Jun 13
Manchester United Make Two Signings
After a long, quiet summer so far, only troubled by Ronaldo’s interviews — or rather, a lack of them — United finally make two signings. Of course they aren’t much to get excited about.
First, Patrice Evra was signed for a further four years — a very important signing, if you ask me. And the second, and a lesser known one, was that of 17 year old promising youngster Davide Petrucci from Roma’s youth team.
Patrice Evra has been one our most important (and the most improved) player over the past couple of seasons. Not only has he been excellent offensively, he has also been a revelation defensively. He has clearly improved by leaps and bounds and if he keeps going he will be on the road towards legend-dom. But most important of all is this: he loves the club, or at least it’s apparent from the way he talks about United.
Long live left back Pat!
Meanwhile, there is a storm brewing in the Roma camp as the publication, Il Romanista, cried foul over United poaching Davide Petrucci before he could even sign a contract. The Italian youngster was offered a humongous bump in wages in comparison to what Roma could offer him and hence he moved to United. Club insiders at Rome claim that he is one of their most promising youngsters and has been likened to Francesco Totti.
We’ll see how that goes.
I must say, at this point though, that I am not pleased with the poaching of a youngster due to legal loopholes as Italian rules do not allow a player under 17 to sign professional contracts. It’s immoral and unethical for a club of our stature and I want to hold my hand up and say it. It may seem right because other teams also do it — Arsenal being the chief culprits — but again, the nature of the academy system in England force clubs into doing things of this sort. Hence, Arsenal got the likes of Lupoli, Fabregas and a host of other players, while we got Rossi, Pique, Macheda and now Petrucci.
The other bit of news that is being reported everywhere is the apparent rift between Fergie and Scolari. According to reports, it seems Fergie is furious that Scolari is advising Ronaldo especially now that he’s been appointed the Chelsea manager. To be honest, that was a load of cow turd, chewed and gargled with shark piss and spat into the mouth of a frog that cheerfully mixes this with the remains of several undigested flies in its stomach ultimately culminating in the letting out of a frog fart. The report was that fart.
That, and quotes from Alan Shearer in the Mirror article, linked above, which equates to the gruesome description above anyway.
And finally, about the Euros, well, the Croatia-Germany game was good and I didn’t see the other. Do share your opinions on players that caught your eye.
Take it away…
Related items from Red Rants:
- Diouf, Guardiola and Post-Boxing Day
- Transfer magic / what next for United?
- Manchester United Pre-Season Fixture List
- Owen Signs, and he’s no Henrik Larsson
- SAF Breaks Silence | New Signings Pics | Smith Talks
Tags: Daily Roundup
June 13th, 2008 at 10:07
I don’t think you can speak of immoral conduct, when United are simply playing by different rules. What should be done is that FIFA should apply a rule to count for every country, because that’s where the real problem lies. United, and other English clubs, shouldn’t be blamed for using the rules that count for them.
Great great news about Evra. He’s one of my absolute favorites in this team. His energy and skill is just astonishing to watch, and I’m looking forward to watching him for another 5-6 years.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:24
“To be honest, that was a load of cow turd, chewed and gargled with shark piss and spat into the mouth of a frog that cheerfully mixes this with the remains of several undigested flies in its stomach ultimately culminating in the letting out of a frog fart. The report was that fart.”
That was the best description of the fergie and Scholari report ever!
But yeah, bout time Evra signed a new deal. He was defo the most improved player over the last 2yrs. Good for him!
Luis Philippe sucks big floppy donkey shlong
June 13th, 2008 at 10:27
Yeah I’m not a big fan of stealing 17 year olds before they can sign, seems a bit backhanded to me. More importantly it’s not likely to get us a player with real love of the club I wouldn’t have thought. Maybe this guy will prove me wrong, but I fear that it’ll be another Rossi case – promising, developped and then sold at a profit. Good for the business I guess…
June 13th, 2008 at 10:32
hope we could get half the player he is out of simpson,i really regard him
June 13th, 2008 at 10:33
Evra’s a great player, its unfortunate that Domenech has not selected him to the French national team, he’s been an in-form defender, and frankly Domenech is seriously erring in not playing Evra.
Pique and De Rossi were not used fully despite the progress they made over the United youth system. And frankly, United should be producing their own youth players more than poaching those of other teams. Regardless, that is the state of football these days, Wenger has paved the way for picking up promising talents and not creating them on one’s own, and I suppose Ferguson felt it was prudent to follow him, who knows Petrucci might prove to be a great. Also, losing Ramsey to Arsenal might have propelled Ferguson’s decision
Tottenham have pulled off a good deal in picking up Modric, as he is looking quite a good player in the Croat shirt.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:57
Wow, I would never have never thought it, but did anyone see this on Sergio Ramos?
When asked about United’s interest on radio station Canal Sur, he said: “It is a good sign that big clubs are interested in me, but at the moment I am not considering anything.
“I have a good contract with Madrid and I am concentrating on the national team. When Euro 2008 finishes we will see what happens.”
Ramos’ agent Sergio Bravo did little to quell the speculation by claiming he has a good working relationship with the Old Trafford club.
He said: “It is true that on Monday I was in England.
“I have a good relationship with Manchester United. I sorted the transfer of (goalkeeper) Ricardo to the English club.”
