10 May 2021 14:12:34
Looks like Cavani has signed for another year (Romano) . Great news, we keep someone who is settled in the EPL, has proven themselves good enough, can help guide players like Greenwood while not completely blocking him out of the team. While also we can focus our summer transfer budget on defence and midfield, which is where it needs to be spent. I think this is the best result all round. Looking forward to seeing him play at Old Trafford in front of a crowd.

1.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 14:30:20
Shappy not stirring up the debate again but if true i can see both sides
Heads) great tutor for several players on all aspects of the game but
Tails) it stops the purchase of a younger stiker now who could give us several years service and also takes up best part of 1 million a month in wages from the wage budget!

With him, DDG out on loan and pogba in wages alone we could cover 5/ 6 quality additions - I know which direction I would take.

2.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 14:39:02
Funky, i think even if we didn't sign Cavani, we weren't looking to sign a young striker given that we already have Greenwood and boy wonder. We would have gone for someone like a Kane (not young anymore) or Benzema or that's what the Eds have told us. I think having Cavani is a win win provided he stays fit. Finally we have a great #7 after Ronaldo.

3.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 15:11:49
Funky, I can see that side of the argument.

The reality is though that the club doesn't have a bottom pit of cash to spend this summer, or any summer for that matter.

Our starting CB's aren't good enough for a title challenge. We need to sign at least one top class CB. That'll be between 50-80m.

We will see one of Henderson or DDG leave this summer as both are too good to be back up. We have also burned our bridges with Romero, so he'll be leaving as well. While Bishop might be okay to be third choice we will need a decent back up keeper. So there's another 10-20m.

We also need a true CDM who can control the tempo of the game and dictate play. Rice has been touted, he would be very expensive. But even cheaper options will be between 40-60m.

We still don't have a first choice RW. Greenwood is covering there and doing well enough. But he is a striker. Amad and Pellistri have played less than 20 minutes EPL football. Neither are ready in truth. Sancho for 80m is the rumoured target. Again cheaper options might be available and could be bought for around the 40-50m price bracket.

While rumours persist about interest in Max Aarons or another RB to challenge AWB, so there's another 20-30m on a RB.

So before we even consider a striker we have:

GK - 10-20m
RB - 20-30m
CB - 50-80m
CDM - 40-60m
RW - 50-80m

So that would be 170m if we bought the cheaper options for every signing. 270m if we bought the most expensive.

All of that without signing a striker. Haaland or Kane would cost between 120-150m. Even if we bought the cheapest players in ALL of the other positions AND a top striker like Haaland or Kane then we would be looking at a spend of around 300m.

I just don't see where the club sign all the positions we need this summer with the predicted cost of them all.

So we need to prioritise, if we can keep Cavani and Greenwood can continue to improve and develop then the most expensive position could be delayed a year. Greenwood turns 20 at a the start of next season. A year with Cavani then at the start of the 2022/ 23 season he'll be about to turn 21 and could be ready to be first choice. If not then we can address that summer.

We need to look around our youth players and see who is most likely to be able to step up in the absence of a new signing coming in.

RB for me is a very low priority, we have Williams, Dalot and Laird coming through. While both Tuanzebe and Mengi can cover RB.

GK I'd get a journey man whose still solid. You rarely use your second choice keeper anyway. I don't see any point in spending 20m+ for a guy to play in the league cup and the early rounds of the FA cup. Maybe we could tempt Tom Heaton back from Villa now Martinez has established himself as first choice. If you're going to be sitting on the bench then you might as well be getting paid well and be at your boyhood club.

CB is essential spend what we need to buy the best available.

CDM is a tricky one. I think the type of midfield we buy will depend on how Ole wants to set up. I think we need someone in the mould of Carrick who can control the game and dictate the tempo. But is there someone available who fits that role and is proven at the highest level. Again for me this is a vital position if the team is to improve next season. So spend what is needed on the right candidate.

RW depends on who is about and at what price. We clearly need someone who can be a creative spark as most of our forwards look to score goals more than create them. Meaning we can be a little one dimensional and easy to predict. I would spend here as the third priority behind CB and CDM.

The most important thing for me this summer as opposed to last summer is I feel that even 1 or 2 players good enough to go straight into the first team is a better way to go than the plan of last summer of buying 4 or 5 squad options or gamble players.

We spent 40m on Donny, we spent 15m on Telles, and we spent 30m rising to potentially 50m on Amad and Pellistri.

That's 85m players who haven't really helped all that much this season. 70m you say Telles was worth it to push Shaw.

4.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 17:20:21
UA - by a younger striker -I meant one with at least 4/ 5 years in the tank at a decent level- personally I would stay away from HAarland - Way too much for a stiker playing in inferior quality leagues
Kane is quality but Levy would want double his worth, he spent weeks out the last couple of seasons. I know there isn't many about but but there are players out there.

