What a first half from Ayyoub Bouaddi! He is still only 18! You understand why PSG and Arsenal (and other top clubs) want to sign him this summer. Lille have set the price at around 60-70m euros!
Signing Mateus Fernandes & Alex Scott would be far better business for United. As good as Anderson is, the valuation is far too high and the fact United have multiple holes that need feeling they're 100% right to avoid going anywhere near this deal.
Get players who want to play for United. Anyone who has to be convinced shouldn't be being considered regardless.
🚨 Manchester United admiration for Elliot Anderson well known but not in contention at current financial levels. #MUFC refusing to enter bidding war; targeting players who want them + focused on candidates like Mateus Fernandes & Alex Scott @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/DdanEQcqnz
We need to stop pandering to clubs like Barcelona. Don't want to pay? Then do one.
If nobody wants to pay a fair fee then just let him train with the U21s for a year and leave for free next year. Set the precedent.
🚨 BREAKING: Barcelona will NOT pay €30m buy option clause for Marcus Rashford, expiring in 5 days.
Rashford formally set to return to Man United but Barça remain open to new solutions, like another loan deal. ❗️
Barça are open to discuss again if #MUFC open doors. 🔵🔴
I've seen these pictures of the proposed design hundreds of times since the plan was announced and I still don't know how to feel about it. The tent-looking component just ruins the whole thing. Otherwise it could be extraordinary.
It has kept being stressed work on @ManUtd new stadium has been progressing behind the scenes. Feels like if a land deal can be done, it will start to move relatively quickly. Seeing parts of stadium being shipped in will be an event in itself. https://t.co/ITBN7o0W9y
Some members of the billionaire Glazer family have been debating whether to sell their stake in Manchester United FC, after more than 20 years of ownership that has often been blighted by fan protest https://t.co/yn8zjFzVG5
This deal is inevitable. As good as he is and as much as United fans wanted him, he wants City.
So stop talking about him now, please. It's over.
For that kind of money I'm glad we're not getting involved. We have too many other needs than splashing that amount on one player. We need to be more shrewd.
Any muppet can spend big money (cough, Ed Woodward, cough) - spending it wisely is the trick.
🚨 EXCL: Manchester City submit opening offer to Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson. #MCFC bid rejected by #NFFC but pursuit ongoing. Club bosses spoke at UEFA dinner last week (no suggestion it was to negotiate deal). W/ @lauriewhitwell@TheAthleticFC https://t.co/ZCZbfRgZLY
Ben Jacobs saying United aren't thinking in terms of making marquee signings but rather spreading the cost out on multiple good, solid signings is such a refreshing thing to hear. That's what this team needs.
If social media was as active 20 years ago United fans would be losing their minds over signing the likes of Vidic and Evra. Michael Carrick himself wasn't a "marquee signing". Look how those three turned out. You'd give anything to have all 3 of them back in the team now. Edinson Cavani arrived to a collective "is that it?" and quickly became a cult hero.
Others like Chicharito, Antonio Valencia, Edwin Van Der Sar, Park Ji-Sung; all arrived as what would now be described as "underwhelming signings". All went on to play massive roles in winning trophy after trophy.
Then you look at the "marquee signings" we have made over the years - Pogba, Di Maria, Falcao, Sancho, Antony, Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez - none of them did anything to help. Big name for big fees and big wages. No use.
Forget the marquee signings. Build a squad by buying good players; players who want to play for the club because it's United - not because of the wages.
If we do that, guarantee we become a far better team far quicker than anyone expected. #MUFC
In terms of midfielders, football is evolved. You no longer specifically need a '6', an '8', a '10' - you now need 3 central midfield players who can do a bit of everything.
Arsenal winning the PL without a dedicated '6' is proof. Any attempt to put Declan Rice in this bracket would just be insultingly inaccurate - and Arsenal certainly didn't win the league due to the exploits of Martin Zubimendi.
If you needed any more proof, PSG winning back-to-back Champions Leagues with a midfield of Vitinha, Neves and Fabian should suffice. Not a defensive-minded bone in any of them, yet working together they get the required work done.
United fans need to get away from this whole "we NEED a CDM". We don't. We need 3 capable midfielders on the pitch at any one time and clear instructions for each as part of the overall tactical game plan in each phase of the game.
Easy to go on social media and slag referees off - everybody does it. But Siebert refereed this final brilliantly. There were a couple of 50/50 decisions that could've went either way but didn't see any wrong decisions (well, none that affected the outcome of the game anyway).
⏱️ PSG players pressing Daniel Siebert to punish Arsenal's time-wasting antics during the Champions League final; the German referee blew the half-time whistle as the Gunners took too long to his liking to take a corner kick.
🎥 Canal+
Alex Scott will inevitably go to Liverpool now that Iraola has - but in a hypothetical world, let's say the links to United are real.
United fans would instantly start crying because he's not some big fancy name from a foreign league with a big price tag.
He'll end up at Liverpool or Arsenal or one of the other big clubs, prove to be a major success and then United fans will be giving it the "why can't we make smart signings like that? We should've bought him"
You can't win...
Remember how he praised the referees after the West Ham game saying how difficult the job is and he appreciates the job the referees are doing?
Both decisions in the final were the correct ones. He is still complaining.
@mullaneyjames I actually meant PSG here - the whole sideways and backwards passing is awful to watch 😂 to be fair they were the only ones trying to play but they weren't offering much to get anyone excited.
The Champions League Final is supposed to showcase the very best of the best. This has been an absolutely awful advertisement for football - tediously dull.
Only one team tried to play football in that final - glad they were the ones to win. Arsenal well organised without the ball but overall pretty embarrassing considering the amount of money spent on assembling "the strongest squad in Europe".
The right team won 🔵🔴
Richie Sadlier👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
"It's baffling to me, how...it is controversial or contentious or objectionable that someone suggests...do you know what maybe let's not play football against them.
Maybe instead of playing a match against them, maybe let's not play a match."
Yeah totally agreed. And Liverpool does seem his most likely destination - especially considering the type of team Slot is trying to create. Going away from the whole heavy metal stuff and more towards a Dutch possession based style. Seems a perfect fit.
Is it just me or does Adam Wharton seem like the new version of Michael Carrick? Is it not just a complete no-brainer signing for United? Surely?
Considering there haven't been any links other than "he's on United's list" - who isn't? - it would seem an extremely improbable move but man it would be a good one.
🚨🗣️ @lauriewhitwell on Adam Wharton and Manchester United:
“He’s definitely one they’ve watched and there is interest there. I was asking about this a few weeks ago, the transfer fee…there’s a feeling Crystal Palace would wait until Nottingham Forest sell Anderson and say it’s the gage for Wharton."
[@StretfordPaddck]
The irony of United fans constantly calling out the club legends (and rightly so) about creating a toxic negativity around United and yet they have no problem voicing their disgust at the thoughts of signing a player who, let's face it, they've probably never seen play.
All of a sudden "he can't build from the back", "he doesn't specialise in anything", "there's no way he can partner Mainoo"...
How do you know? Because you watched an 8 minute YouTube video and read a thread by a Twitter Tactico?
It was the exact same with Senne Lammens and look how that's turned out.
So calm down, have a bit of faith and support the guy - rather than throwing blind opinions because you wanted someone flashier.