Doesn’t sound quite as definitive a ‘no’ as I’d expected…and he’s real quality, both defensively and attacking. Hrm.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:08
the english fa brought in rules limiting choice for english boys and so United (and the others) also have no choice but to give the opportunities to non english boys. Fergie and McClair have spoken out about the madness of it all several times over the last few years – but though the fa accept the problem they have yet to do anything about it. which of course is a massive surprise to anyone with even less brain cells than them.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:43
On other news theres been a few reports today that Queiroz is top of the pile to take over as portugal coach. Dont know what to make of it to be honest.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:50
I don’t think Carlos will leave, and that it was because they knew Scolari would be leaving that Fergie came out with his 2/3 years retirement talk. Carlos is gonna take over from him, and to do so needs to remain for the next couple seasons.
At least, fingers crossed!
June 13th, 2008 at 13:19
Honestly don’t believe Ramos will come to us as part of a deal, the comments are just to get a new improved contract from madrid, parity with the likes of ‘legends’ like raul and gooti. Why is no one considering asking for sneijder in exchange? He would be a great signing. But lets face it anyway, most of madrids players are sh*te. Even with the one whose name we do not speak of, they’ll struggle to get past the quarters of the UCL next year.
Don’t like the signing of 17 year olds, but the law on clubs being able to only sign players near their hometown makes it impossible to sign english players at reasonable rates.
How about using a part of the CR fees for a bid for Ribery (would use up quite a lot of the dough though, and bayern don’t like us very much after the Hargo incident).
Evra is the best foreign player we’ve had since 20legend…
June 13th, 2008 at 14:07
On SSN it said that Ramos was ‘Flattered’ at United’s interest in him and ‘we’ll see arter the Euros’ or something along those lines. I get the feeling that Madrid may have worked this perfectly however, because now most of the fans and maybe some of the staff now feel that a deal could be done and once we enter negotiations Madrid may be able to talk down our asking price.
That said getting Ramos and 50m would a lot more than acceptable IMO
June 13th, 2008 at 15:06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/euro_2008/article4087739.ece
Read this article by Jol and what struck me was his mention that Moutinho plays as a right midfielder. Ive not see him play much but he definitely is a prospect.
I like the idea of us playing 4-4-2 with Moutinho and Nani out wide, and Rooney and new striker up front.
June 13th, 2008 at 15:58
i’ve never really regarded contract extensions as signings, if they play for us and they’re good, i expect them to stay, for a long, long time. And the roma kid wont be playing for atleast 3 seasons, but really, after the 2nd, he will be loaned to Belgium, followed by him leaving for an italian club.
June 13th, 2008 at 16:01
I don’t think Carlos is going anywhere because he has put in his time and effort to get top consideration for the manager’s job when Fergie hangs it up. I also wonder if Portugal have considered how unsettling it would be for their greatest player should Queiroz be named? If Ronaldo bolts as it looks more and more likely that he will, he will have burned his bridges with United staff of which Queiroz is one. And a very important one for obvious reasons. This could cause all sorts of turmoil with the Portuguese team which will probably lead to CQ’s quick removal. So if I could, I would say to him to stay patient and stick it out with United. Right now Ronaldo is bigger than the national team in Portugal and both he and his new club Real will have a lot of power over what goes on over there. It could derail any of his ambitions with the team if he were to take over. I also think the two would have a relationship built around betrayal and animosity. Not good for team unity and harmony.
One thing great about getting Real player or players back in any deal is that they won’t grumble a year or two afterwards and cry about wanting to fulfill their dream to play for Real Madrid. And the good news is that Barcelona is not nearly as rude or aggressive in poaching players. Then we would have to deal with the two Milan’s and they are not that big a problem even with Mourinho at one of them.
I for one would prefer Ramos and Sneijder over Robinho.
June 13th, 2008 at 16:36
I agree with you Dan. If they are already here, I expect them to stay. I’m tired of the rumors and all the crap but I am also fed up that we have not made one significant signing of a new player yet. What the Hell are they waiting for? And please don’t tell me the end of the Euros because I don’t buy it. Did that stop Chelsea from getting Scolari?
June 13th, 2008 at 17:17
Scolari is inexperienced- No European experience, has never managed a club in 6 years (or more) not to mention never one in England, only titles are World Cup (Ok, this is big) and Brazilian League (Once), Brazilian Cups (Twice or something) and thats about it. Not a word of English he speaks but of course people can learn like Juande Ramos. I think he will start bringing in Brazilians like Ronaldinho, Jo and maybe make Alex a start. You can’t help it, it’s just a sense of national belonging. The problem with this is the phase-in time for them. With Lampard and some other big names slated to go, I think it’s rather feasible to say that Chelsea won’t be a bigger threat then Arsenal and maybe Liverpool (If they improve. A lot). We should be afraid if any Brazilian-dominated team from Chelsea gel well enough by the second season. Very afraid in fact.
That said, will Ramos/Robinho/Sneijder come? Part-exchange deals are very rare actually even with small clubs. I seriously wish any two will come but I severely doubt it.
June 13th, 2008 at 17:19
Mario Gomez is a real dissapointment to me I sincerely thought we could sign him…Well So much for wishful thinking…..And by the look of things in the past two years there seems to be a lack of Talented players in the Market …We only have a handful to pick from who are’nt Even proven in the international stage..for example,we have Benzema,Huntelaar,Berba,Gomez,Villa from whom we could choose out of which Villa seems certain to move from Valencia..The rest are still a bit doubtful..I could clearly remember lot of Talented players in the 1990-2005 era now it seems there are a few talented players and a whole lot of clubs fighting for their signatures,RR or Groggy don’y tou guys feel the same????
