General Transfer Rumour Discussion Thread

[Gazzasrightboot]

Good post mate but I disagree with your final paragraph. Success on the football pitch defines all the infrastructure projects enic want to put in place. They must not lose sight of this and neglect investment in the playing side. There are numerous clubs with relatively new stadia who find themselves languishing in the lower leagues. Ar5ena1 is the model we look to but they were highly successful before they built their stadium and have built on this success. Anyway I hope we sign Berahino. That's where this discussion started for me!

Agree to disagree then! I guess the difference is the "spending enough in the transfer market to keep us competitive".

And I hope we sign Berahino as well. I don't think that he will be a world beater, but he will be as good as Defoe imho, and that would be plenty good enough.

 

[milo]

United have ben forced to spend big because Fergie had them overachieving for so many years that the deficiencies were not truly noticed until he left. Schneiderlin is a very good signing, ditto Schweinsteiger, if Ar5ena1 had signed him then the media would be creaming themselves about what a shrewd signing he was.

United have signed some big name players, just as they did last summer. What I do not think they have done is strengthen the weakest areas of their squad. With the money they have spent, they should be challenging for the title and I do not think that they will be doing that.

 

[Benny_Lad]

I can't believe we've gone into game 1 of the season without improving our attacking personnel and Stoke are about to sign Shaqiri.

Anyone who doesn't think this is pure negligence on the clubs part is blinkered.

We are in danger of slipping back towards 8th/9th whilst others improve with TV money.

I don't care who we've supposedly been working to get, who we've missed etc, the bottom line is we are trying to improve from 5th and we've posted a net profit on transfers so far this window.

Are we hoping for organic improvement via Eriksen/Kane/Lamela/Chadli?? Kane can't improve beyond last year, Eriksen can only work with whats around him, Chadli is what he is, we saw that Saturday, and Lamela was replaced by a squad player from last year playing out of position!

Yes I am doom and gloom....please can someone offer up anything positive? (not spin!!).

 

[Benny_Lad]

Right on cue. If Chel53a find negotiations complicated and drawn out, I think we can cut Levy some slack, when he's trying to agree deals for players to improve the 5th best team/squad in the country with a limited budget.

Why is it a limited budget?

We got about 80mil from TV alone. That is aside of other income. We've sold more than we've bought.

We're being outspent by West Ham and Stoke.

 

[milo]

We will have to agree to disagree. Liverpool and utd have bought well , quality signings some of whom were after but were beyond us. You may be right about the signings the other clubs made but let's be honest these are quality signings and club's improve by signing better players it's how we improved after signing mainly dross in the 90s. Not sure about the "stability" argument. Southampton were pretty close to us last season. Stoke doubled us and have strengthened. We are one serious injury from a striker crisis and we are playing a young inexperienced centre back in midfield.

The time to judge weather a signing is successful or not is when they have had a chance to play.

 

[nayenezgani]

I can't believe we've gone into game 1 of the season without improving our attacking personnel and Stoke are about to sign Shaqiri.

Anyone who doesn't think this is pure negligence on the clubs part is blinkered.

We are in danger of slipping back towards 8th/9th whilst others improve with TV money.

I don't care who we've supposedly been working to get, who we've missed etc, the bottom line is we are trying to improve from 5th and we've posted a net profit on transfers so far this window.

Are we hoping for organic improvement via Eriksen/Kane/Lamela/Chadli?? Kane can't improve beyond last year, Eriksen can only work with whats around him, Chadli is what he is, we saw that Saturday, and Lamela was replaced by a squad player from last year playing out of position!

Yes I am doom and gloom....please can someone offer up anything positive? (not spin!!).

But seriously, calm down.. If we're in the same position at the close of the window, then you can rant and rave. Shaqiri is horribly overrated.

 

[Jurgen the German]

United have signed some big name players, just as they did last summer. What I do not think they have done is strengthen the weakest areas of their squad. With the money they have spent, they should be challenging for the title and I do not think that they will be doing that.

Possibly, but they've strengthened in other areas. I reckon each of their signings will improve them.

 

[P.D.]

I can't believe we've gone into game 1 of the season without improving our attacking personnel and Stoke are about to sign Shaqiri.

Anyone who doesn't think this is pure negligence on the clubs part is blinkered.

