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15 Sep 2026 22:36:05
The rumours are that there are people around JJ Gabriel who are very demanding and pushing for him to be involved with the first team, and United's approach to his development doesn't fit his family's timescale.
Whether he stays or leaves, I hope he doesn't become the next cautionary tale, the next reference point for why young players shouldn't be rushed. How the physical and emotional demands need to be given equal consideration to talent when it comes to deciding when a player is "ready" to step into regular senior football.
I understand the drivers for why they want him to be in the spotlight, but pushing him into that when his body and mind are still developing could have catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, consequences that he will have to bare and not those pushing him forward.
1.) 15 Sep 2026 23:42:18
Our problems go much deeper than JJ Gabriel wanting to go. The plain fact of the matter is that we don't have the luxury of playing a 15 year old because our squad is not strong enough to carry him. He's most likely too physically immature for the EPL at this juncture. So, during the next 3-4 years, however he develops, we're not going to get back into contention on his back.
Let him leave. Wish him the best of luck. It will make no immediate difference to us.
If we ever get to the point where we can again afford to compete for top players, then we can do a Pogba and dish out £200m for him...... and then watch him fail?
2.) 16 Sep 2026 08:43:13
Sky Sports: JJ Gabriel has requested the cancellation of his registration; Man Utd are understood to be shocked by the request but believe the situation can be resolved.
3.) 16 Sep 2026 09:55:54
We don't have the luxury of playing a child. For the love of God, he is tiny right now. I just don't see him ready to step up to the first team. This is a Gabriel issue, not a United one.
4.) 16 Sep 2026 12:18:13
I think Max Dowman is a helpful comparison. He is an incredibly talented young player on a very strong team that has the "luxury" of giving him game time.
He has made a handful of appearances because that is what is best for 15/16 y/o boys. Unless they are Wayne Rooney, a teenager is not going to be able to cope with the physical demands of playing against grown men on a consistent basis.
By all accounts, the club was planning on giving Gabriel minutes tonight. It is not unreasonable to tell a really promising 15 y/o that they will get some first-team minutes, but they are too young to be put straight into the firing line.
I have plenty of criticisms of the club, but this is not one of them. This is a kid being controlled by a silly parent who does not have the basic common sense to see the forest for the trees. Daddy wants the money to be rolling in asap, and is willing to risk his son's career to get it. I do feel sorry for the poor lad. He is too young to be used like this.
5.) 16 Sep 2026 14:14:06
Play him in the PL, let him have a career changing injury and then watch him play in League 2. What do his parents actually know about the right time to play him etc. Probably want him to go to Spain and be the next Yamal.
6.) 16 Sep 2026 16:23:29
Barcelona are reigning La Liga champions and Lamal is a World Cup winner and one of the favorites for this year's Balon D'or. What parents wouldn't want that for their child?
7.) 16 Sep 2026 18:09:12
There's lots of issues behind the scenes heard loads I've not shared
Joseph O'Gabriel - promised minutes in the summer friendlies, EPL and League Cup. I need to check but I'm not sure United have delivered on all this.
Jack Fletcher - complete arse. Rude, entitled and see as average and behind other players. Only there due to family.
Tyler Fletcher- nice lad apparently but again there more on name than ability. Ie Devanny is seen as far better.
Same concerns shared by players and family regarding Rooney and Carrick kids.
Nkoto twins at least 2 years older than stated, not even brothers. One is Islamic one is Christian. Club/agents stopping x rays so it's not confirmed, against human rights apparently.
There's a young RB playing before better players perceived to be about virtue signalling over ability. The young lad is average for his age but an Eritrean migrant.
Obi - awful player and arrogant and difficult boy
Club working the backside off to keep Lacey's family happy and at a distances.
Whole strength and conditioning team are seen as poor, one club people with little experience outside uk or Utd, majority promoted from with in, an arrogant bunch.
The more I learn about the club from the inside the more I think we should play in a circus tent.
