03 Jan 2024 10:15:57
I believe that United are now interested in Michael Olise who apparently has a release clause of £100 million. I really do not understand why he wasn't bought two years ago. It was as plain as the nose on your face that he would develop into a really top class player. Why are United's coaches not able to identify players such as Olise? Why wait until the price rises to such levels?

1.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 11:23:34
I said at the time that he was a player to keep an eye on and that he's the sort of player we should sign while he was still at Reading.

That said he was very raw at the time and he needed regular game time, ideally at the EPL level to develop. Whether he'd have got that at United or dealt with the pressure of playing for United at that age is another thing entirely.

We were chasing Sancho at the time and he was already playing regularly and performing at a higher level. So it made more sense to prioritise him over someone like Olise.

The frustrating thing is that when the Sancho deal originally fell through Olise would have been an ideal player to sign then, but we went for the relatively unknown options of Amad and Pellistri.

In hindsight sight Olise looks like the player we should have signed instead of either of or even both of Amad and Pellistri.

However, with how we have handled both of those players careers up until this point maybe it was better for Olise to stay at Reading for another season and then move to Palace. He's had three season's of regular football and has been able to develop into a player who will likely cost between 60 and 100m now.

Whereas Amad and Pellistri are still waiting to have a real chance of a breakthrough. While only Amad when on loan at Sunderland has actually got a full season of regular minutes under his belt. With both of them having pretty poor loans at Rangers and Deportivo Alaves respectively.

Personally I don't see Pellistri making it at United. He's 22 now and struggles to get more than a few minutes to see out games. He's potentially another Zoran Topic. A player who has the technical skills and seems bright in moments, but never quite suited to the EPL. But will go on to have a good career in mainland Europe.

We should look to sell him in the summer, for us to recoup some funds and for him to be able to actually go on and start building his career. He'll do very well in La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 or even the Bundesliga. Although he may need to take a step to a league like the Eredivisie or Primeira Liga in Portugal first to get those regular minutes in a more technical and less physically demanding league before a move to one of Europe's top five leagues.

Amad I think could still prove to be a good player for us. While he has a similar small stature to Pellistri he has a stronger core strength and seems more willing to engage in the physical nature of football in England. While still possessing great technical ability, genuinely two footed, and with a touch of flair. He has a really good chance between now and the summer to stake a claim for a regular starting spot. He had a great loan last season at Sunderland, and we have a massive hole on the right hand side. With Greenwood and Sancho seemingly being ushered out the back door, Pellistri unable to step up, and Antony struggling to justify his selection, there has never been and probably never will be a clearer path into the first team.

It's down to Amad to step up and show that he can match Antony's off the ball work rate, ability to follow instructions, while also offering more goal threat and chance creation. He will probably have to do so from the bench to start with. Firstly because he's building up fitness after a long term injury. Secondly because he is unproven and has to earn his starts by showing what he can do against tiring legs later in a game. Can he show he has the ability to effect a game both by coming on and creating goals when chasing a game, and by doing the defensive side to see out a game. Once he's shown he can do that then he will have earned a chance as a starter. Then we will see if he is ready to step up, or whether he is still a season or so away. Still a good option from the bench while he develops probably.

2.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 14:08:54
Because many players don't actually make the grade in the end. So it is very risky to spend even £10m here and there on potential that may or may not come good.

3.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 14:32:50
Every player purchased is a risk to some extent. United do not have a problem paying £80 million for a player who is barely worth a quarter of that figure. Why would they baulk at paying £10 to £15 million for a promising player who could be loaned back to the club? Money comes easy to United because of their popularity. They take huge hits on flops in terms of transfer fees and wages, but it doesn’t seem to bother them. I just wonder about some of our scouts. Neil Warnock revealed recently that he could have bought Van Dijk for £6 million but his own chief scout felt that he was too slow. We should have bought him. We were interested in him at the time but Southampton bought him. Could our scouts not have spotted his ability and his potential?

4.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 15:04:09
That is true Syd. However, if we can actually create good development plans for young players that include quality loans and a clear idea about how a player should develop. Then it's probably better to bring in 7 kids for 10m each than spend that 70m on a player like Sancho or Antony. If even one of those kids makes it as a top player we'll be better off. If two or more do then we are laughing, while the others would probably be able to be sold for more than we paid for them 2-3 years down the line.

