said they would and offer a loan in the last week of the window!! Wouldn't surprise me.

30 Jul 2026 21:41:26
I don't expect Tchouameni to be going anywhere.

Also, hasn't he openly said he doesn't want to leave Madrid? Rarely works out buying a player that doesn't really want the move. United have tried that before to no success.

30 Jul 2026 22:18:34
It seems Utd have options Kone, Nemencha, Warton, others, and I hope Sadiki in addition to Tchoumeni or Camavinga. They'll have an idea on costs for any targets.

I'd think Tchoumeni is first choice and they want to rule that out before moving on with others.

30 Jul 2026 22:55:45
Maybe we could convince Newcastle to take Rashford, but he wouldn't want to go to that sinking ship. He says he will only go to a UCL team, or stay at Utd. Nice of us to let him do whatever he likes. He arranged a cut price deal for himself to Barca, and they still preferred to spend double on Gordon.



If Rash causes issues this season, I would payout his contract and release him. Only takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel. If he comes back and is hungry and plays like a man possessed when he gets his chance, then we don't need a backup striker or left winger.

Big decision for Carrick. Does he trust him.

31 Jul 2026 06:41:09
I'm pretty convinced he will leave. Whatever is being said, I don't see a way back for him. I think plenty of teams will move for him, and I would be making it clear to him that he isn't first choice at United.

31 Jul 2026 11:42:56
Fallguy, I get that sentiment, and I think it's great that United want players who want to sign for United. With this situation, he may prefer to stay at Real, but if they are saying their plans lie elsewhere, as long as he wants to sign for us when it's clear his future isn't at Real Madrid, that's ok imo.

If he's told his future isn't at Madrid and he says he wants to sign for City, PSG or whoever, then I agree we shouldn't pursue him. We just need to see what Madrid say when/if they sign Rodri.

31 Jul 2026 12:22:59
Think we've got more chance of signing Charlton than Tchouameni. He is an elite midfielder, one of the best in the world in his position. I'd say we only have one player even close to being one of those (Bruno).

He would be brilliant, but why would he, and why would we be his automatic destination if Real wanted to sell him? I don't see it, but I'd absolutely love to be wrong.

30 Jul 2026 10:04:30
Howe's gone at Newcastle. Would guess Arsenal will get Bruno G. Will they then sell Lewis Hall? And are Utd seriously interested in him anyway.

Got to feel for the toon supporters who see their best players and a gd manager going.

30 Jul 2026 12:09:37
The rumoured new manager is an underwhelming choice, too. I remember the fans all celebrating the change of ownership. Not looking too special now, is it?

30 Jul 2026 12:46:41
Ajh,

Judge them at the end of the season. They still might surprise a few teams.

30 Jul 2026 12:49:54
It's got the vibes of when Rosenior was appointed at Chelsea, with the club opting for a younger hip manager from a sister club. If Bruno G leaves, they've literally ripped up years of good work and will look like a mid-table team very quickly.

30 Jul 2026 12:52:45
I really don't see the Eddie Howe hype, other than the fact that he is English. He had a couple of good seasons with Newcastle, but overall, his tenure has been underwhelming - especially given the massive financial backing he received.

For a bit of perspective, look at the managers we have moved on from. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, and Erik Ten Hag all outperformed Howe on paper, yet they were sacked for less.



We were completely right to move on from our previous managers, but if their records weren't deemed good enough for a top club, Howe's record certainly shouldn't be hyped up as elite. When you strip away the 'tactical mastermind' media narrative, his underlying numbers just don't match the heavy investment.

30 Jul 2026 13:49:23
Thank Christ Tuchel extended his contract. :D

30 Jul 2026 19:40:18
I think he did well. You could argue it was the best spell since Keegan, and a stint a bit like Keegan, although he did win a trophy. They had good times with him. He then gave them hope, and a first trophy for decades. That's a great achievement.

A bit like Spurs with the Bale money, they bought badly after selling star players. He should sit tight and wait for his next role, as I think his stock is still high enough for a tilt at one of the bigger clubs.

31 Jul 2026 08:11:39
He looked tired in his last interview. That Newcastle job is a tough one.

Sit tight, get some rest, wait for Tuchel to self implode and voila, he'll be the new England head coach in 2027.

30 Jul 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Letstalkabout6baby has posted a new article entitled, Why Kounde Feels Like a Liverpool Fit

30 Jul 2026 07:06:03
Three weeks on Saturday it all starts. We ended the last season knowing we needed a top LB, top quality CM and a second CF.

We still need that.

Shopped in bargain corner, done ok so far. Yet it just looks like we are waiting for the “big boys” to do their business and hope that it might free up someone at the level we want to trade at. Like it or not, that’s how it looks.

That’s what United are now.