5.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 17:31:50
Funky, which strikers do you think are good enough, attainable, and wouldn't cost the earth?

6.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 17:36:42
shappy - you make the points well but we have a nation of players that we first of all can get mainly small but a couple of decent fees for, that are on salaries 50-100k+ pw and also we can use as bargaining chips. Apart from the keepers,
IN Defence- telles, lindlehof, jones, tuanzebe dalot all could go.
We would get fees for 3/ 4 of them and wages off the books.
Midfield- van de beak, mata, matic, periera, again fees off them in dvdb a decent chunk return + wages
Forwards - Dan james, martial, chong
and then we have the imo 2 players that will determine who and how many go- lingard, pogba.
Amad and pellestri were bought for the future and we have built up a decent amount of younguns for the future, add in shoretire, hannibal, mengi and hughill, garner levitt to name a few . It can be achieved but it doesn't have to be sub standard additions to fill all the boxes in order to hit budget. Alas the major problem is who will be selecting and negotiating: that's the position we need to get right.

7.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 18:22:20
Im old enough to remember Ted McDougall, (ask yer dad) Peter Davenport, Terry Gibson, Alan Brazil . all strikers we pounced on after a good season who bombed with us.

When I see folk raving about DCL, Haaland, Ollie Watkins, the lad from Newcastle who trips over his own feet most games but they love him .

I think step back let's see how good they are next year, can they progress, are they as hungry? Maybe Cavani signing helps Ole with those decisions.

8.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 19:07:54
Mate how did you land out gary Birtles? 🙈🙈🙈.

9.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 19:32:00
Funky, the rumours are that the club have around 70-80m to spend maybe plus sales.

So we would need to raise 200m plus from player sales. Something we have been pretty bad at historically.

I think in reality we will likely see 2 or 3 players good enough for the first team and maybe a cheap back up keeper.

I can't see us making more than 4 signings this summer.

10.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 20:37:08
I think United will spend more than 120 million or much much higher.
Glazers need to win the fans back so I think they would splash the cash.

11.) 10 May 2021
10 May 2021 20:56:31
A GK is a definite, I can see DDG going out. Probably on loan to PSG, knowing how we do things.

RB seems odd given that we have a few options. However I'm not AWB's biggest fan and the drop-off after him to Williams/ Dalot is huge. So I imagine if the RB rumours are true one if not both are on their way.

CB. A more mobile player would be a bonus. Wouldn't be surprised if they stick though.

DCM. Seems to make sense to all of us, but Matic isn't going away just yet, leaving the club with 2-3 players who just about fill this void, albeit unspectacularly. But I would like to see a more dynamic maybe younger player come in. I think Rice will cost towards £100 purely because of age and the English factor, which seems nuts to me. Bissouma or Camavinga might be better value.

RW: I think there's plenty of scope for Sancho to come in without inhibiting Greenwood. He can play both flanks. There's room for both of them in the starting XI, in my view.

STR: Kane I think will go to City. That leaves Haaland as the other 'go to' name. Dortmund seem like they're open to a sale to cash in before he goes into the final year so I guess we'll miss out, and we'll be talking about a different player this time next season to replace Cavani.

Oh yeah - Cavani. So glad he's staying for another year. The side is so much better with him, he's helping Greenwood no end, and has made an even better impact that Ibra, in my view, and arguably better than any signing bar Fernandes post-SFA.

12.) 11 May 2021
11 May 2021 10:43:45
Shappy re strikers- kane is up there as is his probable fee but vlahovic at fiorentina, daka, silva, icardi, vieto. Okay Icardi is more proven but the price tags won't bust the bank and all reletively young with potential- whose to say Haarland will thrive in EPL- everything is a risk.
Obviously the parameters change all the time and now Cavani is staying 1 more year I can see more lieage in bringing in a rough diamond as opposed to 300k per week 150m man.

13.) 11 May 2021
11 May 2021 10:56:18
Shappy I think 80 mil is a low budget even for us but if you add the sales then maybe. i reckon the positions noted need addressing but agaain it depends on price and availability. Agree with a journey man GK but if DDG or Hendo goes a top Gk is a must, rb cover not high as long as we have keep williams but I think he'll go if only on loan. CB is the biggy- torres, varane is my bet on the clubs top 2 but wouldn't rule out milenkovic. Mid and DM are 2 areas we may need to address if pogba goes as well as matic (possible Roma)? Camavinga will be mega bucks as will be rice- would like brozovic will inter listen? Grealish will be mooted but again price. If available would look at pulisic - don't think chelsea manager fancies him. I guess we'll have to do 2 things, wait for sharkopod and the window itself.