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01 Jul 2026 20:57:54
I understand that we are clearly determined not to spend stupid money on players this summer. However, Anderson is joining City, Tonali is joining Spurs, Fernandes is joining Spurs, Tchouameni is probably staying at Madrid, and Guimaraes will probably join Arsenal at some point.
We are only just in July, and that is 5 targets that won't be happening. Now, obviously there is a budget this summer, and there are several positions that require work, but our midfield has been the most obvious priority for months now. You can't tell me that fixing the midfield can wait because the right players aren't available at the right price, and equally you can't tell me that other positions can't wait another year.
If we had to wait until next summer to sign a left winger, or left back, or right back, or back up centre forward or whatever, because it cost too much to fix the midfield this summer, that will hurt us much less than if we don't fix the midfield properly this summer.
Obviously there are other players available, but those 5 are probably the best 5 available this summer and we haven't coughed up the cash to get 1 done. That's not good enough for me, and it doesn't exactly show ambition.
There was a time when United wanted a player, they paid whatever they needed to pay, and every other club in the country would fight over the second best option. Maybe Anderson was simply too expensive, but in the current market, Tonali at £100m, Fernandes at £85m, Tchouameni at £80m is arguably pretty reasonable compared to spending maybe £60m on Baleba or £50m on Stiller, who are simply not the same standard.
Don't get me wrong, they are both still good players, and there are several others that have been linked in recent months, but how are we supposed to close the gap on City, if they are signing Anderson, and we can only sign players in that next bracket down?
1.) 01 Jul 2026 22:28:47
Who said Tonali, Guimaeres were targets?
Let me name some midfielders that we could still target, and would improve us:
Scott, Sadiki, Wharton, Baleba, Nmecha, Stiller, Manu Kone, Bouaddi, Tchoumeni.
We need one more, ideally two.
2.) 01 Jul 2026 22:55:35
Perhaps they were targets, perhaps they weren't. They have certainly been linked with United in recent months. Either way, they are among the best available, and even if we didn't make an offer, we've missed out.
Simply put, we are Man United and we should be targeting the best. Anderson, Tonali, Guimaraes, Fernandes are among the best available. Sadiki, Wharton, Baleba, Kone, Bouaddi are not among the best available. They are second rate.
We need two more this summer without question. We can't start a new season in which we could be playing 50-60 games with only Mainoo, Ederson, and one other. That would be catastrophic.
Perhaps if we can get Alex Scott and Tchouameni, I will consider it a decent window. Stiller and Nmecha are both decent midfielders too, but they are still not among the best available.
I find it all the more frustrating that Tonali and Fernandes are both joining Spurs, who won't even be playing Champions League next season, rather than a genuinely elite club. Perhaps for Fernandes, who is only 22, that's not really a concern, but Tonali is 26, entering his peak years, and you have to wonder whether these guys would've picked United over Spurs if we had offered enough money to get the deal done.
3.) 01 Jul 2026 22:57:14
There's only 5 CMS in world football.
4.) 01 Jul 2026 23:22:25
Villa have shown under Emery, you can put a top midfield together on free transfers with Kamara and Tielemans. So, it is true there are plenty of players out there we could sign, no denying that.
However, losing Casemiro's experience and quality, I think fans were expecting a marquee signing like Anderson, Tonali, or Tchouameni, and to see 2/3 join Premier League rivals is going to lead to some worry amongst the fanbase.
5.) 02 Jul 2026 00:02:00
There is no denying we have missed out on our top 2 targets imo.
When it became clear that we were not the priority for either player, then we didn't bid.
Some will argue pay more and then the player will prioritise United. But we've seen that backfire spectacularly several times.
I'm not one bit concerned, and I've no doubt we will make quality signings.
6.) 02 Jul 2026 00:33:07
Will Villa win the league in the next two years?
7.) 02 Jul 2026 07:30:46
Will Spurs?
8.) 02 Jul 2026 09:00:39
Tw
Interesting question. Given who Spurs are buying, and with De Zerbi as manager, there is an argument they are more likely to win the league before us with present playing staff and management. It can change.
