Manchester United banter 9

03 Sep 2026 10:22:14
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new video entitled entitled, C U Next Time - Transfer Window Edition}

03 Sep 2026 07:25:05
As we mull over the ruins of the summer window, several points to consider
1) Wilcox/Vivell. Rumours persist that Vivell was ignored and overruled by Wilcox. One rumour was Vivell wanted Sangare Wilcox rejected and went with Tielemans. There are other rumours about disagreements on others as well again with Wilcox overruling Vivell. Wilcox overruling the analysts. One might speculate that Vivell may leave over this.
At that point, if Vivell resigns, it may be a good point for Ratcliffe to consider Wilcox's position. I would hope for the club to bring back Rangnick, who I think should have been listened to and experience used previously. Are the club that forward thinking though?
2) I suggested two things as to why the owners didn't have a good transfer window. One being dividends and the other being owner change. Just to be clear it's my opinion not fact as someone criticised me for. Dividends being announced in Feb makes sense, however a full sale of the club shouldn't be ruled out and that was another opinion I suggested.

Profit makes the club more attractive, means the parasites can try to hold a higher price for what might otherwise be seen as a loss making enterprise and financially flawed. Does Ratcliffe have the cash? Are INEOS capable but also do we want to be a subsidiary of INEOS? Not for me. We need a new owner who pays off the millstone debt and gives us a clean break and totally fresh impetus. For me we need INEOS, Ratcliffe and especially the Glazers out, something I will buy a bottle of expensive champagne for if it happens. I suspect that despite the bravado of the new stadium plans they have not cemented the funding and as a business, because of the millstone of Glazer debt, they can't borrow any more so will rely on other methods. Selling now or soon, perhaps next year makes sense and let someone else fund it. So fingers crossed for next year.

03 Sep 2026 08:11:19
Any organisation where there aren't disagreements at the top level will struggle to be successful.

The point of hiring people like Wilcox and Vivell is because they aren't "yes men".

Disagreement isn't a negative, as long as they can work together to come to the best solution. They probably have.

03 Sep 2026 08:48:10
Who exactly are you preaching this to, Red Man? We all agree the Glazers are awful. There may be issues with Wilcox, and I've posted the same, but it's based on rumours right now. But, you state so many things as facts that you just simply don't know are facts. And, your posts just push the same agenda point that we're not spending because of the ownership, and that has no basis in reality at all.

You're entitled to your opinion, but repeating the same one over and over and over doesn't make it any stronger, and just gets tiresome for the rest of us.

03 Sep 2026 09:07:39
I read the first line and thought, this will be Red Man. We all hate the Glazers, how they purchased the club, the money they have taken out, and the general incompetence. But every single day, the same stuff, we get it!

03 Sep 2026 09:16:41
If Bayern want Vivell, then that tells you that they think he is good at his job.

03 Sep 2026 10:16:20
Shappy

Usually, with disagreement at that level, especially if fundamental, one leaves. There is a rumour Vivell is wanted by Bayern, a well run club. If true, and his recommendations are ignored at OT, then we may lose him, to be left with Wilcox.

Don
"Who exactly are you preaching this to?"
Jeez, preaching. I wonder if some of you would rather sit here and talk about the nice third kit, or just nothing at all. Before this site & social media, we used to talk about this in the pub. How many times does someone have to point out this is a banter site, set up for people to talk about the club, to say what they are thinking, to engage with others. I remain respectful of others' opinion. I get you may prefer I disappear; it is an opinion.

Opinion, let's deal with that. "You state so many things as facts that you just simply don't know are facts." In my above post I actually say "Just to be clear it's my opinion not fact," as someone criticised me for. I speculate, extrapolate, use available facts, and based on what I see, express an opinion. Read or don't read, there is no game for several days, so let's just sit here and say 'ooh, what a nice kit,' or 'is that a new colour on the wall at the training ground, raining out again.'

AJH
Yup, it's me again. How dare I express my opinion? It's not like I am taking up anyone else's space, am I?

You guys have taken over from Angel; he used to be first to post to tell me to shut up as well. Unlucky. I rather enjoy the banter page.