We are in danger of slipping back towards 8th/9th whilst others improve with TV money.

I don't care who we've supposedly been working to get, who we've missed etc, the bottom line is we are trying to improve from 5th and we've posted a net profit on transfers so far this window.

Are we hoping for organic improvement via Eriksen/Kane/Lamela/Chadli?? Kane can't improve beyond last year, Eriksen can only work with whats around him, Chadli is what he is, we saw that Saturday, and Lamela was replaced by a squad player from last year playing out of position!

Yes I am doom and gloom....please can someone offer up anything positive? (not spin!!).

Calm down, don't forget Stoke have lost 2 key players in Begovic and Nzonzi who haven't been fully replaced yet and Shawcross seems to be regularly injured now, they have signed some promising flair players yes but have also perhaps lost some of that core steel so it's not guaranteed that the balance will be right.

 

[NWND]

Why is it a limited budget?

We got about 80mil from TV alone. That is aside of other income. We've sold more than we've bought.

We're being outspent by West Ham and Stoke.

It is a limited budget. The reason is our wage bill. We have been running a huge wage bill, almost at the point of being over the recommended percentage of turnover for a club. We have had a large squad, with lots of players on high wages that have not been contributing very much to the team's performance. Adebayor, Soldado and Lennon probably cost the club about £15m last season alone in wages, fees and bonuses while contributing basically nothing. That's £15m out of your £80m straight away, without even thinking about spending any on new players. That's on three players, who are still here. While they are here, that's £15m a season we won't have to spend on new players. We have just got rid of Chiriches, Kaboul, Capoue, Stambouli. Before they went that was probably another £10m cost every year.

We're not being outspent by West Ham and Stoke in the one area that has been statistically linked to football performance over the course of a season, and that is wages.

Statistically and particularly when taken over a longer sample period, the final league finish of a club is almost precisely determined by the amount of wages paid to the playing staff when compared to other clubs.

It's relatively easy for West Ham, Stoke and Swansea to spend new TV money as a bracket of player that was previously unavailable to them is suddenly available. ANY player in that bracket would be worth going after for them, as they will improve.

For us we were already shopping in that bracket and buying players like Eriksen, Lamela, Lloris, Vertonghen etc. The extra TV money will allow us to spend more, but in terms of targeting the right players and buying them it is very hard. We've hit a glass ceiling where to improve beyond 5th, we've got to step up the quality of player we buy significantly, but until we have our new stadium, we won't be able to pay the wages that makes buying such players possible.

We are shopping at the next tier down and trying to buy players with world-class potential. The problem is that those players are also on the radar of much bigger clubs.

If we buy Berahino, for example, we'll have to spend more than West Ham or Stoke will on any player this summer. It will be a big, complex deal for the club to complete. That is why it is going to take a lot longer than, for example, West Ham saying "how much for Payet", knowing that Marseille are in financial trouble, he's almost 29 years old and not on high wages.

 

[indianspur]

Duabi's and Indian's negativity is getting ridiculous. Literally every single way they can possibly be negative they take it... Even in complete unknowns they'll express the worst possible outcome of it... Being negative about how we play, tactical decisions, actual signings, fair enough, but things we have absolutely no clue on? And the sheer incessantness of it? It's just dull!!

nice coming from you...........you drove people away from this board with your constant negativity about Poch and the team

 

[NWND]

Can't believe people are seriously whinging about us not being in for players like Shaquri. It's typical keeping up with the Jones' gonads spouted by idiots, the sort of mindless pressure fans put on clubs that lead to chairmen with less balls than ours caving in and sacking decent managers and buying players their clubs don't need or don't want.

Shaquri did well in the Swiss league and had a few stand-out games in the Champions League. Bayern Munich took a punt on him, but never played him. Last January, i.e. only 8 months ago, Inter spent £16m on him. He hardly played for them and now they are desperately trying to get rid of him, only 8 months after buying him.

If this doesn't tell you all you need to know about this player, I don't know what does. Yet some will literally be wetting themselves with anger that we aren't interested in buying him.

 

[Robspur12]

The time to judge weather a signing is successful or not is when they have had a chance to play.

