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21 Jul 2025 21:22:07
Is it true that Rashford has signed but may be banned from registering and so unable to play? If so what's the point of him signing?
1.) 21 Jul 2025 22:06:11
Its a possibility he might not get registered.
I don't care what the point is as long a he is gone.
They couldn't register olmo until jan last year in la liga.
They have sold a few so it might not happen this year. It is the reason Williams didn't sign because they could not Guarantee his registration would go through.
2.) 22 Jul 2025 09:17:06
Whether they register him or not they still have to pay his wages.
3.) 22 Jul 2025 11:06:51
Barca’s financial challenges continue to impact their ability to register new players. Rashford has agreed to a wage reduction to help free up space on their wage bill and comply with La Liga’s financial regulations. However, Barcelona may still need to offload current players to create enough room to register him.
A similar issue occurred last season with Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, whose registrations were initially blocked due to Barça exceeding La Liga’s salary cap.
The Spanish Sports Council temporarily allowed their registrations despite La Liga’s objections, and although La Liga appealed the decision, the court upheld the CSD’s ruling, allowing Olmo and Víctor to play for the remainder of the season.
La Liga maintains that Barcelona violated financial fair play regulations by failing to meet the 1:1 salary-to-revenue ratio required for player registrations.
4.) 22 Jul 2025 15:34:48
Funnily enough I think that would be karma biting him in the ass.
5.) 22 Jul 2025 18:26:16
Do you seriously think this not already been addressed! Yes it happened last seasons, but now players and agents are aware of this potential problem, it amazes me you think this been overlooked…. unbelievable.
6.) 22 Jul 2025 19:05:22
German, Tebas recently warned that Barça still lacks sufficient cap space to register new signings like Joan García or Nico Williams, sales or salary savings were needed, that is why the Williams deal fell through.
7.) 22 Jul 2025 19:06:33
German I realise that there must be a point but what I was trying to get at is how they can sign knowing that there is such an issue. For example do you think Rashford would be prepared if nec to sit on the sidelines for six months if nec before his registration was allowed.? Or more cynically do Barcelona just have the clout or connections to flout the law?
8.) 22 Jul 2025 21:33:21
German, its the reason Williams didn't sign. He was not guaranteed to be registered it bairns last season to olmo.
They have sold a few but according to their league they still have to do more to comply.
Im sure they will but there is no clearance from la liga yet.
So you are right agents and players are aware Williams and his agent were aware and decided not to take the risk.
9.) 23 Jul 2025 06:31:13
Oh so Williams said oh I would have signed for Barcelona but now I just go and stay where I am and whilst I am at it, I will sign a 10 year contract…Williams and his agent just flirted with Barcelona to get a 10 year huge contract, the papers have jumped on same bandwagon about he could not be registered
I can’t get my head around why you think it’s only the press in U. K. who go after United and make every story be sensationalised it happens in every country towards there biggest team, having lived in spain for considerable amount of years I would say it’s much more vicious in Spain and you also have to remember it’s very political, you are talking effectively 2 countries within 1
Rashford will be registered, Rashford will play and Rashford will do very well.
10.) 23 Jul 2025 18:41:01
It’s a matter of public record that Nico Williams’ agent approached La Liga to inquire whether Barcelona would be able to register the player in the event of a transfer. La Liga reportedly informed them that Barcelona would need to resolve certain financial limitations before being able to do so.
Subsequently, Barcelona lodged a formal complaint regarding that approach. The exact nature of the complaint hasn’t been made public in full detail, but it’s understood to relate to the way Williams’ camp sought clarity on registration viability.
This suggests that there was genuine interest from both sides, but also that Williams’ camp were not given a positive answer.
{Ed077's Note - Barcelona need some FFPR room in both transfer and wage funds. Remember all the trouble they had to actually register OLMO last summer ? Have they even gotten the green light to register Garcia (new GK) they signed earlier in the window? They can cry all they want but Nico and Bilbao (and the actual people involved) were right to seek clarity and assurances on the viability of the whole deal before completing it, in my view at least.