03 Sep 2026 10:31:32
Red Man, I'm not trying to shut you up and I don't disagree with you, but you are like a dog with a bone

03 Sep 2026 11:34:56
AJH

I know, it's my nature and a trait that has taken me where I got in my career. Don't worry, when back at work I won't have time on my hands to post, plus it's all quite poignant right now.

03 Sep 2026 13:06:23
Red Man, I agree with some of what you're saying, but I don't see how it's constructive to make the same points over and over. It's like Nietzsche said, "If you stare too long into the void it'll stare back at you." It's not healthy.

03 Sep 2026 14:06:09
This is becoming way too philosophical, Nietzsche, on a banter board!!?!

Let's keep it light.

03 Sep 2026 14:50:46
And those who danced were judged to be insane by those who could not hear the music. ?

03 Sep 2026 15:00:51
No question that the debt, which originated with the LBO, has been a dreadful millstone. The club has also been incredibly badly managed since the departure of SAF and Gill. Others have big debts, like Spurs, but there's new stadium debt. We already have more, and we haven't redone the stadium yet. If it costs £2bn, as is projected, where's that coming from? How are we going to manage to finance £3bn in total debt, especially now with interest rates being high, and with little prospect of them coming down as western countries drown themselves in public debt.

Whatever our preferred outcome, and all of us would like to see the end of the Glazers, the club needs an injection of capital. Merely transferring stock ownership from one party to another is not enough.

If it doesn't happen, it's hard to see how we get out of this debt trap. Even if we all of a sudden start making profits, it's going to take years to whittle it down, whether or not some dividends are paid. Ineos have begun by doing what, unfortunately, was necessary. Without them, I think things would have been worse today. But Ineos is also heavily debt-laden, so I don't see how they will be able to arrange to put upwards of £500m into the club. And of course, if it's an injection of share capital, which is what the club needs, it will further whittle away the Glazers' control, in which case they might as well sell out completely.

03 Sep 2026 15:16:10
Sorry, Don, the actual quote is, "Avoid the void, or you'll be annoyed."

03 Sep 2026 16:48:11
It's one of my favourite quotes, Salford. A philosophy for life. DeGrasse Tyson's one, "The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you," is another classic.

03 Sep 2026 18:42:13
No harm intended, Red Man. I understand they were opinion based points, and pointing out that they were opinion and not fact is in my nature. I work in Risk and am studying Law, so I have a nature to be critical of things that could be misinterpreted as fact, especially in a world where there is so much misinformation - not that your intention is ever to mislead the page.



I'd rather see the same topic discussed over and over than a dead page, and people leaving because they can't voice their opinion.

03 Sep 2026 19:19:41
What a load of b******* and whataboutery.
We brought in 2 young midfielders with a lot of potential and one with a wealth of experience. Anyone who thinks we've done bad business on the midfield is delusional.


The 'management' don't have to agree and Vivells job is to keep providing lists of high quality candidates. Some will get signed. Some won't!!!
As for the idea of Rangnick coming back in... lol!!

03 Sep 2026 21:37:09
Post of the day imo, RD.

04 Sep 2026 01:44:03
Don Red, I rather liked my father's one-liner philosophical statement.

Never wash a window with a hard-boiled egg.

Totally nonsensical, but always said in a way which made me smile.

04 Sep 2026 07:38:07
Kurtis

No worries and good luck with Law. Risk is an area of business that is extremely important, so appreciate that.

Red D,

Not sure anyone said it was bad business in the midfield. By Shappys price definition, the other day we haven't signed a "top" midfielder. Looking at midfield, I am not sure we have the No6, the holder and destroyer, we perhaps needed. Baleba and Mainoo are probably the go to. Baleba will run, and I think he is a good player. They are going to have to screen for that centre of defence.

Overall window 4/10 midfield 7.5/10 but definitely not bad business.

If someone keeps suggesting players and no one listens, they will very likely leave. You hire people for your team because of their knowledge and skill, very demotivating if ignored. The question is how good is Wilcox? Looks like everything is on him.