Just waiting for “Wilcox flying home for important transfer business” to hit the headlines, to find we are signing some Fellaini level player again.

Yes, still time but getting a player integrated as soon as possible helps. Very uninspiring window so far. No excuses for them anymore. Must improve soon.

30 Jul 2026 08:57:16
Redman,

I've been quite pleased with Utd's transfer dealings this summer. Although, I do partially agree with parts of your post.

Utd are quietly moving in the background, with little or no information on transfers being leaked. Santos and Tielemans are solid signings, with Santos only 22, and Tielemans brings the EPL and European experience as well. Darlow is a brilliant backup signing. He played well for Leeds last season. An improvement on Bayindar and Heaton.

The Rashford conundrum hasn't helped, coupled with Ugarte's serious injury, which has hindered the club.

If Amass is surplus to requirements, then a LB is definitely needed, along with a CB, as Maguire isn't particularly mobile. Martinez and MDL have injury problems, and Yoro and Heaven lack experience.

Mazraoui is fairly injury prone too.

Hall would be a great signing at LB, however I feel Newcastle will ask for a lot, since they've lost Tonali and Gordon, and potentially Bruno. CB, I can't honestly think of a CB that Utd would go for that would make financial sense. Given how things are, signing Maguire for this additional season makes sense.

I would sign Watkins, especially since Villa reportedly want £40 million for him. This is far too much for a player who was hit and miss last season.

Finally, I'm hoping Vivell and Wilcox pull off 2-3 transfers. I think selling some youth players for pure profit would help, providing we add sell on clause and buy back clauses.

30 Jul 2026 09:13:19
Agreed in parts with both above.

We all knew that we needed a LB, a Casemiro replacement and a better option than Zirkzee. We still do.

However, we have recruited a better second choice keeper than we had before, an elite Mainoo rotational option in Tielemans for an absolute bargain, and Santos, who is certainly an upgrade in possession to Ugarte. Plus I'm firmly in the camp of Rashford being a better LW than some of the other names we were linked with - N'Diaye etc., so I'm fairly pleased overall.



If (huge if!) we can spend the next couple of weeks bringing in a top LB who can share the role with Shaw all season, an elite midfielder (Tchouameni or Camavinga are the only options here, imo) and a better backup striker than what we currently have, all whilst moving on some of the kids who clearly will never be good enough, as well as Bayindir and Zirkzee, then I'll be ecstatic. Don't forget that Shaw and Mazraoui can competently fill in at CB if required, as could Tchouameni or Camavinga.

30 Jul 2026 10:02:05
I will follow the trend set by MH and Down,
I agree with some and disagree with other parts of RM's post.
Agree - season starts soon, and we ended last season knowing what we need - although we didn't know Ugarte would have that injury or that Rashford will be returning.
Not sure if that 50m for Santos is a bargain or not, but Youri certainly is. I think we have done more than just okay.
It may seem that we are waiting for the 'big boys', but a lot of transfers these days can set a domino effect.

Eg, if City sign Bouaddi and R. Madrid get Rodri, they may want to sell Tchouamani, and that could be where we come in. Is that what you mean by a level where we want to trade?
As for the window being uninspiring for you, and needing improvements without excuses feels like a comment coming out of frustration. I really hope that we do not sign players out of frustration but rather have a proper plan in place with contingencies.

30 Jul 2026 11:03:34
Jesus Red Man, who sh4t your bed last night?

The club are working on deals, there was a little tournament played over the summer called the World cup, have you heard of it? Well it made it difficult to sign players as many were away with their national teams, it's why very few big deals have been done so far for any club.

We needed to rebuild the midfield, and we've brought in Tielemans (a top class midfielder with EPL experience and in their prime) and we've signed Andrey Santos, a top young prospect who also has EPL experience.

So we've gone a long way to rebuilding that midfield. We also have Mainoo, one of the best young English midfielder players in the country.

I disagree that we need another "top-quality" midfielder, what we need is someone with a different profile to what we have, someone physical and athletic. The same people who are crying out for Tchouameni, are the same ones who were crying out for Mainoo to be starting under Amorim. Do you really think Mainoo starts most weeks if we have Tchouameni and Tielemans in the squad?

Personally I think spending a huge amount of our remaining budget on a midfielder is a false economy, as I don't see that position being the one that needs a the most reinforcement right now. We need a 4th midfield option who offers something different for when we need that.

I'd argue that a LB is a bigger issue, as I don't trust Shaw to be fit, and any LB we sign now will likely start more games than any midfielder we sign now.

I'd also argue that a back up striker is needed more than another midfielder right now. Sesko hasn't played since May due to injury, and in truth he needed someone to compete with him last season when we only played 40 odd games, this season with 50-60 games likely we 100% need someone experienced to rotate with him.