11.) 23 Jul 2025 19:30:31
Of course they were right to do so. They did check with the league as the league have gone public on it. i'm sure they will sort it before the end of the window and have given rashford their word. But I'm sure they have olmo their word last year.
12.) 24 Jul 2025 10:13:14
Ed077, I don't think William's camp did anything wrong in speaking with the league over Barcelona's ability to register him if he was signed. They were after all working in their clients best interests. They had probably seen how Olmo spent the first half of last season sitting out as he couldn't be registered and they didn't want the same thing to happen to their client, especially with it being a world cup year.
I'd imagine Barcelona's annoyance is based in whether the league disclosed anything specific about Barcelona's financial position. Which if they did then I think Barcelona have a right to complain about private details on their accounts being disclosed.
It's a tricky situation, and without knowing exactly what happened it's hard to judge the situation. Like always we probably only know about 20%, at best, of what has actually gone on.
Either way Williams not joining them has probably worked in our favour as they definitely wouldn't have signed Rashford if they got Williams. While him signing a new deal also works in our favour as it makes it less likely that Barcelona will go back for Williams next summer when Rashford's loan has ended, which should increase the chances of them making his loan a permanent move if he's successful there (which I think he will be) .
The biggest issue we will have now is if Rashford is successful it'll be constantly used as a stick to beat us throughout the season. Much like his mild success at Villa was.
Ultimately Rashford is a good player, and is actually one of our best. The problem is that the relationship between him and the club has broken down to the point where the only positive solution for both parties is a parting of the ways.
As a fan I'm not really interested in whose fault it is, I expect both parties have to share a proportion of the blame. It's just sad that one of our own has got to the point where he has to leave despite being fairly successful with us (he is our 11th all time leading goal scorer, and he did it during a real downturn in our history) .
He is at least three times the player Antony is, and Antony was very successful at Real Betis in Spain. So I'd imagine Rashford being a better player and playing in a much better team in La Liga will do very well. And I genuinely hope he does. The only positive he can provide us now is by showing off how well we produce players. Which hopefully creates more competition for our players and inflates the money we receive for them.
{Ed077's Note - shouldn't the clubs FFPR situation be open information? Afterall their financial reports are publicly posted ?
29 Jan 2025 23:23:57
What about Jonathan David from Lille. Anyone heard any potential interest from Utd bearing in mind he is out of contract in the summer so should be relatively cheap this transfer wundow.
1.) 30 Jan 2025 12:43:55
They were debating him on MOTD last night. Supposedly not ready for a top side was the consensus, which we're not, but he will be available free come the end of the season and therefore maybe on the cheap for a few days so maybe a good option for someone.
2.) 30 Jan 2025 14:47:38
He is another one of those players that seems to get a lot of mention in the transfer window and we get linked to as a slightly cheaper option who scores a good amount of goals. For some reason nothing from any team ever comes close to him leaving which suggests he is either happy where he is or teams do not think he will make the step up.
Not sure what the truth is but with our current forward line I would be willing to take a punt on him.
3.) 30 Jan 2025 15:33:28
Can he put the ball in the onion bag?
4.) 30 Jan 2025 15:36:34
The latest Media Mumbles about us involve Mathys Tel, 19yo, Bayern Munich forward who wants away for more game time. His stats this season are a virtual flatline.
I know bringing on our Academy/ u21's has been done to death over the past week or so but has anyone seen the highlights of the u21's v Oldham last night? 5-0, all in the second half and quite easily could have been 8.
Obi was everywhere, same for Kone - the whole team running their tripes out for each other the whole 90.
I hope RA gives one or two of them the last ten minutes towards the end of the season.
Whatever, but on last nights showing, the future looks bright.
5.) 30 Jan 2025 17:07:38
I think a few of us hoped that Ten Hag would look to the academy, but it never happened. Hopefully Amorim will take a different approach.
6.) 30 Jan 2025 20:12:15
Grim
Collyer, Mainoo, Garnacho all came from there and were promoted by ETH. I mean that's pretty decent going if you ask me. I think it's a case of players in the academy not being ready. Amorim has been here for months and hasn't promoted one yet.
7.) 30 Jan 2025 22:27:14
Tel off to Spurs apparently NTTL.