Rangnick replacing Wilcox would be a good move but the owners won't do it because he wanted to bring change and he shone a light on the issues. Like Amorim they won't like it.

04 Sep 2026 10:45:59
Who says Vivell is being ignored? Andrey Santos is a player he put forward, as was Sesko, Lammens, Dorgu, Zirkzee, and Sekou Kone.

Hardly sounds like they aren't listening to him.

In fact, last summer it was Wilcox that preferred Emi Martinez and Vivell who favoured Lammens.

Did Wilcox over rule him then?

04 Sep 2026 13:37:11
If that's the case, bloody good job he is ignored...
Dorgu is good athlete, poor footballer.
Zirkee, total waste of time in epl.
Kone... not going to see much of him in United shirt this season.
Lammens, probably his best, but we are only judging so highly at the moment because look what he replaced...


Sesko... Another fingers crossed player that we hope and prey comes good, but big concerns with the injuries whilst so young...

So, I would say keep ignoring him. Wilcox too could go far as I am concerned...

03 Sep 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - thefutureisoldgold3 has posted a new article entitled, Wolves Ratings at West Ham: Defence Below Standard

03 Sep 2026 00:24:28
Well now everybody is set.
City look like the strongest squad on paper.
Goals all over the squad and real depth in most positions. Good keeper and above average defenders. If the new manager gets them to gel quickly then I'd make them favourites.
Arsenal I'm not so sure. I think they will regret some of their outs and won't score enough goals to win the league again imo.
Chelsea again I'm not so sure they have only 1 game a week and that will play in their favour. Martinez was a great signing imo. I think like us their defence will be their weak point.
I'm not sure who their midfield will be.
Liverpool worse off than us for defenders much worse imo!
Midfield looks pretty sparce. Attack looks good and full of pace out wide which suits isak put their defence is manky.
Spurs. Will improve in sure but will be vulnerable while they are all finding their own feet. It's practically a new team and squad.
Villa again lots and lots of ins and outs. Emery will sort them quickly enough but have they replaced what they've lost I don't think so
Then ourselves. I think our play will be better than last season.

I'm happy that we've improved our midfield considerably.
I'm happy with our attack. Personally I'd have preferred one or both of Zirkzee or Rashford to have moved and a different striker come in. But on the whole I'm happy going into the season with what we have. It's up to Carrick to get the blend right and the goals coming regularly.
Keepers look solid.
Defence. Well there is not much to be said. Full back options are poor.
Cb's are too hit n miss on form and availability.
Again its up to Carrick and the likes of Yoro, Heaven and maybe even Dorgu to step up. I think Yoro will break through and become our 1st choice Deligt also needs a run uninjured.
Brentford and Brighton could be snapping at the heels of the big clubs in thunt for a European spot.
Arsenal and United have the most settled squads it will be interesting to see how quickly all the others gel and find consistency.
Big question marks over most, smaller question marks over City and Arsenal both are probably a level above.
I think it will be a great season with lots of ups and downs odd results and as competitive as we've seen for quite a while.

03 Sep 2026 00:49:26
I think our starting eleven is actually weaker this season than it was last. None of our midfield signings are better than Cas (at least not yet), and Maguire and Shaw (who already weren't really good enough for a team with title-winning ambitions) are both one year older. Hopefully Sesko having a full year of EPL experience under his belt can make up for this somewhat (I'd say the same about Heaven and Yoro, but the manager doesn't seem to trust either of them, for whatever reason).

The two teams above us have both strengthened, further widening the gap, and Chelsea will be nipping at our heels (Spurs too, if they can start to gel quickly).

On paper, I think Villa are weaker this year than last, but I can see Newcastle pushing for top four this time around despite some big outgoings. Liverpool are a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment. They haven't strengthened dramatically, but if their signings from last summer can start to find a bit of form, I can see them competing for a Champions League spot as well.

All in all, I think we'll perform worse this season than we did last, both due to the clubs around us getting stronger and the increased demands on the squad that come with playing twice a week.