8.) 17 Sep 2026 19:39:30
JJ had 15min against Atletico and that was it. EPL is not realistic at the moment, we haven't played well enough to introduce a kid and the League Cup might have been possible if his entourage hadn't decided to pull the plug before he turned 16.
19 Aug 2026 18:34:38
It looks like Baleba is going to be on his way soon, which will complete the midfield overhaul in just one window.
Going from a midfield selection of:
Casemiro, Mainoo, Ugarte, and Mount last season.
To:
Baleba, Tielemans, Santos, Mainoo, Ugarte and Mount this season.
That's a massive upgrade and with the ages of Santos, Baleba and Mainoo (21/22) that is a rebuild that should last for the next 5-10 years.
This is on the back of the rebuild in attack that we undertook last summer, signing Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko to add to the existing Amad, Bruno, Dorgu and Zirkzee.
It seems that each summer we are trying to focus the rebuild on one main part of the team.
Which means next summer will likely be a big focus on defence. Hopefully we sign a LB this summer, and Yoro and Heaven develop nicely this season.
But with both Martinez and Maguire out of contract next summer I would expect us to sign a couple of CB's and probably look to upgrade RB. With maybe another forward being signed as a fourth signing depending on how some of our younger forwards are developing.
While people can complain about the timings of transfers, it looks like the club have actually made serious steps forward last summer and this summer in the transfer market to rebuild this squad.
Personally, I really like the signings we are making under the INEOS regime. We look and act like a proper, professional club again. A club with a plan and a direction. I don't expect every transfer to work out, but if we can get 80% of them right then we will be back challenging again within a couple of years.
1.) 19 Aug 2026 23:36:08
You will please some of the people some of the time, shappy, but you won't please all the people all the time.
I also think we will sign a left back this window, and if space is created up top by a departure, a dedicated No 9 to support Sesko.
People are forgetting, I think, that Yoro and Heaven are 20 and 19 and high on the list of all time EPL teenage CBs. Yoro today v the scrawny kid of even 12 months ago are night and day. His physique has developed, and I think Heaven will be a monster in 12 months' time. I like the idea of de Ligt, Maguire and Martinez being the snr pros, allowing Carrick to bring the young guys in and out to look after their development.
With so many games, I can see 2 pairings rotating and dovetailing when required.
Same in midfield.
What fleet have done well is try to address it in a planned fashion with a pretty clear strategy, as you've outlined.
Some will never agree with the strategy no matter what it is.
Fans have put themselves in a really difficult position where they want the management to be hated and want them to fail because they oppose 90% of their decisions and ignore the 10% they do agree with.
But as fans, they do want the team to do well.
But because of the former, they will jump on any period of poor results because they want to blame the management. All reasonable rationale and any positivity is off the menu.
I can't imagine being in a position to want the team to win but have club management fail.
2.) 20 Aug 2026 11:38:25
Ken, I think some people have dug themselves into a position where they can't back out without having egg on their face. So, instead of moving on, they double down on that position, ignoring any and all evidence to the contrary.
I dislike the Glazers for the position they have put our club in, and I can see both the positives and the negatives from INEOS from their short stint so far. But, ultimately, I want the team to be successful, even if that means bigger dividends for the Glazers.
What I'm most impressed/happy with in this new ownership model is that we have made a lot of intelligent, data-driven, and just plain common-sense decisions around restructuring the club.
Woodward fell into the trap of believing his own hype, CEO of the "biggest club in the world". He was all about optics and how he and the club looked, rather than how we performed.
Whereas now, we have hired experts into key positions, we have a plan and contingencies, and we don't get distracted by fancy big names because signing them would look good.
We can see that the club have a clear profile of the kind of players they want to sign, a clear plan on how to address the squad overhaul, and they have committed to that plan and are seeing it through, not ripping it up and starting again at the first hurdle.
3.) 20 Aug 2026 12:25:58
We have people who claim to be fans but they are nothing short of anti-fans imo.
12 Aug 2024 21:24:10
Sander Berge left out of Burnley's squad for their first game of the season this evening.