June 13th, 2008 at 18:11
yea, i am extremely, extremely pissed about us not making a signing yet, and losing out to arsenal is even worst, i should be saying, i hope he has a good career, but im really thinking, i hope flop worst then walcot and realise the shit you made and put yourself in. errrr im cross.
June 13th, 2008 at 18:22
i think that the handfull of talented players in the market for you are limited to what u see on the Tele, there are so many class players out there, lacking the limelight from a popular league or mass media hype.
who knew of arshavin, anderson, ramsey, ronaldo even, before the media shined their spotlight on them?
i cant wait to see who we finally sign. a 17yr old and a contract renewal dont really strike me as a signing…
that said, unless the 17 yr old gets 1st team playing time… then that will be a signing… my opinion anyway…
June 13th, 2008 at 18:36
RR you’re kinda scraping the bottom of the barrel with that post there aren’t you? Well I don’t blame ya to be honest mate! It HAS been THAT dry on the transfer front this summer! But even if we don’t make any signings this summer, does it actually matter that much??? (as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…right?)
…but of course, if Mr. Dark Lord decided to flick his wand and somehow manage to ‘apparate’ himself to the Bernabeu, leaving behind a sack containing 70 million Galleons, then obviously it would! But I have my fingers crossed that won’t happen yet.
June 13th, 2008 at 19:02
Good job with the title RR, this article has become the first in “Top Stories (Last 24hrs)” in NewsNow
June 13th, 2008 at 19:30
great to see evra sign and ramos has opened up to us so it would be great to get him that 17 year old could become a top class striker or another giuseppe rossi and play better somewhere in spain
June 13th, 2008 at 19:43
[Nino]
A bit of barrell scraping and a bit of tongue-in-cheekness with the title. I honestly don’t expect much to come about even during the next few weeks.
June 13th, 2008 at 19:54
maroon14; I do and I don’t. I still think there is a lot of good talent out there but big teams continue to search for their talent in a relatively small pool. Most of the big teams seem to concentrate their searches in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France and Holland and to a smaller extent Germany, England and Portugal. There are a lot of great players playing in other countries that are being ignored because not enough is known about them or a bias against players from certain regions by these teams is prevalent. Why for example do we never see United actually sign a player from Germany, or Romania or Turkey for example. They just seem obsessed right now with Portugal and Brazil and nothing else matters. Arsenal look no further than France and Africans with French passports. Chelsea look for proven world class players who have already made their names with other big clubs and Liverpool looks no further than Spain and the occasional English poaching. So what about the Arshavin’s, Neuer’s, Gomez’, Podolski’s, Adler’s, and other players from Eastern Europe, Northern Europe and South American countries like Paraguay, Peru, Colombia etc? Big clubs make the big news and big signings and they all suffer from a tremendous case of narrow mindedness. These teams only sign a Shevchenko or a Georgie Hagi after he showcases his talents at a big tournament. Why? Because they cannot be bothered to send scouts to these smaller or less football attractive countries.
So is there a real drop off in talent. Yes at the level of true and definitive goal scorers. This has got to do with overemphasizing team concepts and forcing true strikers to adopt different styles and responsibilities that players like Luca Toni, Huntelaar, van Nistelrooy and Drogba don’t have to. Those players are left to their own devices because they were fortunate enough to fall into coaching circles that understood what they have to offer and utilized them correctly. To many strikers like Rooney, Mutu, Cassano, Messi and others have been messed with so much that neither of them look like true forwards anymore. They seem like wingers or attacking midfielders. Many like Rooney even end up losing their scoring touch because they are asked to do too much that has nothing to do with what comes most natural to them, which of course is scoring goals. The game is littered with flashy dribblers and show pony’s who when they get a clear cut chance on goal don’t have the composure or presence of mind to bulge the old onion bag. Today’s game is littered with flash over substance. The game is too technical and is corrupted and littered with gamesmanship. When you see van Nistelrooy refuse to go down after being fouled in the box versus Italy you applaud the rarity of that moment in the modern game. He ended up not scoring but what he did was a credit to him because 98 out of 100 players would have taken the dive. today a good striker is constantly thwarted in the box by constant shirt pulling and bear hugs that have lessened the impact of a true striker in the box. I loved it today when Romania was granted a penalty because of a blatant bear hug by Panucci on a Romanian forward. Italians cried bloody murder but in truth Italy is a bloody disgrace for having started that trend. Nobody knows how to head a ball anymore. The aerial game and the art of crossing has exited the game at an infuriating pace.
But the problems don’t start and end with strikers in the box. Many players are not allowed to develop a total game because the game has become one of role playing. Central defensive midfielder are now holding midfielders and their presence has limited the total quality and effectiveness of offensive play to flow and players to interact better. Sure it’s tactical genius but it’s negative and destroys the game. Watching the France vs Romania game and seeing how thoroughly Romania was bottled up by one Claude Makelele. Our own Owen Hargreaves at least shows some offensive initiative as do players like Pirlo, Frings and a few other from that defensive position. A couple days ago I watched the 1968 European Cup and the 1972 Euro Championship on DVD. I was literally in tears over the fact that those games were so well played and the sportsmanship was so fantastic to see.