03 Sep 2026 03:43:20
How come City have not been punished for FFP, and yet they can buy & sell like nobody's business. Very fishy.

03 Sep 2026 04:18:47
I think we are weaker than last season. On current showings, I just hope that Baleba turns out a good signing, but he had half a decent season for Brighton and one awful season, so that may take time. The other two are, well, squad players, so Cass in the team made us stronger than this new midfield. Defence is another year older and slower, and now our 1 and only striker seems to be picking up injuries far too much for a 22 year old.

If we get 3rd or above, I'd be ecstatic. Doubt we get anywhere in the CL, maybe a semi of a domestic cup. I don't get all this attackers one transfer window, midfield next, then defenders 3rd year; by the time we get to defence some attackers will leave, it's ridiculous.

03 Sep 2026 06:08:47
I expect Chelsea to win the league comfortably this year. Plenty of goals in the team and one game a week.

03 Sep 2026 07:55:06
I think our unsteady defence is centrally slow, out wide open, and vulnerable. The centre of midfield does not have a ball winner; ball players, but not a No6 holder. I think people believe Baleba is that one, but I am not sure he is.
Up front, we have one central striker when fit. As we saw at Hull, we struggle with a low block, and Hulls defenders are not top level.



We are a couple of injuries from a big problem: LB and scoring goals. Legs and defensive midfield, porous central defence lacking a leader.

Positives are Cunha and Mbeumo, with Sesko to come; perhaps Baleba and Mainoo can make good runs.

I feel we will win more than lose, but Top 5 is our realistic target; anything more is a bonus.

03 Sep 2026 10:40:18
I've enjoyed watching Chelsea so far - they look like they might do well. Not sure whether any team will win anything comfortably, though. I'd be surprised if they, City and Arsenal, aren't in the top three, based on the last few games, leaving another scrap for 4-5th between everyone else again.

03 Sep 2026 12:13:12
I still think 3rd is up for grabs, City and Arsenal to fight it out for the title.

I think Mainoo will have a very good season. I expect Baleba to have a new lease of life, and for them to be the main MF. We also have depth with Tielemans and Santos to cover the extra games.

Up front, Rashford is back, like it or not, and Lacey looks ready to get proper game time, so again we have more options.

In defence, if Mdl and Martinez can stay fit, I don't see CB as an issue, we have depth, albeit you may want to argue about the quality.



Full backs remain the challenge. I don't think Dalot is awesome, but nor do I think he is as dreadful as some believe, same for Shaw. Depth is the problem, and we shall see if that hurts us.

If Baleba shows his '25 form, then that athleticism and muscle will have a huge impact.

If Rashford does knuckle down, maybe we will see a return to some sort of form.

If Sesko gets properly fit, he might make a real difference.

Of course, if my Grammy had wheels she'd be a bicycle.

03 Sep 2026 14:05:51
Or maybe a scooter?

03 Sep 2026 15:27:32
I'm a little worried about the defence, but I think we will be okay, and it could be a blessing for Amass as we may be forced to use him more often, and he could prove himself. I do like the look of him.

With the midfield, Baleba is most certainly a ball-winning midfielder, and I feel that he and Mainoo complement each other very well.

Mainoo looked exceptional v Ipswich, and I think he is a very, very strong midfielder.

Overall, I give the window a 6.5. Of course, a LB and CB would've been brilliant, but it is what it is, and we have to see how we get on. I think the squad depth is greater than last season.

03 Sep 2026 16:21:18
How anyone can think the Mdl and Martinez are the answer to the CBs is beyond me. Firstly, neither can stay fit, so getting them both fit at the same time for any prolonged period is wishful thinking.
How long is it even going to take Mdl to get match fitness? Will he come back to a decent level after surgery? Will he break down again?
Martinez, will he get any quicker? Nope.

Will he grow? Nope. Will he not be so rash in the tackle again? Nope. And you think this is a good duo? I have what you're taking, please...

03 Sep 2026 21:39:22
Good enough to get 3rd last season between them.

02 Sep 2026 16:01:01
Can we still sign free agents...

David Alaba and Karim Benzema anyone. ?