8.) 31 Jan 2025 09:30:02
I think we need an experienced striker loan if possible. Getting another youngster in on loan, when we have plenty already seems pointless.
9.) 31 Jan 2025 11:43:54
I wouldn't be against signing Jonathan David, I think he's a good player who could potentially fit into a couple of positions in Amorim's system.
However, I'd only want him signed if he was a genuine target based on his skill set and with a specific role in the team in mind. I don't want us to sign square pegs for round holes just because they are cheap or available.
10.) 31 Jan 2025 12:37:40
. read Zirkzee.
18 Dec 2024 19:15:11
Rumours of Rashford to Barcelona as part of a poss exchange deal. Might just be lazy journalism but I can see him thriving in tbe Spanish league with a team like Barca.
1.) 18 Dec 2024 21:43:55
They don't have the finances to register him.
Would Olmo though, perfect for the 10 and Barcelona seem unable to register him.
2.) 18 Dec 2024 22:27:03
Having a player on extortionate wages very nearly bankrupted them a few years ago lol.
3.) 19 Dec 2024 15:24:01
Didn't they sell off a lot of future incomes for cash up front last year? I can't see the problems easing for them at all.
4.) 20 Dec 2024 05:53:21
Barca do a lot financial engineering just to keep going. Their finances are a mess and their wage bill is huge. They need to get some players off their books. Its crazy given the talent that they produce from their academy which is the best in football but still manage to get themselves into this kind of trouble.
5.) 20 Dec 2024 15:59:25
When a club are having to use the wage space of injured players just to register their summer signing for another 6 months, you cannot see them going for a high wage player like Rashfodd.
But it's Barcelona and they like kicking the financial can down road, so who knows.
6.) 21 Dec 2024 08:10:42
Well Barcelona have a few players we’d do well to look at if true. Let’s see.
As for Rashford, I think his ate was finally sealed after he came on against Arsenal. The “performance” he put in was the worst I’ve seen anybody in a Utd shirt.
02 Mar 2022 23:34:16
Ancelotti is being touted as a possible Utd manager. What are peoples thoughts about him?
1.) 02 Mar 2022 23:39:31
He’s great.
2.) 03 Mar 2022 05:16:06
Good manager but seems unrealistic. That he’d leave Madrid. Feel like it’s just links to make it seem like we looked other than Poch.
3.) 03 Mar 2022 08:35:54
im still in shock he went everton, they had a top manager and didn't use him.
he could have with some investment and time made them a decent team.
4.) 03 Mar 2022 08:58:58
No thanks, for the job we need done he'd be completely the wrong man.
5.) 03 Mar 2022 10:16:31
Good manager, but I would put him in the same category as Zidane. Someone who is tactically flexible and is good at getting the best out of a team of talented ego's who may have lost a little drive or direction.
Not the kind of manager to perform a rebuild, develop young players, create a distinct style of play etc.
6.) 03 Mar 2022 13:08:42
agree shappy, he's a decent manager but he's a manager of 10-15 years ago
hopefully he's not one of the choices.
7.) 03 Mar 2022 16:53:30
He wasn't on the list of managers that ED002 provided us with.
8.) 04 Mar 2022 23:57:57
Shappy, Good manager, but I would put him in the same category as Zidane. Someone who is tactically flexible and is good at getting the best out of a team of talented ego's. Isn't that exactly what you need?
02 Dec 2021 22:36:29
So Carrick departs. suggests either he has a potential job offer or that the new manager wants a clean sweep.
1.) 03 Dec 2021 02:11:10
I think it’s possible he just wanted a break. He got a ton of stick for the last few months under Ole and probably didn’t see the fans accepting him. Or maybe he was in line for assistant after Phelan and now there’s no chance of that.
2.) 03 Dec 2021 06:41:33
We should applaud Carrick, he is not waiting around to be paid off, had the courage to go before pushed. Well done Michael. If only Phelan, McKenna and co had the same conviction.
I watched Carrick and the player was quality, his way of leaving quality.
3.) 03 Dec 2021 07:39:57
Agree Red Man. Did a great job at keeping us on track once Ole was sacked, and leaves with his had held high. Fine midfielder for us too in his day and think he will be in demand when he decides to return to the dugout for a decent championship club.