9.) 02 Jul 2026 09:11:29
Red Man, I rate De Zerbi and technically think he is brilliant. Spurs are definitely giving him the tools that he wants, and if it all works, I can see them definitely back up challenging for top 6.
More likely to win the league before us... Need for the window to complete before that is answered, to see what both teams have.
Secondary question for Spurs is whether De Zerbi becomes combustible and it blows up before they get success..... Like I say, I rate him highly, but it was the one worry I had when we were potentially discussing him coming in.
10.) 02 Jul 2026 09:15:29
We have no idea if any of them were targets or not. One would hope that the club already identified its targets and is working on them. What is no doubt is Bruno G, Tonali, or Anderson would have enhanced our midfield immensely, not so sure about others.
My main concern is the criteria of us wanting just young, cheaper potential purchases. That really concerns me. SJR's attitude to it always concerns me from day one it was done.
I said all along that be careful what you wish for, but of course everyone likes to bang on about the Glazers.
It appears now, because we have been stung a few times with high prices and salary, we are now judging everything on that, which is ridiculous.
Let's hope we got our targets sewn up and we know what we are doing, but don't put your house on it...
11.) 02 Jul 2026 10:15:19
Mbeumo nor Cunha fall into the category of young and cheap.
Sesko, yes, like Yoro, but we paid top money for them.
They will pay the right money for the right player.
I'm not going to judge and assess until the window is over.
We have not bought cheap alternatives for any position so far under SJR.
12.) 02 Jul 2026 12:01:42
Every year its groundhog day, like the amateur anglers who always want to spread remorse over the one that got away.
These players didn't get away, well Anderson, foolishly in my opinion, chose city without waiting for the results of their lawsuits. Who knows what that might bring in the next few weeks or months.
Despite us massively overpaying for poor quality in the years up to ineos coming in, there's still demand to do the same, irrespective of proven past being a waste of money and also other clubs, Liverpool, Arsenal Chelsea and City wasting megamoney on failures.
It was common knowledge we would sign a minimum of 2 midfielders. Since then we are linked with every single player out there.the only reason Anderson amd Fernandes were up forst for debate and consideration was the selling clubs actively seeking buyers.
This happens every year. Last year we didn't get semenyo or gyokeres and apparently amorim wanted martinez and not lammens. So, I would argue we know what we are doing and we are actually following through on our promise not to allow agents or selling clubs dictate to us beyond what we believe the market is worth.
Couple that with a big investment in data driven decision making and I would say that we clearly have data that tells us we aren't making poor decisions based on emotion, we are making comparative decisions based on abilities aligned to the player profile we are looking for.
That data equally I cludes attitude, character, personality and mindset. It seems clear that the biggest driver to us was not actually price it was that neither player made it crystal clear that they
Wanted us and only us. Remember the farce with Brentford when we believed mbuemo was a 50 to 60m player compared to what we eventually paid and same for sesko? Yet we went higher because of the total commitment of the player that extended to their agreement on wage structures.
Im totally confident we will get the players we want. The WC made it harder to do early deals simply because perhaps its a huge risk to buy a player who's still competing. Imagine buying your dream Ferrari just before it races in your local track event and then watching it go up in flames. Being insured is no consolation is it?
We are always going to be impatient, opinionated and have differing views but my view is that ypu should judge a window at the very end not at the beginning just because there's three or four deals been done. I mean literally three or four deals and people are catastrophising like its the end of our season before it even begins.
13.) 02 Jul 2026 13:48:57
If we end up with Scott and Kroupi from Bournemouth, it would be good.
Capt Obvious,
3 of the top midfielders have gone to our opponents; they didn't have a problem with the World Cup timing.
14.) 02 Jul 2026 17:32:02
AngelRed, obviously there are still some very good players available. I have actually made it clear that I recognise that fact. However, Anderson and Tonali are almost certainly better than any that are currently available, along with Bruno Guimaraes, and Fernandes is arguably as good as any other target we might still have, but probably has a higher ceiling.