All ifs, buts, and maybes mind. However, it is obvious that we haven't signed enough players who we could develop into top stars and w haven't develop the few we have.

5.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 15:13:15
Is he a good as Zaha? Or awb.
Mental money for a very average player. I don't think he will be playing for united next season.

6.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 15:39:41
Shappy, hard for us to justify spending 10s of millions on youth and loaning them out. We barely have a penny to scratch our arse with these days. Plus a lot of youth automatically think they've made it when we sign them. Then there is the United tax, a £3m player for Southampton is £10m if we become interested. Also some players develop well simply because they are happy where they are. Olise is one of them types, I think that's why Chelsea tried to sign with an offer of keeping him at CP for a season. I could be wrong, but think that was the case. But Chelsea had much more to spend than us. We had a shoestring (so to speak), but needed wholesale changes.

7.) 03 Jan 2024
03 Jan 2024 16:47:36
We spend a lot more on players than do Liverpool and Man City yet our players are inferior. I think poor recruitment has been our downfall. Yes, some players suit certain clubs. All the more important for us to pinpoint players with the right character as well as ability. How many of our players would go through a brick wall for the club?

8.) 04 Jan 2024
04 Jan 2024 08:22:06
I think we will get associated with many right wingers from now till the end of the season and in full flow come summer. Antony and Pellistri not good enough imo. I don't believe we will do anything this window. I would like to see Amad given a run as he did well in his short sub vs forest.

My fav right winger is Nico Williams from Bilbao. A bit like my Kudus rants but he is better than kudus in terms of ceiling. Top Top player in the making and will end up at a big club IMO still a bit raw but getting better every year. Goes past players with ease.

9.) 04 Jan 2024
04 Jan 2024 10:05:34
As much as I'd like to I don't see it. Clubs don't buy a player for £80m (Antony) then replace him a season later. There isn't room for both, who's going to buy Antony from us except at a huge loss? We're shafted in this position, the best outcome is currently playing on loan in Spain.

10.) 04 Jan 2024
04 Jan 2024 16:04:43
Spenno

I think we will see a rightwinger come in the summer. Personally would love to see greenwwod back but don't think it will happen. The greenwood money and some other guys on loan assuming they end up being sold should give us a sizeable transfer kitty.

Greenwood, Williams, fish, cas, Pellistri or Amad, alvaro, sancho, DVB and probably a few more. They hardly play or not even in the squad at so not losing much besides cas. Reckon we will spend 250 mill or even more in the summer.

11.) 05 Jan 2024
05 Jan 2024 11:57:16
Spenno, Antony will almost certainly stay with us next season. The club will not be able to afford taking the kind of financial hit on him that we would need to take to move him on. Not only has his performances been poor, putting teams off. His off the field issues haven't yet been totally laid to bed. Meaning they could be buying a player who might end up having to defend himself in court.

Hopefully however he stays as a squad option rather than as a starter. I do feel a little sorry for him in some ways, he tries hard, gives his all for the shirt and does have a good amount of talent. It's just not working out for him. His decision making on the ball is awful, and his confidence going forward seems drained. I think he could leave to a club in Serie A or the Bundesliga and do very well. Either a league played at a slower pace or a more transitional league.

While it might be good to bring in a RW in the summer for me its probably the 6th most important position to be looking at, with a CB, two midfielders, a RB and a ST to rotate/ challenge Hojlund all of higher need in my opinion.

I like the idea of giving Amad more game time on the right this season. While I'm also curious to try playing an overlapping RB like Frimpong, allowing the RW player to play more inside meaning we could try someone like Mount or Bruno (my preference) in that role.

However, we need to sort out the defence and midfield structure as a point of priority. While a first choice RB (as both part of the defensive rebuild and as a ball progressing option) and a ST to take some of the pressure off of Hojlund and allow him to develop into the top class player he looks like he can be, are also more vital than the RW for me.

Although if I was to pick out a preferred target for RE, then Olise would feature highly on my list of options.

12.) 08 Jan 2024
08 Jan 2024 06:29:23
Andy Cole and Yorkie rate Olise and Eze very highly. Think both are no brainers who would walk into the current team. Then again both rate Rash hands down as the best player in the united squad LOL.