While there is a strong argument to be made for us signing a CB as well given the injury prone nature of our key CB's and the lack of experience with the others.

I'd imagine that we have around 150m or so left to spend at most, having already spent 90m on Tielemans, Santos, Thompson and Darlow. If we spend around two thirds of that on another midfielder then that probably means we miss out on either a ST or a LB. Both of which are needed more for the first team squad than having a second midfield option on the bench.

To be honest you could even make a decent argument that we need a CB now more than another midfielder given the options we have.

CB - MdL, Martinez, Maguire, Yoro, and Heaven.

Vs.

CM - Tielemans, Mainoo, Santos, Mount, Ugarte.

I expect to see us push to get a LB and a ST next, possibly, maybe even probably, Lewis Hall and Ollie Watkins (although personally I'd prefer Adrien Truffert over Hall). That will eat up the majority of our remaining budget (Hall - 60-70m, and Watkins - 35-40m). At that point the club will have spent the best part of 200m, hardly penny pinching. With hopefully 40-50m potentially left in the kitty to sign either a midfielder or a CB. Maybe someone like Sander Berge or Ezri Konsa to add more experience and leadership.

Here you are complaining, but if the club end the transfer window having spent 250m on:

Darlow
Thompson
Tielemans
Santos
Hall
Watkins
and either Berge or Konsa

Will that really represent a bad window, or probably one the of the best ones we've had over the last decade?

Imagine our squad options of:

GK - Lammens, Darlow, Heaton, Vitek.
RB - Dalot, Mazraoui, Kamason.
CB - MdL, Maguire, Martinez, Heaven, Yoro, (Konsa? ).
LB - Hall, Shaw, Leon.
CM - Tielemans, Mainoo, Santos, Bruno, Ugarte, Mount, Fletcher, (Berge? ).
RW - Mbeumo, Amad, Lacey.
CF - Sesko, Watkins, Zirkzee/Obi.
LW - Cunha, Dorgu, Thompson, Rashford?

That's a really solid squad with lots of potential littered throughout. What does it really need added next summer? Another CB depending on injuries and development of Yoro/Heaven, or another midfielder (probably the position you don't add to this summer), then it's about upgrading quality, RB probably, another attacking player (LW? ), possibly finding the long term replacement for Bruno. Really if we manage to do what I suggest this summer then it's about tweaking and adding the cherry on top next summer and beyond. That will be the point where we can actually decide to spend 100m+ on a player if we want as we will only need to be adding 2 or 3 players to the first team squad, rather than 5 or 6.

That's the problem the fans seem to be having right now. They want to eat their cake and still have it.

No club can afford to sign 5 or 6 players to their first team while also competing for the most expensive and biggest named players that are typically close to or exceeding 100m mark.

It's one of the other, do want us to bring in the number of players this squad needs to maintain a challenge on all fronts this season (6-7 players).

Or do you want us to spend big on 2 or 3 flashy big names which gives us the appearance of competing with the big boys off the pitch. But leaves our squad lacking depth to be able to actually challenge on all fronts.

You can't have it both ways.

30 Jul 2026 10:51:28
Realistically, who do people think td should sign as a CF for Utd?

EDs what are your options on this?

{Ed001's Note - maybe it would be a good time to move for Kane?}

30 Jul 2026 11:42:30
Ed001,

Do you think that is a possibility?

{Ed001's Note - yes, Bayern love him but they know they need something else in Europe.}

30 Jul 2026 11:59:13
By the way, Shappy, Ugarte is out all season. Crap, so count him out.
Mount is constantly injured and cannot be relied on. We will be lucky if we get 10-15 games a season out of him.
This leaves us with 3 fit midfielders, so say if one gets injured we are down to two.

30 Jul 2026 13:27:41
I don't think the question is who the club are targeting or if we end the window with the hypothesis that the essay has stated, it's now becoming a question of when. As Red Man has said, it's 3 weeks or so until we play our first game, and we are not in a better situation than we ended last season. The executives must have numb fingers by now, having been sitting on their hands for so long. It's clear that we won't be competing with the big boys in the market, so might as well get the second-grade, cheaper options in early, and give them time to settle in and gel with the team.

I don't think people are actually understanding the impact of the loss of Casemiro to the team yet. We still need improvements in several other positions, and all of us have known that for a year or so, and yet the club isn't prepared for that. When does the panic button go off for us?

30 Jul 2026 13:57:08
Shappy,

Tielemans (a top class midfielder with EPL experience and in their prime).

Top class? In his prime at 29?

City have Anderson, Arsenal Rice, Chelsea two £100m CM, Liverpool Wirtz, Spurs Tonali, and you are crowing about.

Seriously, do you think Tielemans is top class?

I would bet Tielemans will have a run at the beginning, maybe 8 games of the season, and then fade or get injured.



We absolutely need a top class CM, and Tielemans is not it.