Seems to suggest that there is something in the rumours of him leaving. Will it be to ourselves, or to someone else?
1.) 12 Aug 2024 22:06:16
He’s also missed most of pre season with the same injury that kept him out of tonight. Nice try Shappy!
2.) 13 Aug 2024 07:53:27
Romanoesque!
3.) 13 Aug 2024 08:58:48
Be a shame to not keep the trend of signing injury prone players going!
4.) 13 Aug 2024 11:45:59
Wazza, where did you hear he is injured, I've scoured the internet and not found any mention of him being injured. The Burnley manager didn't mention him as being out injured.
5.) 13 Aug 2024 12:47:50
He has not played any pre season due to injury so was not considered last night and it was reported at the match last night that he was left out due to that reasoning.
6.) 13 Aug 2024 12:50:09
Shappy, Parker said so, and confirmed it's what has kept him out of some pre-season fixtures.
You can't have Googled too long as it's the first thing that comes up when searching Sander Berge injury.
"He picked up an injury in Spain. He had a bit of discomfort in his quad. It's not a big injury, it's quite a small injury to be honest with you. "
Nice clickbait though!
7.) 13 Aug 2024 13:33:59
Wazza to be fair I searched last night and that article you've quoted was published at midday today, 15 minutes AFTER I posted saying I hadn't seen anything to say he was injured.
From what I read he was expected to be in the squad and wasn't, which seemed suspicious. As it was he is injured, so that's that then.
12 Jul 2024 18:16:32
Sancho back at the club and training with the first team.
Apparently talks between Sancho and EtH have taken place and they've agreed to draw a line under the situation.
He will now be available to take part in pre-season games.
Is this a case that Sancho has realised his options weren't as good as he thought?
Or is this the player and the club doing what is needed to push up the offers to facilitate his move away.
I guess we'll see what happens over the next couple of months.
1.) 12 Jul 2024 19:28:08
If true, my opinion of ETH has gone up a little. Sancho still has a long way to go.
2.) 12 Jul 2024 19:55:26
Or sancho has realised this board ain’t getting rid of another manager for players and he’s having to knuckle down
Still hope he’s gone tho.
3.) 12 Jul 2024 20:02:32
2 adults in a room, having a chat.
It's surely a bit of both, no offers and ETH drawing a line, giving a clean slate to align with the current mood of the club. Everything is new.
I hope he can put his head down and make the best of his second chance at the club.
4.) 12 Jul 2024 20:08:07
Hopefully just the club strengthening their position, and Sancho isn’t smart enough to be any the wiser.
5.) 12 Jul 2024 21:17:13
Well this is interesting. People can and do have the right to change their minds. He’s better than Antony who Ed said was available for transfer, and with Greenwood on the way out and likely Pellestri too, makes sense for him and Amad to compete.
Plus he can play 10. Why not let bygones be bygones. If he wants to come back and show the form he shows in Dortimund then awesome for both parties.
6.) 12 Jul 2024 21:41:06
I’m in the get rid camp. Glad they’ve come to an amicable cease fire, but a Leopard doesn’t change its spots and he’s still the petulant kid that fell out with the boss in the first place.
7.) 12 Jul 2024 23:45:46
I would suspect that the big boys “suggested” that ETH needed to sort it out between them both as well as Sancho realising he was damaging his chances.
I am also in the out basket.
8.) 13 Jul 2024 06:24:10
I don't really care about the detail of what has happened and him being back and no issues with it. The realty is he has been poor for us even before the spat under previous managers barring the odd game and not sure he can cut it at united and hence selling him would be ideal.
9.) 13 Jul 2024 06:54:52
Agreed Ahmad.
Beyond what happened, he’s not very good and needs to be moved on.
The laziness and ego are part of his personality, people don’t change.
10.) 13 Jul 2024 07:10:46
As Ahmad said he has been at the club three years now, hasn't set the world alight has he?
Maybe the wages are putting people off, clearly he has the ability and mentality as we saw at Dortmund, unfortunately the consistency might never be there and he is destined to sit the last few years of his contract out at United.