02 Sep 2026 18:41:25
Sancho is available too. He looked really good at Dortmund. Maybe worth a punt?

02 Sep 2026 18:55:58
I remember being told how great Sancho would be for us with his quick, intricate passing, by the same person who said Luke Shaw was world class and one of the best left backs in the world. That was the same person who said that Onana was the missing part of the jigsaw. So, maybe atm, anyone would be great.

02 Sep 2026 19:55:37
It was a genuine question.....
We've already done the Sancho part elsewhere. ?

02 Sep 2026 20:02:15
Yes, JBR, we could sign free agents.

02 Sep 2026 20:24:01
I'd actually take Benzema on a pay as you play deal. Sesko could learn a lot from him, and having just lined his pockets in Saudi, you'd like to think money won't be the key factor behind his next move (assuming he doesn't just retire).



Alaba, I'm not so sure on. He was once one of the best left backs in the planet, but not sure he has enough left in him to handle the Premier League.

02 Sep 2026 21:02:45
Guerreiro would be the one I'd imagine would be of most interest.

02 Sep 2026 21:37:41
redseven, Benzema would not want him near O.T.

He is the one who was found guilty of conspiring to blackmail a fellow French player with a sex tape.

Alaba, as you say, was once superb, those days, sadly, are gone. No way could he manage the physicality of the EPL.

03 Sep 2026 00:59:37
I mean, we should have signed the free transfers that made sense at the start of the window. Wilson and Senesi, to name a couple. But, hey ho.
Dice rolled. Let's go!

03 Sep 2026 10:53:41
Senesi is awful, and started that way at Spurs before being dropped.
As for de Ligt, he has recorded higher top speeds.
He is very very slow.
Wilson from Fulham, I suspect you mean, and not Wilson from West Ham.


The lad from Fulham is a good player, an excellent set-piece taker, but we have lots of cover in the area he plays, so neither of those make any sense for us. Neither is as good as what we have in their positions, imo.

{Ed001's Note - Wilson is lazy as hell. Had one good season in his entire career - funnily enough when his contract was about to expire and he was playing for his career. He will go back to doing bugger all now.}

03 Sep 2026 12:01:10
Not seen enough of him ed001 I know he is ex Liverpool so I'll bow to your greater knowledge on him. Not the type of player i'd want to see at united. He has his moments but they are to far and few between for my liking.

02 Sep 2026 14:11:24
Liverpool and Arsenal fans aren’t too happy with their transfer windows either so it’s not just us that like a good moan lol.

{Ed001's Note - check out Everton if you want to see what unhappy is!}

02 Sep 2026 15:20:26
??? I'd say that. Balogun a strange one!

{Ed001's Note - yeah, could be worse though, every attacker could have rejected you after getting a phone call from Arteta. I mean even choosing Sunderland over you must be worrying. How can the reigning champions and UCL finalists struggle so badly to recruit forwards? What does he tell them when he calls them?}

02 Sep 2026 16:03:31
I'm not even being facetious, but Emile Heskey is Arteta's ideal striker. Someone who is strong enough to hold up the ball, can link with the midfielders, and is a set piece threat. Honestly, it's exactly what Arteta wants from his striker.

02 Sep 2026 16:12:45
"Come watch our defenders score more than you" maybe?

02 Sep 2026 15:50:53
He asks them if they can do a job at CB Ed!

{Ed001's Note - it really wouldn't surprise me!}

02 Sep 2026 21:32:44
Arsenal already have their Heskey; he is called Gyokeres.

Arteta wants an Alvarez-type, clever, quick striker prepared to play Arsenal style of football and defend from the front.

The truth is, there are not that many top, top strikers around. The best ones are already signed up.

England will find it very difficult to replace Kane.

03 Sep 2026 10:34:04
Salford

Osimhen, but there must be something that stops people, maybe salary is one.

Agree on Kane. Lots of midfield, but an actual CF seems rare, maybe the young Villa lad.