Sorry for this long rant and reply but the skill set of players today is being compromised by negative tactics and gamesmanship that for me is destroying the game. I always like to hearken back to the golden age of the 70’s when Holland and Germany showed the world what offensive minded football looked like. When players were so talented they could interchange positions and defenders had finishing ability as good as many of today’s forwards. Their was less desire and emphasis on stifling defensive football. So yes their is less talent out there today but it’s because of the present climate and character of the game that players are not meeting or exceeding their potential. It’s also about a few team’s hording most of the talent and many of those players not even being able to showcase their skills because they are sitting in a 25 man deep bench where superstars are in front of them and behind them in the pecking order. The game has been corrupted by negativity, money and insurance companies. It’s sad and it’s only going to get worse. I’m not sure if it will ever get better because nothing in society today ever seems to improve for the better. Now hows that for a negative rant?
June 13th, 2008 at 20:13
Grognard: Absolutely Stunning Reply,So Correct about Central Defensive Midfielders nowadays playing a different role and I have always wondered why a club as big as ours could not replace somebody like Keane,Well looks like players like Keane are from a different Era and nowadays you either gety a completely defensive minded midfielder Say somebody like Makelele or someone like FAbregas,Iniesta,Xavi who are completely attack minded players..
BTW Grognard:How about this guy Fabio Quagriella Can he replace Saha
or is he in the ROONEY mould??
June 13th, 2008 at 20:45
Maroon14; I honestly haven’t seen enough of Quagriella to say for sure but for me he doesn’t have enough of a goal poacher’s instinct. Honestly, I am tired of forwards who reside and play exclusively outside of the box. He seems to me like one of those types although having seen him only three or four times isn’t really a fair assessment of the player. It’s hard to judge him with Rooney because nobody really plays like Rooney. He is an unusual player that cannot be accurately compared to. Quagriella seems kind of non threatening to me but remember, I am the loudest anti-Saha voice on this blog and so an old lady with limp and a bouquet of roses would be a better replacement for Balsa Louis.
June 13th, 2008 at 21:37
sneijder damn
June 13th, 2008 at 21:45
Hey guys this is my first comment here….. What an awesome display of attacking football by the dutch.. It was a really bold move by Van Basten to bring on Van Persie in place of Hengelaar… and those two goals by Robben and Sneijder… There you go Grognard.. pure attacking football.
June 13th, 2008 at 21:50
We say this but it is a lot easier to sign decent foreign players now than it was say in the 90s when fewer players wanted to play in the Premier League. This is reflected by the international flavour of our team compared with the 90s.
If you win the Champions League it is always going to be difficult to improve your team. There are few world class or potential world class players around and while the Premier League has more pulling power, the Europeans feel more at home in Spain and Italy than in the UK.
Have to say Holland were just amazing today. Why the hell aren’t France playing Benzema or Ben Arfa?
June 13th, 2008 at 21:53
The Dutch were truly a Dutch Treat today and have been so far in this tournament. WOW! Great flow and movement and clinical finishing. This team can go all the way although I still feel their back four is week and can be exploited by a team in top form with good forwards. I thought Henry was fantastic today as was Ribery but the rest of the French are going through the motions. And I wonder if Benzema’s stock has dropped now that he seems on the outs with the manager? For me the play of the game was the header late in the game that van Nistelrooy narrowly missed. Tremendous imagination. Had it gone in iot would have been the goal of the tournament for sure. Only team that can derail these guys is perhaps Spain and I still feel the Germans with their organization, grit and commitment can beat anyone at any time. Just ask Holland from 1974. That may be the greatest team of all time not to win.
June 13th, 2008 at 21:57
damn right krishnan, the dutch have been my pick from the start, they play in a style not too distant from our own european champions and so they make much better viewing that even our own english national team, not to mention the van der sar/ van nistlerooy link. Anyone thought about the real possibility that if and when the romanians lose and the french draw with the italians theyll both be on 2 points with absolutely NOTHING as far as i can tell between them, now i know all about the rules but what exactly happens if this were to happen? Extra time/ penalties????
June 13th, 2008 at 21:59
stop saying evra is the most “improved” player.. yea he’s one of my favourites.. but he didn’t improve he just played shite at the start. Consistently the best player for united the last season but poor in the cl final.
June 13th, 2008 at 22:11
looks like we’ve offered petrucci’s dad a job as a groundsman…
June 13th, 2008 at 22:16
not exactly the kinda tournament that Aulas would’ve predicted for Benzema and as Grognard said his stock might’ve come down a bit…
June 13th, 2008 at 22:57
[rooney]
Actually he IS among the most improved player and I am not talking about his debut against Man City. Last season he was very good offensively, but he’s upped his defensive strength too lately and you actually do notice his growth dovetailing wonderfully alongside Ronaldo (whenever Ronny switches to the left).
And poor in the CL final? I think not.
June 13th, 2008 at 23:34
Does anyone know more about this Petrucci guy??? Roma seem be be hopping made at us signing him, so maybe he’s worth something afterall.
Krishnan: where did you get the groundsman story?
And i really can’t believe anyone would say anyone in our back four quartet was shite in the CL final
June 13th, 2008 at 23:56
Evra played well in the 1st half for France today. Didn’t watch the second half because of a fascinating documentary on Motown on another channel, but I thought he was clearly much better than Abidal. Anyone care to tell me how he fared in the second half?
Watch the commentary in French and bloody Arsenal Wanker was constantly berating Ruud – great player, but doubtful attitude, stuff like that – seems he didn’t get over that Ruud – Keown incident of some years back.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:01
Oh and I for one also have mixed feelings with the signing of Petrucci.