There is still scope for us to sign some very good midfielders this summer and start next season with a very good squad and genuine depth in midfield. For example, if we signed Scott and Tchouameni, or even Scott and Baleba, along with Ederson, I would consider that a moderately successful window for the midfield.
But, we could've simply paid the market rate for the top available options and started next season with an even better midfield.
Put it this way, would you rather we spent £160-180 million and signed Scott, Baleba, and Ederson, with Scott and Baleba potentially not joining until late in the window, or would you rather we spent £230-240 million and signed Tonali, Fernandes, and Ederson, and they could all join the squad as soon as training starts after the World Cup?
I know which I would prefer.
15.) 02 Jul 2026 22:25:08
Can't think why Fernandes and Tonali didn't have a problem with the World Cup being on.
27 May 2026 16:25:42
Ederson is looking pretty nailed on at the moment, we've been linked with him for a couple years now, so we have clearly rated him for a long time. I wouldn't have him as first choice, possibly not even in top 5, but I would expect there will be more glamorous signings later in the window. Given we are obviously looking to sign at least two midfielders, probably 3 if Ugarte leaves, it would be almost impossible to sign three top names in that position.
Personally, I would be ecstatic with Anderson, Fernandes, and Tchouameni, but that would probably cost £230-240 million, and would therefore severely limit our ability to improve several other areas this summer. Not to mention, that might actually disrupt the harmony within the squad, which seems really strong at the moment, since they would all expect to start most matches.
There are probably several among us that are not that excited with Ederson, given we have been linked with players like Anderson and Tonali all season, but I would be very content with Ederson, Fernandes, and Baleba for around £150-160 million, leaving enough cash for signings at left back, left wing, and hopefully either centre back, centre forward, or both.
I also think it makes sense to make at least one signing midfield as early as possible, since it leaves us in a stronger position to negotiate for other targets later in the window, which could easily save us paying an extra £10-20 million across various deals.
25 May 2026 22:25:00
I'm with Shappy and Angel on this. Dalot is solid, and a top professional. Centre midfield is the top priority. We have to sign two top players in the engine room this summer before we really even consider other positions. Beyond that, I would make a left forward my next priority, followed by another central midfielder and a left back, probably equal priority. Personally, I consider Dalot better than Shaw, and Dalot certainly has a far better fitness record, so getting a left back that can compete with Shaw next season, and hopefully usurp Shaw, comes way before getting a right back.
I would also make both centre forward and centre back a greater priority than right back, since we don't have a genuine centre forward other than Sesko, and we haven't had a consistent centre back pairing since Lindelof and Maguire several years ago. At the moment, we are constantly changing our centre back pairing, and even with every option available, we are miles behind Arsenal in this area. We have barely seen De Ligt and Martinez play together with the injuries they have had in the last two seasons. Maguire doesn't allow us to press very effectively since he is so lacking in pace, and Yoro and Heaven are not yet ready to be starting on a regular basis.
We can probably afford to sign 5-6 players this summer, given we have finished 12 places higher in the league this season, which means we will be getting about another £60 million in prize money from the Premier League, and we will be Champions League football next season, which is obviously lucrative. Along with a few sales, that could mean we have as much as £300 million to spend this, but it has to be spent right. Two centre midfielders first, then left forward, then another centre midfielder to replace Ugarte, then a left back, and finally, potentially a centre back or centre forward.
We can then look at either centre back or centre forward (or both) the following summer, depending on whether we make any signings in those areas this summer, along with moving on Mazraoui and bringing in a right back to compete with and potentially usurp Dalot. Next summer it might be also time to think about who might replace Bruno Fernandes, since it doesn't feel like Mason Mount will be that player.
05 Apr 2026 15:10:35
That can only happen if they are all playing at Chelsea next season. It would cost as much as £250 million to sign all 3. Even for United, it would cost around £200 million, and blowing that amount on 2 new forward players, after signing 3 last summer, would be monumentally daft.
Palmer would be the most expensive, and Chelsea could certainly afford Rashford and Palmer, especially if Enzo leaves.
They are also lacking in forward areas, primarily left wing, but also the number 10 role when Palmer plays on the right wing.