I guess this doesn't help our PSR and getting some of the big wage earners out.
{Ed001's Note - when was this fabled Sancho ability shown at Dortmund? If people had actually watched him play, instead of reading his PR bull, they would have known he was terrible there except when coming on very late as a sub. Even then, it was more down to rank amateur defending that he got decent stats. He is so far up his own backside that he can lick his own tonsils and will not achieve anything until he grows up.}
11.) 13 Jul 2024 09:20:52
Absolutely spot on Ed001. People saw highlights of that game against PSG and couldn’t see past it. He was no good for Dortmund, couldn’t hold down a starting place, and his G&A numbers were as poor there as they’ve been for us. That’s without mentioning his attitude and mentality.
The last headline I read started “England International Jadon Sancho…”. PR nonsense.
12.) 13 Jul 2024 09:44:51
I will still be surprised to see Sanchi still with the club once the window shuts.
However this allows for him to show what he can do in pre season, see whether he can reintegrate with the new coaching structure.
Would not be surprised if he still moves late in the window.
13.) 13 Jul 2024 10:11:47
We dropped a bomb buying him, and now we are paying for it, no one will pay the money we want or the wages either so to get rid we are still going to end up subsidising his wages.
Not surprised they made up, there wasn't really a choice, it doesn't look good on Sancho but neither does it on United. I rather suspect that's all parties are working together to find a solution that will involve him playing elsewhere next year.
14.) 13 Jul 2024 10:19:39
Absolutely bang on the money Ed001. Bang on it. Get rid asap.
15.) 13 Jul 2024 21:34:15
Get rid. Bad attitude and not good enough anyway. Not worth the hassle.
16.) 14 Jul 2024 07:25:17
Ed 1 is totally correct here. It’s total PR spin, because even though I know he’s not a great player, and all my Cory fan mates say the same, my mind still thinks he should get a (yet another) chance. It’s brainwashing. He’s done nothing positive of note since he joined the club, and Italian and German leagues are far more suitable for him than the rigours of the Premier League.
Being him back, get him training and fit, sell him for maximum value. Smart move by the club.
If he does stay, he now has to win back over the fans too who frankly want rid.
03 Dec 2023 12:53:13
Heard a rumour today that United and Barcelona are exploring the possibility of swapping Sancho and Raphinha initially on loan, but with a possible view to it becoming a permanent deal if it works out.
If there is any truth to this then I think its a possible deal that could work out for all parties.
United and Sancho need to part ways, while Sancho probably doesn't want to take a step down/ backwards.
United really need someone who can lock down the RW spot, and Raphinha was one of the best RW players while at Leeds.
Unfortunately for him it seems Xavi doesn't quite rate him, despite him playing well when called upon.
Stylistically I tend to think that Sancho does fit better in a side like Barcelona and Raphinha in a side like United.
I'd be pretty happy if the club managed to pull something like this off, what is everyone else's view?
1.) 03 Dec 2023 15:28:02
I mean I’d be delighted if we can pull that off. But I can’t see it.
2.) 03 Dec 2023 21:44:52
Sounds like a computer game transfer to me.
3.) 03 Dec 2023 21:52:43
Would rip your arm off for that deal but it’s all pie in the sky.
4.) 05 Dec 2023 01:58:03
We could do with new negotiators, or they might come back from Spain with a bunch of Rapini.
5.) 05 Dec 2023 09:07:03
Shappy
Wishful thinking. Why would Barcelona do that. He will end up somewhere in Italy as that's generally the league players end up when they don't work out in PL. He is not good enough for any of the top 3/ 4 teams in Spain and unaffordable for any in the next tier.
Its one of those players who will be hard to shift unless we take a bath on the transfer.
6.) 05 Dec 2023 21:09:51
Rumours today it’s Rashford ??♂️.
7.) 09 Dec 2023 20:22:57
I’d be happy if Rashford went tbh along with Sancho. The pair of ‘em aren’t bad players, as long as they get their own way. We aren’t currently in a place where we can carry talented babies though, so I’d get radical and get rid of the pair.