4.) 03 Dec 2021 08:27:42
15 years service to the club. He will be as disappointed as any of us with the last few years but stuck around to help the club in the last 3 games. Great player and classy guy.
5.) 03 Dec 2021 08:57:22
Agree Redman. Plus not wanting a long emotional goodbye shows the class of the guy.
6.) 03 Dec 2021 09:33:13
Class act in every respect and very underrated as a player by many. How we could do with him in the team today. Seems he genuinely just wanted a break and after 15 years service nobody can begrudge him.
7.) 03 Dec 2021 09:39:30
The guy deserves a flag or maybe even a statute ?
On a serious note I think it just makes sense that he walks away while his stock is at it's highest. As a caretaker he won in Spain against Villarreal, drew at Stamford bridge against top to the table Chelsea, and beat Arsenal at home.
I mean 10 days ago we'd have snatched their hand off if we were offered those results given how we had played so far this season.
Results wise I don't think he could have done any better.
Maybe a few other sides might look at that and think he's worth a gamble.
Whereas if he stayed until the end of the season and then Rangnick and the club decided he wasn't good enough and he was sacked, it'd make getting his next job much harder.
Or maybe he feels his friend and former boss was unfairly sacked and is simply walking away on principal.
Who knows, but he was a fantastic player for us, and he has no doubt tried his best as a coach. It's hard to tell how good he is as the whole set up just wasn't working. Maybe he's a better coach than many give him credit for, or maybe he isn't good enough for the highest level.
I do wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours and he will always be welcomed back at Old Trafford.
8.) 03 Dec 2021 10:13:27
How embarrassing it was to read so many continually slagging him off as a player. You know who you are. Good luck Michael. Thank you.
9.) 03 Dec 2021 10:48:42
i doubt he's got any jobs in line.
dont forget him and the others that were with ole are just as to blame for the poor season so far. why mkenna is still there and phelan i do not know.
10.) 03 Dec 2021 11:02:42
Bolger,
We literally have no idea what jobs the staff were doing or whether Ole was listening to them or delegating or just making all the big decisions himself. McKenna is highly rated and working with the right manager will hopefully so well at the club. I’m not sure phelan will last too much longer.
Carrick has done a good job in the last couple of weeks, it can’t have been easy and he’s managed to steady what was very much a sinking ship at Watford, so fair play. It gives Ralf something to work with straight away and a bit of confidence going into Sunday. He will then have a week on the training ground with the players, hopefully he plays kids against Young Boys and sees if any of them are ready, Fernandez, Amad, Hannibal, Mengi, Elanga perhaps, just to take a look at them and give the first team a week of coaching in his new system before the mad Christmas run.
11.) 03 Dec 2021 12:11:08
i have respect for Carrick for his handling of the last couple of weeks and his playing career especially.
Am just a little disappointed he didn't decide to learn from Rangnick for 6 months and then take his break.
It would have been completely different philosophy and training ideas compared to Jose and Ole and he could have benefited from that immensely.
On the other hand I can understand why he feels it is the right time to leave.
Probably a huge learning curve involved and thus even less time for his family and probably would still have had to endure the stick from the fans.
All the best, let's hope he does evolve into a more expansive style of play before he comes back to the club as manager.
12.) 03 Dec 2021 13:12:01
Jonny, I think that's a really great point. Many of the world's top managers have learned a lot from Rangnick. Carrick may have just passed up the learning opportunity of a life time.
13.) 03 Dec 2021 19:13:19
Classy player and even more of a classy man. He leaves with his held high to spend some quality time with his family. i wish him the best in whatever the future holds for him.
14.) 04 Dec 2021 09:32:18
Ralf wanted to keep him but sometimes you just need a break from the intensity of it all I guess. Who knows after a 6 month sabbatical the new manager may want to bring him back on board.
Personally I think if he does want to pursue a career in coaching it would do him no harm to search for a role abroad in Spain, Germany or Italy and learn away from the spotlight.
15.) 07 Dec 2021 05:36:51
Every post about MC is spot on but to be honest I think he also feels responsible for the slump and decided a clean break and fresh start for everyone was best.