Mate I think you are engaging a little bit of wishful thinking. The signings made by both are in the main proven PL or international players with the odd risk thrown in such as Firmino. Liverpool's strike force of Ings, Sturridge and Benteke give Brenton a range of options we simply do not have and areproven Premier League Class. Man Utd's midfield is awesome and they will buy a striker . I just hope it is not Berahino while we pussy foot around.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Can't believe people are seriously whinging about us not being in for players like Shaquri. It's typical keeping up with the Jones' *******s spouted by idiots, the sort of mindless pressure fans put on clubs that lead to chairmen with less balls than ours caving in and sacking decent managers and buying players their clubs don't need or don't want.

Shaquri did well in the Swiss league and had a few stand-out games in the Champions League. Bayern Munich took a punt on him, but never played him. Last January, i.e. only 8 months ago, Inter spent £16m on him. He hardly played for them and now they are desperately trying to get rid of him, only 8 months after buying him.

If this doesn't tell you all you need to know about this player, I don't know what does. Yet some will literally be wetting themselves with anger that we aren't interested in buying him.

Exactly, re Shaqiri. You couldn't make it up...yet people complain about Lamela and Townsend lol

 

[milo]

Possibly, but they've strengthened in other areas. I reckon each of their signings will improve them.

A lot of people would have said that about their signings last summer but they ended up with a success rate of less than 50%

 

[glorygloryeze]

@milo. What makes you say United haven't strengheneed in the areas they needed to??
In defence, they now have what looks like a bonafide right-back in Darmian. In front of defence they always had a lack on CDM cover for when Carrick was not there. Now they have both legs AND experience in the two Schs, who will also provide cover for Carrick, often their most important midfield player.

I like the fact that you are trying to say that things aren't that bad re Spurs, but some of what you're writing with regards to Manure is a blinkered as those who complain about "why does Levy leave it until late in the window to do business"

 

[Robspur12]

Can't believe people are seriously whinging about us not being in for players like Shaquri. It's typical keeping up with the Jones' *******s spouted by idiots, the sort of mindless pressure fans put on clubs that lead to chairmen with less balls than ours caving in and sacking decent managers and buying players their clubs don't need or don't want.

Shaquri did well in the Swiss league and had a few stand-out games in the Champions League. Bayern Munich took a punt on him, but never played him. Last January, i.e. only 8 months ago, Inter spent £16m on him. He hardly played for them and now they are desperately trying to get rid of him, only 8 months after buying him.

If this doesn't tell you all you need to know about this player, I don't know what does. Yet some will literally be wetting themselves with anger that we aren't interested in buying him.

I love this kind of post that makes out that fans who are ambitious and want to see their club do well are mindless idiots who will endanger the future of our club. It's like football is a hobby. It is a business like any other you snooze you lose. Seeing as it is a competition there has to be an element of "keeping up with the Jones." We need to compete with other clubs or we will be left behind. Occasionally the club need to stick it's neck out and get the manager his first choice. No one is saying bank crupt the club. We are a long way from that. There is a thing on this board if you challenge the established thinking you are an idiot.

 

[indianspur]

A lot of people would have said that about their signings last summer but they ended up with a success rate of less than 50%

i think that is the rate at every club, including Spurs

 

[glorygloryeze]

I love this kind of post that makes out that fans who are ambitious and want to see their club do well are mindless idiots who will endanger the future of our club. It's like football is a hobby. It is a business like any other you snooze you lose. Seeing as it is a competition there has to be an element of "keeping up with the Jones." We need to compete with other clubs or we will be left behind. Occasionally the club need to stick it's neck out and get the manager his first choice. No one is saying bank crupt the club. We are a long way from that. There is a thing on this board if you challenge the established thinking you are an idiot.

Well NWND's main point was that why are people complaining that we didn't/haven't gone in for Shaqiri - are you saying we actually SHOULD be making an attempt to buy Shaqiri?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Exactly, re Shaqiri. You couldn't make it up...yet people complain about Lamela and Townsend lol

I'd say they would both be an upgrade on Lamela and Townsend, personally.

 

[Jurgen the German]

A lot of people would have said that about their signings last summer but they ended up with a success rate of less than 50%

Their spending last year was more scattergun, in essence they panicked because they missed out on the top 4 and possibly overpaid for certain players. That's not the case in this window, they have addressed certain needs and improved their midfielg significantly with both experience. I get that people want to try and defend our transfer policy, but as eze says, it comes across a bit blinkered to claim both Liverpool and United haven't strengthened.