Shappy's banter posts with other poster's replies to Shappy's banter posts
01 Sep 2026 22:23:47
How many supposedly fully grown men are acting like babies and throwing their toys out the pram all because their football club didn't spend more millions on players?
1.) 01 Sep 2026 22:36:07
Transfer Window Timetable.
June - Calm down, the window is only just open.
July - There's two months left in the window, the club are working on things.
August - Look, if the window ended today, I would be disappointed too.
Deadline - Anyone who complains is a baby.
Sub £100m net spend for a club that claims to be pushing to compete for titles, and with glaring weaknesses in the squad, smells like skimping.
2.) 01 Sep 2026 22:38:13
I think that bear has been poked enough.
3.) 01 Sep 2026 23:12:16
Spot on, Danny.
A bit disappointed with that post, Shappy.
4.) 01 Sep 2026 23:13:39
Another post exaggerating other people's reactions to come across as sanctimonious.
5.) 02 Sep 2026 00:16:47
Listen, lads, I'm sure everyone is disappointed with the lack of defensive signings and outs, and the same goes for the striker position.
But we have the squad we have now.
Lammens, Darlow, Heaton.
Dalot, Maz (Yoro).
Shaw, Dorgu, Amass (Heaven).
Martinez, Maguire, de Ligt, Yoro, Heaven.
Baleba, Mainoo, Santos, Tielemans, Mount.
Bruno, Mbeumo, Rashford, Cunha, Amad, Lacey.
Sesko, Zirkzee.
Carrick needs to find a regular winning formula from that squad and consistency.
He will need a gale force wind of luck behind him on injuries, and we can only hope that he finds ways to win games.
I'm optimistic, as I think Spurs, Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool all need the same gale force wind of luck behind them to sustain any sort of challenge. I don't think any of them will prove to be consistent or short in case of injuries in key positions, much like ourselves.
Who will Liverpool call in if their 1st choice crap full backs of Frimpong and Kherkez get injured?
Who is Spurs' no 2 rb if Porres gets injured or striker?
Who is cover for Isaak right now? Ekitike out till Feb.
My point is all the chasing pack have issues, and we are not alone.
City and Arsenal look much stronger than the rest to me.
I think we all hoped for a good window to close that gap to them, and it's not transpired.
We will have people who like to rant, and if it helps them to let off steam in here, then that's ok, as much as it's ok to argue against their constant negativity.
Now it's a case of supporting the team we have and discussing how they do and how Carrick does, more often than arguing about things that we all agree on.
We all agree they have not got what we all want and feel we need. Why not leave it at that.
We all agree the Glazers are poor owners and we would all agree we would rather have different owners. Nobody disagrees with that.
There are differences in opinion on the strategy of sjr, and that's a good debating point and fair to have disagreements on.
The window is closed; it's now. The reason I think we all watch football is because of the team and what happens on the pitch, not what happens in the boardroom or owners.
Little they do now can affect the squad until Jan, so with any luck there will be less talk of them.
I think it's all about, or should be all about, the manager and team now, you, the football team, remember them?
6.) 02 Sep 2026 05:49:47
Tumble, who are you and what have you done with Ken? All this talking common sense. ??
7.) 02 Sep 2026 06:38:30
Tumble, the thing is - we had this debate if enough was done and if they made signings on time etc.
You accepted, now they haven't done a great job, which is mature, but Shappy can't put his hands up and admit that he was wrong, and would rather call the rest of us "babies".
Anyway, as you said, it is what it is.
8.) 02 Sep 2026 08:10:53
Trololo.
We had a debate about the timings. Let's see how City do with the players they signed late in the window.
Getting all signings done before the season kicks off has never been done by a league winning team. There is no issue with late signings. In fact, history tells you no club has ever won the league without making signings post the season starting.
9.) 02 Sep 2026 08:23:44
Tw,
I thought Ekitike was out until October? Regardless of that, it is still a fair point.