We still have the same deficiencies we had at the end of the season, but with a better back up in midfield.

We don’t need squad players, we need top first team players who take us up a notch. The players they push out can be squad players. Others like Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea will not be fretting about Tielemans.

30 Jul 2026 14:24:15
Casemiro won't be missed 1 iota, and the 2 we bought offer more imo. Time will tell.

30 Jul 2026 14:28:52
Ken,

I agree with you.

30 Jul 2026 14:37:47
That's your opinion, Ken, and I respect that. I don't agree with it, though. If Bruno has an off season, we will lack any sort of leadership on the pitch, and that's what Casemiro brought. If the season started tomorrow, are you happy with what we have?

30 Jul 2026 17:04:35
Ua, no, I think we need more, that's no secret.
The season didn't start tomorrow.
I'll give my opinion on the window when it's closed.
The stupidness of commenting on things we've no idea about is incredible.

I don't know the plans. I don't know what they're working on, so I can't comment.
I'm delighted with our business so far.
Keeper well covered.

2 good signings in midfield. imo that makes us substantially better than last season.
imo we need a rb, lb, cb, cm, st all as a priority.
We won't get them all.
I'm happy to go with whatever we get and see how we do.
Ideally for me cm, lb, st, cb come on, but if they don't it's not the end of the world. We go with what we have and support that.

30 Jul 2026 17:55:24
What I will say to some of the above is that if Tchouameni does arrive, then he and Tielemans are 100% our best midfield duo.

Tielemans is a far better all-round midfielder than Mainoo. But many United fans won't like hearing that!

30 Jul 2026 18:00:16
TW

Supported us when far worse than now, yet when we get an opportunity with CL football, we don't move forward. The thing that continues to gnaw away is what they have done before when getting in this position.

Sat off as if we had made it.

I don't trust the Glazers, and nor yet do I trust SJR as the Glazer enabler.

This gives us all every reason to distrust them.

30 Jul 2026 18:19:00
Red Man, you are posting almost exclusively about how unimpressed you are with our transfer dealings. We all get it. For your own sake, try putting a positive view against something.

30 Jul 2026 18:41:37
I'd like to offer my congratulations to Angel for not commenting on this post!

30 Jul 2026 18:50:34
Redman has a bias he really admits.
Redman you say you were a business leader your acting like a schoolboy on the shop floor.
In your experience in business does idle chit chat and gossip mongering without most of the facts helpful to the business or is employees?
Your bias is overriding your role logical thought process.
You don't like hearing that but it's fact.
They own the company none of us agree with the way they run it.
But your sniping and moaning about things you don't know about or can't control are ridiculous and very immature.


We all know who owns the company.
We all agree we would like them to run it differently. But they don't. Now build a bridge and get over it. You can't change that.
There are positives take what you can.
Moaning and crying like a spoilt child that's list their rattler from their pram is silly.
They own the club deal with the facts and live in the reality. All you do is look over the neighbours fence wanting what they have.
As Roy Keane would say stop being a baby

30 Jul 2026 21:07:26
TW

In answer "does idle chit chat and gossip mongering without most of the facts helpful to the business or is employees? "

Irrelevant, it happens in every single workplace. You hear it far less as a boss, staff don't level with you unless you are receptive, when if they did, the business might improve. Can't be stamped out no more than it can on here.

My bias? I am allowed to comment on the goings on at the club and this is a banter site set up to do it. I am not an employee who will talk about it, nor am I a manager at United who should tow the company line but likely talks in hushed tones about it. I am a fan

What's this, I don't like hearing about it, could not care less. I come on here to express an opinion, without us the Ed's wouldn't be too happy.

Expressing an opinion is nothing about being a baby, no I won't shut up, no I won't kow tow to Glazer apologists and I will criticise them when right as it is now.

30 Jul 2026 23:07:43
I feel like this is the 12th season in a row that we have had the same squad breakdown essay from Shappy, with the tag line that this summer we will have fixed the squad, and from next summer we will only have to add 1 or 2 high value players directly into our first team.

Maniana, maniana.

30 Jul 2026 23:50:37
Dodgy, that's what fans always do, they live in hope. This time there is the argument that we are finally well run and have a better squad. Things look much better, the mood of the team is high, and we have some good characters. I would say we have the best group of players in years, and a lot of leaders.

Santos may surprise a lot of people. I think he is the closest in character to Casemiro. We have a lot of grafters too.
Time will tell how good the team is, but it feels that we are building something, slowly of course, but we are on the right path.

31 Jul 2026 07:08:02
Dodgy, I'll do it every summer until I'm right. ?

31 Jul 2026 08:16:32
Long thread. But it boils down to our continued inability to sell anybody.

Why are Zirkzee, Byandir, Collyer, Rashford etc, all still here?