02 Sep 2026 12:41:55
Both injury to Urgarte and Barcelona failing to buy Rash, impacted everything. I would expect they thought these two would have been sold, and possibly Onana and Zirkzee. So they started in the back foot.

We really don't know the extent or limit on our purchasing abilities. The failure to get a LB might give Amass and maybe Leon a chance to step up. It's closed now, we get on with it.

02 Sep 2026 13:52:56
Regardless of our debt, etc. I can't see how, after getting back into the Champions League, we didn't have more than £100m available for transfers. Ipswich spent more, and they were in the Championship last season.

Look, I have no problem with the club making sensible additions if their top targets are too expensive. Anderson and Fernandes went for silly money, and I'm happy with the 3 mids we've brought in.

However, you'd expect the money saved by going for cheaper midfielders would have been used to plug the obvious holes in the squad.

Instead, we were begging City for a no strings loan with an hour to go on deadline day. Not to mention failing to move Zirkzee, despite him being available all summer.

The "keep calm" argument seems to be that the club is willing to wait for top targets. But there's nothing to suggest that they'll, for example, be willing to fork out upwards of £60m for Hall next summer, given what we've seen this summer.

As for Amass, the use seems to be that we were unable to find a suitable Championship loan for him. He's not ready to play at the top level.

02 Sep 2026 14:08:28
It does seem we haven't spent what we had available, which is odd, as a big worry is the rumour that Wilcox has gone rogue and is making decisions based on his view.

It also seems clear we now believe in value for money, rightly or wrongly.

02 Sep 2026 15:53:27
Given that we couldn't get rid of Rashford, Zirkzee and Ugarte, because of his injury, it's not surprising we didn't buy another striker. If Rashford comes good, which he well might, then we have plenty options/goalscoring threats: Rashford, Mbuemo, Cunha, Amad, Bruno, Tielemans, Amad and possible odd contributions from Zirkzee, Mainoo, Baleba and Mount if he's ever fit.

We'll see what happens in midfield, but on paper we seem to have at least provided more depth, and if Baleba becomes the player of the season before last then we will have undoubtedly strengthened too. There should be no reason to play Bruno as a DM ever again, and there should also be opportunities to give him a rest here and there.

Like everyone else, I'm disappointed and bemused that we didn't strengthen the full backs. I don't buy the story that we couldn't afford to do so. We had probably a further £200m available without threatening the squad cost cap. The only reasons for what seems like a tremendous oversight are either they couldn't find anyone better than who we have at a reasonable price, and/or they weren't interested in gambling on an unknown, and/or their plans were waylaid by other events, and/or they simply dropped the ball until it was too late, i.e.

they blew it. Whatever, it's a sad reminder of the decade + of managerial incompetence that led us to the point where the once by far the biggest club in England by revenues, can't afford to buy a top class full back or splash out £100m on any player when all our main rivals are doing so. It might be because they need to guarantee a profit in the coming year, not necessarily because they intend to start paying dividends immediately, but to satisfy banking conditions, and to set the table for getting the new stadium project going.

I sincerely hope that the rumours about discord are just that: rumours. As we all know, the media is always out to find stories about United. If there aren't any real ones, they'll make a mountain out of some mole hill in order to create traffic.

02 Sep 2026 16:24:17
AJH, I don't know if the rumours around Wilcox are true but there are some warning signs:
1. Whether you like RA or not, he undermined him.
2. He appears to have vetoed recommendations by scouts and Vivell in favour of his own viewpoint.



Depending on your viewpoint, isolated examples of this are fine and sometimes justified. But repeated instances of that sort of behaviour is not a good sign of upper management. But all this is very predicated on rumour right now.

02 Sep 2026 16:41:02
He's a control freak.

02 Sep 2026 20:18:53
Don

Heard similar with Wilcox and Vivell. Apparently Sangare was also a Vivell suggestion but Wilcox went Tielemans.

02 Sep 2026 11:54:59
The club say the mistakes we’ve made in the past regarding transfers as a reason for not spending more. In the past the structure was poor. Scouting was poor. They are saying they fixed that in the next breath. We have a structure apparently? So why the fear?