Salford7's banter posts with other poster's replies to Salford7's banter posts
11 Jun 2026 18:31:05
Lot of talk on here and elsewhere about Anderson.
Big shoes to compare to but if he was to be as good or very close to Keane then he would be worth every penny of £130m.
More saliently, I think not having a recognised top manager in place hinders Utd at times like this.
With Pep leaving, any potential City signing must have some doubts about signing for them. Imagine if we had a Fergie or Klopp type manager at the helm.
One who commanded respect for their achievements and had charisma too. I bet they would have a significantly better chance of signing Anderson than Carrick does.
I have no idea of how much money Utd really have to spend, but if the war chest allows and Carrick wants him then why not go to Forest "we will pay you the £130m". Sends a big message to the player that we value him and all players want to feel they are wanted.
1.) 11 Jun 2026 18:43:31
I think Keane is size 10, fairly average.
2.) 11 Jun 2026 18:54:55
Anything above 100M is an overpayment, honestly. Declan Rice was two times more influential when he moved. And, in any case, if we are going to Forest, I would rather we spend on Gibbs-White. Bruno isn't getting any younger, and we have no reliable prospect in that position.
3.) 11 Jun 2026 19:02:33
Salford, the player, through his representatives, by all accounts, has told United he doesn't want to go to us.
So what's the point in offering 130m?
I agree totally, if we were in the position they were in with Pep, or when we had Fergie, players wanted to play for them.
I thought Pep leaving might sway things in our favour, but he seems adamant about his choice.
If he has said yes to us, we would pay Forest.
But he doesn't want United, that's the only determining factor.
People can argue all day today if he's worth the money, but nobody will know the answer to that for 3 or 4 years.
4.) 11 Jun 2026 20:23:18
For an up-and-coming midfielder, I would have thought being coached by a formerly excellent midfielder such as Carrick would be very attractive.
30 May 2026 22:14:20
With literally thousands of players on professional football across the world, why is that Utd no longer seem able to sign diamonds like Schmeichel and Ole for relatively low amounts?
1.) 30 May 2026 23:56:38
Lammens. Heavens. Mazraoui.
2.) 31 May 2026 00:01:28
Lammens, I give you that, but Heaven was found by Arsenal, and I don't think he is yet, and Mazraoui is a decent player, not a diamond.
3.) 31 May 2026 00:19:57
A few reasons.
1. Every club in a top division has invested huge sums of money in their scouting network to identify a promising youth players from every corner of Europe (and in some cases further afield).
2. Every club has invested huge sums of money in developing their academies, and getting youth players into the system as early as possible.
3. Players are expected to be more technically proficient at a younger age today, and those outside the academy system are at a massive disadvantage.
In other words, if Schmeichel and Ole were around today, they would likely have been identified in their local youth leagues and brought to an academy in their teens. So much has been invested in youth scouting that there are far fewer diamonds in the rough to find.
4.) 31 May 2026 00:29:11
Schmeichel had a big name when he joined United from his time at Brondby. And saying Heaven was found by Arsenal is just silly. Unless you're saying that nobody at all knew of Ole or Schmeichel. I get what you're trying to say, but it's overblown.
It's 20/20 hindsight. Lammens could well turn out to be every bit the superstar. If Heaven becomes a 50M calibre CB, we'll hear those saying how great our scouts are to make sure we got him at that time.
5.) 31 May 2026 01:50:28
Devil's advocate...
Then why do we have hardly anybody coming through into the first team if the scouting and academy is so good?
In theory, we should never have to buy a first team player ever again, but here we are spending 100's millions on risks.
Not arguing either wat poking the usual bears for a giggle!. ?
6.) 31 May 2026 07:11:05
It's a problem, Keefy. We have prospects who go on to have solid careers elsewhere, but there are a few key points for me.
Every club has Academies, so everyone is looking, meaning the competition for young talent is fierce.
Secondly, it depends how you measure success. Most recently, Garner and McTominay have done very well elsewhere, whilst we brought through Rashford and Kobe.
How many is enough? It would be great if we could add 2 Academy players every year, a top one and a squad player.