If Chelsea are keen on Rashford, they are welcome to have him for £50 million. It would be a shame to see Rogers move there though.
15 Mar 2026 18:52:08
Guimaraes is a fantastic midfielder, but he's already 28, and he will be hugely expensive. I can't imagine we will be willing to spend that much on a player that age.
Tonali and Anderson are also both top class. Again, they will both be very expensive, but Anderson is 3 years younger, so that might actually be a factor. Tonali might strengthen a position for 5-6 years, whereas Anderson might strengthen it for 8-10 years.
Baleba is another option, clearly a talented player, and he might be available for a more reasonable fee this summer. He's also very young at 22, so again he could be an important player for as much as 10 years. Adam Wharton is pretty regularly discussed, and probably better than Baleba, but I'm not convinced he's good enough physically to play alongside Kobbie.
Given we will almost certainly sign two midfielders this summer with Casemiro leaving, I think both new players will have to be comfortable playing with Mainoo in a midfield two behind Bruno, and comfortable playing together.
Otherwise, we are only ever one injury away from having a fairly weak midfield and potentially starting Ugarte, who doesn't look good enough at the moment, or likely to become good enough any time soon.
There's also Angelo Stiller from Stuttgart, Pablo Barrios from Atletico, and Bergvall from Spurs that we've either been linked with recently or at some point in the past. Goretzka and Ruben Neves will also be available on free transfers. Overall, I think there are far too many good options that are either much younger or much less expensive than Guimaraes to justify spending potentially £80 million on someone that turns 29 later this year.
01 Feb 2026 01:16:09
Dalot is far from an average player. He's generally solid defensively, especially when playing as a conventional right back in a back 4. Obviously he's not world class but he's a solid player for us that hugely cares about the club, is clearly popular among the squad, always gives his absolute best, rarely gets injured, and has never criticized the the club, the manager, the coaches, or other players or caused any controversy.
He's a decent player, proper club man, and top professional, and given how many players we have had in the last few years who have hardly given a toss he should absolutely be kept around.
We are also far weaker at left back than right back anyway, since Shaw has hardly ever been able to stay fit for more than about 3-6 months at a time before spending months out injured, and has lost his explosive pace that he had a few years ago, and Dorgu, whilst exceptional in the last couple games in which he has played further forward, is quite shaky defensively, and those are the only two first team left backs we have.
With that in mind we should be signing a left back this summer to compete with Shaw, and keeping both Dalot and Mazraoui for right back. In a couple years it will be time for Shaw and Mazraoui to move on, and we can hopefully sign a right back to replace Mazraoui that can be first choice, with Dalot staying as a decent squad player, and a left back to replace Shaw, as an option to rotate with whichever left back we sign this summer.
29 Jan 2026 06:10:40
Shappy, I agree that it would be foolish to spend a fortune on Palmer at the moment for the reason that we have several creative left footed players that are comfortable on the right.
But I'm not sure about Cunha being a replacement for Bruno. Cunha is a fantastic talent, comfortable across the front 3 and in the number 10, but I don't think he will hold the number 10 role when Bruno leaves.
Bruno gives the ball away more than most in that role in recent years, certainly compared to De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Odegaard for example, but Cunha is even more risky in possession than Bruno, and I suspect we might look to replace Bruno with someone slightly more adept at retaining the ball.
In an ideal world, I would consider a perfect United number 10 to be able to break lines with their ball carrying ability and their passing range, provide goals both with late runs into the box and shooting from distance, retain possession and complement the double pivot in controlling the tempo, and still provide a significant threat on the counter attack.
And that basically describes De Bruyne, but I don't know if there are many current players that fit that profile as close as Palmer currently does. I really like Morgan Rogers, but I'm not sure he has the composure to drop a bit deeper and control games. Maybe Kobbie Mainoo will develop into someone that nearly fits that mold, and we will play a more conventional 4-3-3 with a single number 6 and two number 8s, with Cunha starting when we play with a genuine number 10.