10.) 02 Sep 2026 07:59:47
I didn't name anyone in my post, if you think my post was about you then that says more about how you view your posts than how anyone else views them.
The reality is that before the window opened in order to have a complete squad capable of challenging on all fronts we needed a back up keeper, a RB, a LB, a CB, 3 midfielders, and a striker at minimum, probably a LW as well if we could shift Rashford.
All of those 9 players we needed also needed to be of the required level and have the right mentality. While it now seems that an average players costs 50m, and a top player costs 80-100m. Which if we needed 9 new players we would be looking at a minimum of a 400-500m spend.
That was never going to happen, not only could we not afford it, actually bringing that many new players into a squad and trying to get them to settle and create a cohesive team is practically impossible.
The sensible approach is to either address the midfield OR the defence this summer, then the other next summer. While if the right players become available for other key positions you move for them.
We chose to fix the midfield, probably more out of necessity than choice given the darth of options we had in midfield compared to defence.
We have signed our first choice option for midfield with Baleba, along with an experienced player in Tielemans, and a high potential talent in Santos (both of which have been captains, brining much needed leadership).
We rebuilt the midfield which was the priority. We also managed to bring in a better back up keeper. We then tried to bring in our top choice LB in Lewis Hall but he wasn't available by that time. We explored other options but it seems we have decided they aren't worth investing in at this moment in time.
Due to us being unable to move Rashford on we have enough cover on the left and up front for this season. You can question the quality/suitability of some of them, but we have the players.
Is missing out on Hall disappointing? Yeah, of course. Is the the club being unable to move Rashford on and bring in better/more suitable back for Sesko also disappointing? Yeah of course.
But for the most part I assume we are all fully grown, emotionally mature men, so I would hope we can deal with that disappointment accordingly.
While if we have a level of intelligence and common sense we can temper that disappointment with understanding that in truth we were never going to be able to do all of the transfers we need this summer.
Personally, I take pride in us being a club that gives youth a chance and develops players, making stars more so than simply buying them.
Yes not getting Hall is a disappointment, but that opens the door for either of Dorgu or Amass to step up at some point this season and prove their worth.
Yes, not moving on Rashford and bringing in a more experienced striker to challenge Sesko is disappointing. But now that just gives Sesko more opportunity to step up.
Yeah, getting more cover at CB for our injury prone players like Martinez and MdL would have been good, but now Heaven and Yoro have more opportunities to step up.
We also have players like Shea Lacey who will probably get a chance to have a break out season.
There is lots to look forward to this season, but too many people are getting hung up on the things we didn't get rather than appreciating the things we have.
11.) 02 Sep 2026 10:00:10
Shappy,
A top player is 80 to 100m, you said. Then you said we had fixed our midfield. So you confirm we haven’t bought any top players and have a midfield that isn’t as good as those who do have top players.
12.) 02 Sep 2026 22:18:37
Tumble, yes, it was about the timing of the signings, but you can't say it isn't related. If you leave too many holes by the deadline, it is obvious you won't fill all of them. I said before, I don't mind an odd signing at the very end of the window, but it was obvious where this was going.
Shappy, it doesn't matter if it was pointed at me or anyone else, we all had our concerns, some more negative than the others, and we were right to point them out.
You now went even deeper and made it look even worse about what the management team did. Out of 9 positions, we signed only 4, and by what you are saying - none of them are top signings (perhaps Baleba could go into that category, he was a bit more expensive). I'd argue just two more positions - ST (and we are talking about backup striker here, nothing fancy) and LB would make the transfer window far better. You are talking about spending 400-500m, I am talking about spending another 100 on top of this 150m we have spent, so far below what you are suggesting.
Rashford most certainly is not a cover for CF. It is like saying "Maguire could cover there", yes he could, but he isn't good in that position. Neither are Cunha or Mbeumo. Sure, it is fine to cover it for a few games, but going into the full season with just one striker (who has his fair share of injuries) is ridiculous.