First – obviously because we are following in the trend of snapping up toddlers a la Arsene, and its intrinsically not really fair for the developing team and its academy;
Second, and this is more related with us: Can anyone name a single youth team player we snapped up from another team in, say, the last five years, that actually made the grade to the first team. All of our first team squad members are either confirmed professionals, or coming from youth ranks of another era – the nineties.
I sincerely want Posseborn to make the grade and why not, the Brazilian twins too. Right now I think there’s already an Italian striker – Macheda – in one of our youth teams and I personally think his chances of making it to the first team are next to zero. So, why bother buying all the Dongs, Rhain Davises, or the youth midfield Ole signed from Norway, when the trend clearly shows they’ve got little chance of making it to the first team in a sustained way as did Fletch and Sheasy.
I’d love to be wrong and see them contributing to meaningful games and not just the odd League Cup outings.
By the way, Nani, Mr. Unmentionalble and Andy don’t count as their price tags suggest they were bought strictly for 1st team action. At the end of the day, Ramsey’s choice to go to Arse holds some water considering he is more likely to get 1st team action there. And remember, 5million£ today = 3.5million£ 4 years ago. That means we would have bought Ramsey at the same price that we paid for fucking Dong!
As a said, I’d love to see the kids make the grade, but for me its just not likely to happen. OK perhaps for those having talent so blatant they might just make it into the first team, but nothing more than what Rossi achieved here. I think once in a while we could afford to play 1 of these players together with well established 1st teamers to give them real grafting. But for now, with us being a multinational cklub that we are, there is always an immediate reflex to look onto the transfer market into other clubs before even looking into our own ranks.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:52
Nico: That MF Ole signed from Norway is Magnus Wolff Eikremm. I wonder what happened to him. He was really supoosed to be the next big product from Norway
June 14th, 2008 at 7:06
Utsav;
I checked out Eikrem’s translated wikipedia page and this is what it says:
“Magnus Wolff Eikrem (born 8. August 1990 in Molde, Norway) is an American actress who plays in Manchester United, where he plays fast on the U-18 team and has also been a innhopp on reservelaget. Han blir betraktet som et av Norges største talenter i sin aldersgruppe. He is seen as one of Norway’s biggest talents in his age group.”
LoL!
Although it seems clear that we cannot expect much transfer activity atleast until the Euros get over, I would have thought we would have made a definitive move for someone like Santa Cruz if we were ever going to.
If Ronaldo leaves, then we are going to lose a lot of aerial threat. I for one, feel that Manucho could be the answer, but he is thoroughly untested and might just end up being hopelessly mediocre on the big stage. So, a big tall striker who can fit into our style of play is a MUST.
Saha seems to be staying! Now that guy has had a hell lot of time to rest up, hope he had the sense of fitting in some metallic bones or muscles over the summer to avoid getting injured! Seriously speaking, he needs to be fit and in-form (ridiculously optimistic, ain’t I?) for next Ronaldo-less season(?)
June 14th, 2008 at 8:47
Look at the news………
http://www.lep.co.uk/national-football/Fergie-lines-up-fresh-25m.4185923.jp
June 14th, 2008 at 10:05
Wow, we really did offer that Petrucci kid’s dad a job as a groudsman. Bizarre.
Daily grumble – Ruud has been the best CF in this tournament. There, I’m done.
I like the rumours of Berbatov bids I’m heaing pop up. I didn’t realise he was only 27, should have his best 3 years in front of him, and is serious class. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he headed to the new Chelsea squad.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:30
if KAKA and Arshavin are available… i say we get em….
June 14th, 2008 at 12:51
miss ruud alot,hope we find someone to bring the best out of rooney.thats all i need this summer not much just that.
June 14th, 2008 at 14:35
i want a signing NOW, i dont care about the euros, i want one NOW.
June 14th, 2008 at 15:16
If I remember we bought Ruud when he was around 27. So Berbatov’s age should not be a problem. But he’s just too lazy a player for me and too inconsistent. We do not need players who drift in and out of games. We want a striker we can rely on.
Really it is hard to see who we are going to buy. Certainly I do not see us buying a big name striker. Unfortunately from what ive seen of Euro 2008 there are not really any emerging stars and the coaches are all plumping for their most experienced players.
Also there is always a shortage of good quality strikers. I mean apart from Torres (deluded scouse supporter), RVN (bridges burned), Drogba (italy bound), Et’oo (who is past it), Ibrahamovitch (inconsistent), Toni (unavailable), Benzema (unavailable and unproven) etc.
We get away in playing without a striker because we have Ronaldo who is clinical. But if Ronaldo left there is no-one available who could give us 30 goals a season. That scares me.
I mean Rooney should step up and get us 20 next season, Tevez should be worth 15. But I cannot see anyone else getting double figures.
June 14th, 2008 at 15:46
Dan, your comment made me laugh. but im the same. surely if we haven’t signed anyone yet it must mean that all our targets are playing for their countries in the Euro’s.
June 14th, 2008 at 15:49
Aw, I got excited when I saw the title of this article..
June 14th, 2008 at 16:02
Sneijder would be a great trade for CR7 if we got rid of him. Looks like a good attacking midfielder, and as we saw yesterday he can score.