I wouldn't be surprised if United aren't even thinking about Palmer this summer, given the cash it will cost to sort the central midfield. But perhaps the following year we might look at Palmer, and given his injury issues this season, it would be sensible to wait to see if he can put that behind him.
09 Jul 2026 07:51:31
I'm actually pretty happy with this signing. He's young, he's got great technical ability, and he's got a great work rate. And I think he's really good value at that price. I'm also quite pleased that we've nicked a really talented player from a Premier League rival and weakened them for next season, since other teams around us will almost certainly be stronger.
I still think we will sign another midfielder this summer, probably Carlos Baleba, since he is clearly very talented despite a poor season just gone, but now that we have signed two midfielders, we can afford to play hard ball with Brighton over the fee. Maybe we really have got people in charge that know what they're doing.
Ederson, Santos and Baleba would be a pretty solid and comprehensive midfield rebuild. I still worry that we will struggle to close the gap on the top clubs next season, but there is certainly huge potential for these three players to keep getting better year after year.
Arsenal will obviously be strong again, especially if they add Guimaraes and Rogers this summer. City will certainly have a great squad, especially if they manage to keep Rodri, and I expect Maresca will be successful there, having worked there previously.
Liverpool will probably be stronger too, with Wirtz and Isak probably having a much greater impact, although their defense must be a concern. Spurs can't get any worse, otherwise Fernandes will be staring down a third relegation. But they have a talented and ambitious new coach, and they have added a genuinely top class midfielder in Tonali and another with incredibly high potential in Fernandes. That, along with Van Hecke, Senesi and Robertson, and any further signings they might make, combined with only having domestic football to focus on, will surely see them improve.
Overall, whilst it is very early doors, I think we might struggle to match a top 3 finish this season, but if we can finish top 4/5, whilst getting into the Champions League knockouts and competing in the cups, that would show that this United team is moving in the right direction. It will be a big change playing potentially 50-60 games in all comps next season for many players in that squad, so dealing with that and still finishing top 4/5 would be a real step forward.
05 Jul 2026 23:25:59
Essentially, United were prepared to offer £80 million, but not all guaranteed. They also believed that if they offered £85 million, Spurs would offer £90 million. And, whilst I am disappointed we missed out on Fernandes, you have to draw the line somewhere.
05 Jul 2026 04:54:00
I don't entirely agree (or disagree) with that, Shappy. Granted, Tchouameni is a more traditional defensive midfielder, with great positional discipline, but he also has fantastic technical ability, great passing ability at all ranges, and great shooting ability from distance.
He probably wouldn't replace the goals that Casemiro scored last season, but he's far more athletic, and he would make our midfield much stronger and more dynamic in defense than it has been in recent years.
He's pretty dominant in the air too, which would almost certainly improve our ability to defend set pieces.
Overall, I think he would be a transformative signing, and if we can get him for around £75-80 million, he would represent far better value than Anderson, Tonali, or Fernandes.
05 Jul 2026 04:44:17
If we get Tchouameni for around £75 million and a reasonable wage, then I will happily shut my mouth about us not getting Anderson or Fernandes. Anderson and Fernandes would've been my top two picks this summer, but partly because I didn't believe Real would allow Tchouameni to leave.
Tchouameni would be a fantastic signing and a massive statement. Whilst Anderson and Fernandes both have fantastic potential, and Anderson is already a top class player, Tchouameni is a better player right now and would transform our midfield.
03 Jul 2026 01:52:18
Tchouameni is borderline world class, so I would be very happy with that signing, but Scott, Wharton, and Baleba are certainly not on the same level as Anderson or Tonali, and probably not quite as good as Fernandes either.
I've not seen Nmecha play enough to judge him, same with a few others that have been linked, like Angelo Stiller, Noah Sadiki, Lamine Camara, and Mamadou Sangare.
Perhaps we've got a few targets that haven't really been spoken about. I've always liked Kamara from Aston Villa, and maybe Camavinga will be available. There are certainly enough good players available that we could start next season with a considerably stronger midfield, but I think we may have made a mistake by not targeting the very best, and as a result, allowing them to join our rivals.