02 Sep 2026 12:01:32
They are basically saying they don't trust themselves. So we have a structure of people who can't do the job that is needed.

02 Sep 2026 12:37:24
Well, if rumours are true that are coming out about Wilcox not listening to the data team and Vivel, and going off what he sees with his own eyes instead, then we are still no better off, really, are we?

Ineos have not yet shown they are any better or more qualified to run the club than the Glazers in the time they have been here.

How many mistakes have they made? How many managers have we had since they came in?

You only have to look at what they have done with Nice in France.



To have a strategy of building each section each year is ridiculous.

There are players out there that are better than the likes of Maguire, Shaw, Maz Dalot, etc.

But time will tell. But we've still got a defence that for the past 8 seasons has gotten us nowhere.

02 Sep 2026 11:50:25
I read they should change the documentary from all or nothing to just nothing. ?

02 Sep 2026 11:24:02
Where to start

Tielemans ranked in the top 10% last year for

Tackes and interceptions
Tackles won
Through balls
Progessive passes
Passes into the final third

Yes he felt like an opportunistic purchase but he is class.

Carlos Baleba was rubbish last year apparenty, but he still ranked in the top 20% for interceptions, ball recoveries, and possession won in the final third, and we know he has a much higher ceiling.

Santos is seen as an unknown quantity, yet his stats have him in the top 5 for pretty much everything.

We didn't buy Anderson, or Tonali, or Fernandes, but we have done very sensible calm business.

For CF and LW, Rashford staying complicated that, and he can play in either position.

The LB situation is puzzling, that does feel like a dropped ball, but maybe we come back to it in January.

I like the calmness and lack of pazazz and that we are not prepared to enter auctions, I know that doesn't please everyone but there have been some stupid fees for players which I think teams may come to regret.

We have a wealth of attacking options, we have massively strengthened the midfield, and we remain challenged at the back. The world isn't ending.

02 Sep 2026 12:19:45
The weird thing is, we all knew the top targets and the prices they would command. United clearly had no idea, and when it became obvious that top midfielders were costing over £100m, they bulked and scrambled to find some players further down the list that they could get cheap. That is essentially the story of our transfer window.

02 Sep 2026 12:21:12
I agree, Tony. The massive overreaction on social media is crazy. Posts above saying that we've done nothing in the window when we have made some really good signings.

I'd have liked a left back, but only one that's good enough. Panicking is why you end up with Alex Telles etc.

Yoro needs game time and will now cover right back whilst Maz plays left back when Shaw is out, with Amass perhaps getting a chance. I'm ok with that. Glad the window is over and now we can get on with the season.

02 Sep 2026 13:11:14
We have made 2 good signings, GDS2, and one that none of us know about, with Santos, who looked good pre-season, and time will tell.

They have improved the middle of the pitch, great, it's been needing improving for years.

But we've got one senior left back who is known not to be able to compete a season when it's not 1 game a week, and the cbs are either injured or not good enough.



Maguire shouldn't be starting games. Yoro needs to develop, you pay big money for him, play him, and I don't mind if he's gna play and develop, he will make mistakes, part of learning the game.

I think, ultimately, that's where we will struggle is in defence, keeper aside.

02 Sep 2026 13:20:07
I think the midfield is improved, but not getting Hall early in the window was a massive mistake. We waited until Newcastle solved their PSR problems by selling their best players, then enquired for Hall. Next summer, if he has a great season, he will cost even more.

02 Sep 2026 13:32:04
Newcastle aren't in Europe, so they can spend up to 85% of their revenues on squad cost. Did they have a PSR problem?

02 Sep 2026 15:16:21
Be honest, if the window had just been about to open and you were told we were going to sign Tielemans and Santos, you can honestly say, hand on heart, you would have been happy with those?

Don't forget hand on heart in those replies.

02 Sep 2026 16:56:18
I think we did drop the ball at LB. It's a glaring weakness. But, Maz is a competent back up full back on either side. There was no point going to Balde if we had Dorgu, and let's see what Amass can actually do.

The fact we got desperate and went for Ait Noti though is a concern.