June 14th, 2008 at 16:40
Ralphie; Indeed, I said ten days ago that I would take Sneijder, Ramos and a bag of cash for CR7. Wesley is the attacking midfielder we so badly need. Add to that a striker (which I’m hoping is none of the following; Berbatov, Santa Cruz and especially Fabiano) like Huntelaar, Podolski or Villa and we would be pretty good. I still think we need to replace CR7 positionally and for me the right choice would be Arshavin. Benzema is going nowhere and I think his stock and value may drop anyway as will Mario Gomez who has been poor and lethargic at best.
June 14th, 2008 at 17:07
I read somewhere that Man City are looking at Arshavin but his director or chairman or something said that any deal would have to be done by 20 June. Probably BS but who knows.
I really think that losing Ronaldo could be a blessing in disguise. In the same way that Fabregas and the rest of the Arsenal stepped up without Thierry I think Anderson and Rooney could really come up with the goods if everything isn’t going through Ronaldo also if we got Ramos (which in the wake of his recent comments is seeming a lot more possible) and sneijder or Robinho( is still young and talented and has a bit of flair, SAF could turn him into a great player) We could play a 4-3-3 with him, Rooney and Tevez or even play him on the wing in a 4-4-2. If its not working out then you put on the inevitable tall striker that we’re going to buy
June 14th, 2008 at 17:30
I would love to see BERBATOV in a United shirt next season. If we can prize MICHA out of the council house too then I’d be very happy about next season.
I can see us playing a 4-3-3 more often, micha rio vida evra in defence, with hargo(r) carrick(m) and ronaldo(l) in midfield, and rooney just behind berba and tevez. what with the new subs rule, allowing you to name 7, foster, brown, anderson, scholes, giggs nani and manucho makes a strong as hell bench.
one can dream……
June 14th, 2008 at 17:44
Liam: I totally agree with the comparison to Arsenal selling Henry. We’ve been way too reliant on Ronaldo this season and we need to play more like a team. No stand-out player but a unit of players who play for the glory of Manchester United, not for personal gains. We’ve already got a good base of players that play for the team in Rooney, Hargo, Rio, Vidic, and Evra, among others, who we can build onto and create a great team. Selling Ronaldo would allow others to shine, as the whole team would have to step up so we can stay strong.
As for transfers; sell Ronaldo and get Ramos and Sneijder + money as Grognard said, and then buy a striker. For me it is Villa, but because of his recent hatrick his price is extremely inflated. Huntelaar would be good also. I don’t think we need a replacement for CR7 on the wing, as we can adapt and just use a different system of play. Obviously the hottest formation out there is 4-2-3-1 right now, which I think we could play well.
VDS
Ramos Rio Vidic Evra
Carrick Hargo
Sneijder Rooney Tevez
Villa(Huntelaar)
June 14th, 2008 at 19:18
Kurt Villa’s price will certainly go up after today… how was that for a finish against sweden… I wish rooney and tevez can finish chances like that… We really lack a composed striker after Ruud’s departure..
June 14th, 2008 at 19:32
Hmm I didn’t watch much of the Spain game today, but Sergio Ramos looked a fool on the Ibrahimovic goal. Looking at him, my immediate thought was: “surely Wes Brown wouldn’t have prevented that goal”.
June 14th, 2008 at 19:49
Funny Typo!!!
What I meant was: Surely Wes Brown would have prevented that goalâ€.
Lol
June 14th, 2008 at 19:53
Liam; Losing Ronaldo could be a blessing depending on the players we replace him with but I wouldn’t compare it with Arsenal losing Henry because Henry’s best years were past him. Ronaldo on the other hand hasn’t yet reached his peak and may not reach it for 3 or 4 more years. That’s 3 or 4 years of dominance we would be losing. Look at Henry since he has left Arsenal and even in his last year at the club. He was hardly the Henry of old now was he? Ronaldo is coming off a World Player of the Year performance this season and he’s only 24. For me he has to be 27 or 28 before I consider his best years behind him.
Also; a lot of us are sounding very defeatist and I am reminded of the guy who gets to a certain age and hasn’t found the beautiful girl of his dreams and now is willing to settle and marry the neighborhood spinster. As much as we are all mad as Hell with Ronaldo, we haven’t lost him yet and we may in fact not lose him. Yes that’s very optimistic but I prefer to go with that than try to analyze the worth of a player like Ramos or Robinho like we are settling for second best. Does that not sound a little defeatist and pathetic? I’m guilty of this too but I am starting to feel like we are looking really sad and desperate. It’s not becoming of neither United or it’s supporters. We are EPL and European Champions and we need not hang our heads in defeat or compromise. Patience and faith and all things will work out in our favor I think. With or without CR7.
June 14th, 2008 at 19:55
Kurt; I certainly could live with that lineup. We’ll have to wait and see.
June 14th, 2008 at 20:06
Grognard we haven’t lost him yet and I certainly agree that when we are talking about Robinho we’re settling for second best… But todays reports say that Real Madrid are going to the Glazers with a bid of 70 million. that might tempt them considering the debt that we have and we only have 5 years left to clear them… the 70 million will help us buy a high quality striker (if we find one who is willing to come to us that is) and clear some of the debt as well…
June 14th, 2008 at 22:31
Krishnan; If we lose Ronaldo, we cannot just replace him with a good striker. This team needs a midfielder to be a supplier and give service to the forwards. That’s why I would love it if any deal with Madrid is made, that Wesley Sneijder is included in the package. The Glazer’s can keep the money they get because they already supposedly have OK’d a 50 million transfer kitty for Fergie regardless of a Ronaldo sale. The team does not need 120 million to retool. I’m all for the Glazer’s taking a large portion of the money and paying off the debt because we don’t want a financial calamity to happen to this team 5 years from now. Priority is not replacing Ronaldo with as much quality as Ronaldo. Priority is to remain competitive and not further taxt this team with more unwanted and unnecessary financial burden.