Finally, at United, our expectations are very high. Many have already decided that the Fletcher twins are not good enough, but they're only 19, and Tyler in particular is a great prospect. We need to have patience and allow players to develop in a supportive environment.
7.) 31 May 2026 11:32:05
There are a number of examples where we were aware, or even handed them on a plate.
Haaland. Ole recommended we buy him for £4m.
Caicedo. We negotiated a £4m deal, but backed out.
Sterling. United showed interest, but Liverpool signed him for a low fee (~£450k rising to £2m).
Alvaro Fernandez. This one really frustrated me, as you all know. Got him for almost nothing. Showed potential at Preston. Sold by the idiot ETH for £6m to Benfica, then replaced by Malacia. Madrid paid over £50m for him.
You can go on. Frankie de Jong, Jamal Musiala, even Virgil van Dyke. We were apparently interested in them all, and many more.
It looks like, for the Woodward years, we weren't really interested in buying young upcoming players; it was more about sexy names. If you don't believe me, look up Woodward reaction to Bastion Schweinsteiger.
We have fallen so far behind others, particularly City, that it is hard to see us climbing back any time soon. I often look at when we buy someone from, say, Brighton, if we should be looking at who they are getting to replace them.
Go and get their scouts.
The Heaven deal has real potential, a potential bright light, the main one we can see.
I watch the youth, and JJ apart, they seem to flatter, lightweight, nice players, but lack that physical and mental edge. I would love to know what is briefed out to the scouts, what are the club looking for? Skillful players, but what else? Do we even look at positions needed that are expensive to fill. As an example, when was the last centre forward to burst through the youth? Was it Mark Hughes?
I suspect the years of Woodward didn't see any commercial benefit buying a prospect; shelling out £4m for Caicedo was £4m that was destined for dividends. However, old Bastion was good commercially. Like Bastion, so not a dig at him, but how the club has failed for years at scouting.
You can put some of it down to the aims of the club, top down, who wanted Disney, commercial success, after all that's what Woodward tried to sell Klopp, Disney.
8.) 31 May 2026 13:03:39
Red Man. ???
9.) 31 May 2026 14:20:56
It's become an inversion of what happened in the 80s and 90s, Red Man.
Back then, clubs often looked to bring physically dominant players to their academies. However, the Barca team of the 00s changed that. They looked for technical aptitude, and it was successful, so the rest of Europe tried to replicate.
The thinking, these days, seems to be to have the academies focus on technical skills, and if the player makes it to the first team, they can build muscle then.
You can see it with Manioo, who is looking far stronger this year. I suspect that it's also on the advice of medical departments, as trying to build muscle before a person is fully grown can lead to injuries.
10.) 31 May 2026 15:29:22
The difference in expectations at a club like United is in a different stratosphere than Brighton etc.
Caicedo was given a platform to grow at Brighton that he simply wouldn't be afforded at United. He could have 2 good games, 2 average games and 2 bad games and the general consensus would be "he's a smashing little player".
Not having that microscope over every performance is what helps players develop. McTominay is an interesting one to revisit, and you often see people talk about why we let him go. Well, we let him go because he wasn't at the standard required to play at United. He's done really well in Serie A, and you scroll the news and see he's scored again, you think maybe he could have had a longer spell with us. But that's not and was never the case.
Elanga did well at Forest and got a big-money move to Newcastle, but again he needed a couple of years plying his trade week in, week out, and he's still one of these players that only has 1 good game in 3.
As for getting bargains. Anyone who has played Championship Manager/Football Manager games has a finger on the pulse of the world of wonderkids/bargains around the world. Buying these players with the intention of playing them in the first team is simply not feasible. The football world is simply too small now.
Take Chelsea as an example of going out and buying every young player they could. It's been quite an unmitigated disaster. Spending tonnes of money on the next Brazilian embryo hoping you strike gold.
The margin for success is so small, that a club with aspirations of success can't spend 2 seasons blooding in a £1 million prodigy.
Many have tried to copy Brighton's transfer strategy, but Brighton are a club that will struggle to win anything of note because of how they operate. That is not the model Manchester United should look to adopt.