I don’t believe we need Ramos or Robinho but I think we should take a lot of money from a proposed deal and Sneijder. Buy a striker and a winger with our alloted transfer kitty and I think we will be fine and have 50 to 70 million in the bank for the Glazer’s to pay off a large portion of the debt. I also feel it’s vital we buy players that want to play for us and dream of playing for us. I don’t want United to be a temporary stop over to Spain or Italy.
June 14th, 2008 at 22:52
[Grognard]
The Glazers have supposedly Ok’d a sale above 50 million? How can we assume that? This kind of news where “club X owners have given £Y million to the manager” comes every year. Why would a club declare publicly how much funds they’ve allocated for the summer — thus revealing their transfer plans.
I know you’ve said that you find difficulty in trusting sources so here’s a rule of thumb when it comes to believing press reports: Look for quotes from members of the Glazer family (“unnamed sources” don’t count) or quotes from Gill or SAF or an important member from United or the Glazers’ organization — the source must be named. Otherwise the news is as good as no news.
All we know is that the Glazers have — and Fergie has — said that United have funds to sell regardless of any eventuality.
[krishnan]
Again, todays reports say nothing new. Just no reliable quotes to back it up.
June 14th, 2008 at 23:32
RR; Whether they have or haven’t declared the amount, I think it’s fair to assume that the Glazer’s have OK’d a fairly substantial transfer kitty just because we are Manchester United and we are one of the biggest club’s in the world. My point is I seriously doubt we need to sell players to be able to afford buying a striker and RB. Therefore, any money that comes from a Ronaldo sale can go directly to the Glazer’s provided we get either Ramos or a Sneijder or both along with cash in the sale.
June 15th, 2008 at 1:21
The problem with Sneijder is he may be unwilling to leave as he’s only been at Madrid for one season. He may feel he owes them more than that. But also, it was probably never a dream of his to play there because he is Dutch, so maybe he is not that attached to the team.
June 15th, 2008 at 1:36
Nicely said. I will have to eventually move on, but right now I’m still in a state of euphoria after the incredible season we’ve just had. I think we should be at the very least, optimistic about the future that lies ahead for Manchester United. Some of the players being mentioned to replace Ronaldo’s role in the team, although top quality (with the potential to become even better), are at the moment, second rate compared to Ronaldo. Since we can’t predict exactly what is going to happen in the future, we should just savor the moment, especially after such a wonderful year for both the team and Ronaldo. For better or worst, our club has always found out a way to win, especially when facing adversity.
June 15th, 2008 at 2:25
[Grognard]
Fair enough. And it’s amazing how the only two players that would interest me from Real’s side are Sneijder and Ramos which leaves us to wonder why Ronaldo would even contemplate moving to such a team.
June 15th, 2008 at 3:29
RR; Excellent point. I look up and down their roster and they do nothing for me. I think they have a lot of average players at best. The fact they won La Liga speaks volumes for how far the Spanish League has gone down in the past two seasons. Truly, the only player on their roster that truly turns my crank is one Ruud van Nistelrooy. But I guess we will have to rule him out of a transfer to OT. Sneijder is a good player but he would not have been in my top 25 players I’d most want to see play for United list. At least not before the EURO’s started. Too bad this wasn’t Barcelona we were dealing with.
June 15th, 2008 at 3:39
You forget Iker Casillas RR and Grognard, do you not? Surely he must spark some interest in you. But of course he is going to be playing for Real for the rest of his career, so I guess we might as well not even mention him.
June 15th, 2008 at 3:59
kurt; Iker Cssillas is signed up for another seven years and has no intention of ever leaving Real. Like Raul, he is an institution at Madrid. We could try to get him but we would probably fail. Besides, GK is not going to be our most pressing need this upcoming season.
June 15th, 2008 at 8:47
United after Sniejder
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=736257
June 15th, 2008 at 9:27
[Just1n]
That’s idle speculation. No quotes in the article to back it up. Just the usual crap doing the rounds.
June 15th, 2008 at 10:53
[RR]
Yeah , I know. Nothing else to do but speculate. None of our transfers will be in the press until after we sign them. SAF has learned to keep activity under cover.
But we are allowed to speculate, are we not?
June 15th, 2008 at 11:18
[Just1n]
Yes we are. Did I tell you not to? I was just referring to the article in question since you brought it up. That’s how it works: someone brings up a link and someone chimes in with his 2 cents worth.
That’s all I was doing. Fair do, I would hope.
June 15th, 2008 at 14:56
Something that as mentioned in some articles when Platini attacked us for our debt is that the Glazers actually could pay off the debt tomorrow if they wished. They however get a better return by investing the money that would pay off the debt and then just paying the interest. As such I’m not sure the debts really that much of an issue.
And when you think about the investment needed to replace Ronaldo and the kind of revenue loss we saw when we sold Beckham (as thats part of the reason Real want Ronaldo as his signing will be a money spinner that will put them back at the top of the income tables) I’m not sure 70mill would do too much to persuade the Glazers that it was worth selling him soley on a repayment of debts. Especially as Selling him may also impact our prize money earnings for a year or so as the replacements settle in
June 15th, 2008 at 15:23
wakey; Good points but I also read that the continuing increase of world interest rates are making this loan more and more unpalatable for the Glazer’s. If they indeed could pay it off right now, I think those interest rates alone should force them to do so. Who knows? There is a lot of that deal that is very hush hush. One thing is clear to me now though, that one of the reasons we may not be signing any big names out there is because we don’t have the money to do so. This explains the rumors of Fergie’s bargain bin browsing for players like Fabiano and Santa Cruz. Buying either of them would be sending out a clear message that the club is financial turmoil and that we can no longer compete with the big clubs in Spain and Italy yet alone Chelsea.
June 15th, 2008 at 18:16
Santa Cruz is hardly bargain basement. He may not have the buzz of the a Huntelaar but he has proven in the last year he he a top class, something which Huntelaar isnt. In fact Huntelaar is playing in a relatively low quality league where Afonso Alves was a major star and he has hardly settled into the country fantastically (He has shown flashes but far from being stellar). Huntelaar cant even make the starting 11 of Holland whos main striker is a player we flogged for no longer being upto it.
And the Euros are on, very few clubs are doing business which has nothing to do with the credit crunch as the players aren’t available for negotiating. Even if the players themselves arent playing at the Euros somewhere in the merry go round there will be a playing at the Euros in the equation so very little will happen atm
June 16th, 2008 at 14:23
Signing a talented youngster who will not play in the first team. What a waste
June 16th, 2008 at 17:02
Yes wakey, The same league that spawned Ronaldo (Brazil), RVN, Johan Cruyff, Denis Bergkamp, Wesley Sneijder, Raphael Van Der Vaart, EVDS, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and hundreds more tp class if not world class players. Yes the Eriedivisie is total shite. Every time somebody wants to make this silly argument the bring uop the names of Alfonso Alves and Kezman. Two foreigners who happened to have played in Holland and done well. Holland is a football factory and has the best youth system and development apparatus in the world. To compare Santa Cruz who is a bum compared to Huntelaar is really a laugh. I watched Santa Cruz struggle for three years at Bayern where he sucked royally because he could not play for a top team in pressure situations. Blackburn is hardly pressure. Huntelaar just follows the same path all these other Dutch stars that people are raving about now or in the past. He has to start somewhere. That does not dismiss the fact that he has world class talent. Watch high lites of him. Much of what he does has nothing to do with the weakness of his competition but the extraordinary talent and imagination he has. The only reason he isn’t playing for Holland as a starter is that RVN is still a great player and he is also in very good form. The fact that Holland choose to play one striker up front also doesn’t help. Van Basten has gone for experience. And RVN was sold for insubordination, not for not being up to it anymore. He lead La Liga last year in goals and that’s no mean feat. Sorry wakey but your arguments have no validity with me because I’ve been able to prove you wrong I feel.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:24
If we really need to sell Ronaldo, let us ask for at least 100million Sneijder and
Ramos and Ronaldinho.Real MADRID ,after all the hoopla , can never go back to their
fans and say that they cannot afford the price.
OOH … WHAT A THOUGHT. we can get RIBIERY, KAKA AND Huntelaar or even Torres
(liverpool may sell him,I heard,if the price was right . Now, will that give us a world beating team or no?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:25
[Grognard]
The players you have named don’t prove my argument wrong because very few of them have played in the EPL. The EPL is a league that is fairly unique in its style and its a style that alot of world class players have failed to excel in. And you say Ruud was sold for insubordination which isnt imho true, if it had been he would have been sold the year before when he handed his transfer request in not left to throw a strop for a year.
As for being a the top scorer on la liga, yes its a great achievement but the Spanish league suits him so much better, just like it seems clear that the English league suited Henry with his creativity and speed more than the slower spanish league is.
And with Santa Cruz, he may have struggled in Germany and its possible its the pressure of playing at a top club BUT its just as possible that it was the league that hindered him. He is a proven Premiership player something alot of these others arent and that should be a major factor as theres as much chance of the likes of Huntelaar turning out to be as suitable as a prem players as the likes of Forlan/Veron as he is of being perfectly suited
June 19th, 2008 at 13:12
hmm could have sworn I hit submit but I guess not.
Anyway most of those names you listed have never played in the Prem, and the few who have generally came late in their careers and hardly set the world alight. The english league is fairly unique in the style of play and the dutch players generally settle better in the slower more techical leagues than our fast action packed league. Players can make the transistion but many fail and this is why Santa Cruz is as much a top class target as Huntelaar because he is a proven EPL player. And yes he may have struggled slightly in Germany but all that means is the league didnt suit him where as England clearly does, just look at Henry who clearly hasnt become shit over night but looks awful for Barca, or Forlan who didnt suddenly become great overnight but looks significantly better in Spain than he ever did for us.
The chance of Santa Cruz making a major impact for us is simply alot less uncertain than it is for Huntelaar and with the club really needing another striker who you know will produce he is the smarter choice. TBH 2 strikers are needed anyway really but certainly if Huntelaar was signed you would need someone proven in the english league signed as well.
As for Ruud going for insubordination, it may have played a part but if that was the reason he would have been out the door the summer after he handed his transfer request in. He went because he wasnt cutting it anymore in the prem and was causing the team issues in their play. I’m not saying his attitude didnt help him on his way but he needed moved on for the good of the club and for himself. He needed to be playing in a league like La Liga where his style of play would still work and would fit in the the team menatlity