11.) 31 May 2026 16:10:26
Salford, Heaven was not 'found' by Arsenal, he was at the West Ham academy for 4 years prior to joining them.
Redman, every club could provide a list of players they could have signed, but did not, and who subsequently proved a success.
I have said previously that Alvaro Fernandez made it very clear he wanted to leave prior to his permanent transfer to Benfica. The club said, at that time, they would not stand in the way of a young overseas player, who expressly stated they wished to leave.
Furthermore, at that time it was felt Harry Amass, who was younger, was further along with his development and indeed had a higher potential ceiling. The issue with Amass has not really been about ability, but physicality. He could well be the type of player who does not reach the required physical level until he is a bit older, or indeed he may not make it at all.
Time will tell.
You also reference Haaland and indeed, OGS strongly urged us to buy him whilst at Molde, at that time the club said they did not wish to do so. They did, however, make strenuous attempts to buy him when he was leaving Salzburg.
You may remember his agent back then was the since departed Raiola. He insisted on a clause in the contract stating a fixed transfer fee, which if received by us, HAD to be accepted with part of the fee going to Raiola. In effect this would mean us losing control over the player, a totally unacceptable situation to be in. Thankfully we refused to comply.
You seem to be suggesting we should just go and buy every player in case some come good! Choices have to be made at the time, and just criticising with a degree in hindsight and using chosen examples does not seem helpful.
Thank God we did not sign Sterling.
12.) 31 May 2026 17:29:23
Why are you happy we didn't sign Sterling?
He was an excellent player at Liverpool and City. Even if he pushed for a transfer at us, like he did at Liverpool, we would have made a tidy profit.
13.) 31 May 2026 20:06:17
Never been a fan of Sterling. Had a few reasonable seasons, but he never seemed committed to his club.
When he was in dispute with Liverpool over wages, he supposedly contacted the BBC, telling them he wanted to do an interview about his contract situation.
I don't think you should be doing that. Also, he asked to be left out of preseason tour, again I don't think that's the right way of doing things.
14.) 01 Jun 2026 13:13:49
It is not about individualising the comment, but Sterling, I recall, was a United fan. We didn’t bother, despite that; I recall watching him as a youth, and he was excellent, outstanding. He was excellent for Liverpool, although his finishing wasn’t quite top notch, and from Liverpool's initial very small outlay we then received £50m plus when selling.
How many times have we done that? Garnacho, to a point, but not often.
18 May 2026 23:47:39
If it's true Pep is going, let's hope that as Utd supporters we have the good grace to acknowledge what a brilliant manager he has been without lowering ourselves by making snide remarks.
Like other teams supporters were delighted to see the back of Sir Alex.
I too will be delighted to wave Pep off, but there can be no doubt he has been a brilliant coach and raised standards in football in this country.
1.) 19 May 2026 11:37:18
The guy's a legend and one of the best there's ever been. Anybody who says otherwise is deluded.
2.) 19 May 2026 12:14:32
Would Pep have broken the Rangers/Celtic stranglehold at Aberdeen with the limited resources? Genuine question.
3.) 19 May 2026 12:30:06
Great manager, apparently a decent guy off the field.
Many say he is the best manager, but for me, I don't think he is. Like Sir Alex, he was imperious domestically. However, in Europe he was often found wanting on numerous occasions. With what he had at his disposal, three European Cups in 18 years asks questions, given some of the players at his disposal...
For me, he is still behind the likes of Ancelotti, Reus Michels and Sir Alex, and in the pool with Cruyff, Saachi and Shankly. Maybe if he goes off and wins the World Cup with Spain, then you could put him in that top tier.
4.) 19 May 2026 12:34:36
I've no problem lowering myself, Salford. He's an elite level coach when the odds are stacked in his favour. I also think he's the type of manager who would do anything to win, and that includes cheating.
His time in Serie A as a player was marred with positive drug tests. His Barcelona team have a big Doctor Fuentes doping cloud hanging over them, and then City cheating has been well documented.
He's clearly a different animal when it comes to actually coaching teams, and his skills are undeniable. But I always like to look at managerial achievements and think "could another manager do that" and I think, along his career, bar Barcelona, who he put on the highest pedestal, his Bayern and City achievements are nearly par for the course.
Could he break the Old Firm dominance with Aberdeen?
Could he win a Champions League with Porto/Inter?
Could he win a Bundesliga with Dortmund? Could he win Premier League/Champions League titles with Liverpool?
I don't think he could, but also he'll never have to put himself in a position where he's not at the peak, and he's probably earned that.
I'll be glad to see the back of him though!
5.) 19 May 2026 13:05:04
He's done very well for City. Kudos to him.
Unfortunately, his style of football has become endemic in the EPL, and it largely bores me to tears.
6.) 20 May 2026 00:12:12
City achievements par for the course? Mumbles, they won 4 EPL in a row, a treble, and numerous domestic cups. No other manager has won his total in England over the same time period.
The financial cheating will tarnish, and possibly erase, those on-pitch achievements, and rightly so.
18 May 2026 22:33:51
Just as Pep had the groundwork laid well before he came to City, it seems the same happening now for and when the new City manager is appointed. Is it coincidence that Maresca left Chelsea when he did?
I think not.
1.) 19 May 2026 12:31:11
Will Maresca do a slot, well, with the team built for him, then change it and completely mess it up?
14 May 2026 20:52:26
In many ways the U18s played like the senior team. Only showed urgency when they went behind. Real shame they didn't go for it from the start. Lost opportunity.
1.) 15 May 2026 07:39:34
Unfortunately, Salford, I had the same impression. I was disappointed to see that.
04 May 2026 12:16:59
Think it would be foolish to let him go unless we had a really competent keeper to back up Lammens. Who is so available that would do this? Prob will cost £10-20m, which money is better spent on other positions.
Bring back Vitek. Give him games in the Carabao and FA Cups, plus a few league matches. Let him adjust to the pressure and intensity of the Premier League and develop by training with the first team.
02 May 2026 23:33:46
Maybe alternate Vitek and Lammens in league and cup competitions.
30 Apr 2026 21:55:29
A lot would depend on how much authority he could impose on the dressing room, and could he do what Amorim could not... get the players to buy into his way of playing.
23 Apr 2026 22:44:47
Sesko is a young striker, and if he gets better service, he will score more goals. He doesn't hide, always tries hard, and I definitely see that he has improved over the season. He would benefit from having an experienced striker to play and train with.
19 Apr 2026 16:39:52
Van Hecke is not elite level. All top teams that win things need a top, top centre back, and preferably two of them. Look at the difference Van Dijk made to Liverpool when he signed for them; he is still having an impact today.
Senesi would be a good squad player, but we still need better. The two questions are: who is out there that much better, and willing to come to us?
07 Jun 2026 21:19:43
Schneider.
07 Jun 2026 00:22:43
Spot on, newname.
As a fan, I am really only concerned with how the team performs on a football pitch.
Two caveats, though...... I find it offensive and upsetting when loyal members of staff, who have worked at the club (sometimes for many years), are sacked whilst huge dividends are paid out and under performing players still get mega salaries.
Secondly, I hate that us working class fans are being asked ever increasing amounts for tickets to matches, and being priced out of attending.
04 Jun 2026 23:31:30
Maguire has actually proved to be a good buy. Went through a difficult time, but worked his way back into the team, and overall has been pretty solid. Scored lots of important goals too. Overpriced at £80m, but that's not his fault.
{Ed077's Note - he's not a good buy because as you said, he was overpriced ( massively in my view ). But, he's dealt with the situation really well in the past couple of years.
04 Jun 2026 23:29:18
I think who he signs will be the biggest factor in determining how he does. If he gets a centre back, another midfielder and a centre forward, all of his choice and of high quality, he has a good chance to succeed.
He was a top player and I believe he wants to play attacking, flowing football, replicating the Fergie years.
He knows the supporters don't want boring football. I will forgive his relative lack of managerial experience and some bad results if I can see a clear plan which looks like it will bring long term results. We have to back him and give him the confidence to succeed.
04 Jun 2026 17:41:21
Would you not pay £70m for another Rio or Vidic? I would.