They had enough time to do something about LB, especially since the two CM signings were done early enough, but they wasted their time and the opportunity they had with Newcastle. It is allowed to do more transfers at the same time, and in the different areas of the team, you know?
Anyway, I think it was unnecessary calling out anyone, especially while the topic is still hot. I think people have every right to be a bit mad and to rant about it, especially since it doesn't hurt anyone.
31 Aug 2026 10:55:13
Less than 38 hours left of the transfer window and I wonder if we will see much more movement at Manchester United.
On one hand the signings of Baleba, Tielemans and Santos have massive improved and strengthened our midfield, which was the primary aim this window.
However, there is still a feeling that the club could and maybe even should be doing more.
Obviously we are in an actual squad rebuild, rather than the repatch that we really have endured over the last decade or so. As such there will always be more work to be done, so in that regard no transfer window will really feel fully satisfying.
Yet the club have clearly explored and even attempted to bring in more players, so it's not a lack of knowledge of what we need or even ambition.
I think the club have a new philosophy around transfers, and as fans we need to accept that comes with both benefits and drawbacks.
We don't seem to be a club fixated on one particular player to the point where we massively over pay to bring them in. We seem to have a clear plan for who we want, as well as potential alternatives if the first choice doesn't pan out. Yet, that list of alternatives doesn't appear to be endless; where we just keep going further and further down the list just to make sure we sign someone (anyone).
Which is a double edged sword. On one hand it means we don't sign players who aren't good enough, while on the other hand it can mean that sometimes we won't sign anyone for a position of need.
Last season we were short of options in midfield and we had to muddle through. We had tried to sign Baleba towards the end of the window, but a deal couldn't be agreed and the club chose not to bring in someone cheaper/less suited/further down the list of options. But instead chose to wait until this summer to get their no.1 target.
I think we will see something similar this season with left back. The club clearly wants Lewis Hall, but he isn't available this summer. The club could sign an alternative, but they seem to be choosing not to. Maybe they feel the gap in quality/suitability between their first and second choice is too big to consider spending significantly on them this summer just to get someone in.
I mean if you took a statistical approach and found the Lewis Hall was a 99% fit to your ideal left back profile, but the second choice option was only a 82% for to the ideal profile. Then does it make sense to spend potentially 40m+ on that second choice option?
The saying buy cheap buy twice has some semblance here, but really it's about only spending on players who are the right fit. No more square pegs for round holes.
We also have some options within the squad to cover for a lack of a LB signing. Options of Shaw, Dorgu and Amass give us some flexibility, and reduce the need to spend on a lesser quality "back up" option.
Would you rather spend on the second choice this summer, only to find them not quite good enough. Leading to you either having to spend big again next summer to replace at the cost of not being able to sign a player needed on another position, or sign that player and accept that we will have to live with a substandard LB for the next couple of seasons.
The club made the right call with Baleba last season, hopefully they are making the right call again this summer with Hall.
The only position I see is signing someone now is striker. I expect to see Zirkzee leave for Italy, and I think the club will try to bring in a younger striker. Someone who has the potential to challenge Sesko, but isn't quite a direct rival yet due to a lack of seniority. The most similar signings I can think of is when we signed Chicharito. A talented young, slightly less proven player, who could step up in time, but is really here to make up the numbers initially.
Who that is who knows, we've been linked with Tresoldi and Matanovic in recent days, they seem like the right sort of level of signing. Young, talented, high potential, but not yet proven to the point where they become 50m+ players.
That is the only business I can see is completing in terms of incomings, hopefully we manage to shift a few more players out the door and continue the clearing of the decks.
1.) 31 Aug 2026 14:12:54
If the deals don't make financial sense, and we don't get our first or even second choices, it's best to use what we have. Dorgu is more than competent to play lb if needed. As is Mazaroui. Amass might stay and come of age. Who knows.
I do agree our defence is weak, and we really ought not to play another season with one striker.
2.) 31 Aug 2026 14:28:58
And, for a bit of fun, ChatGPT is calling Amass and Dorgu as left-back cover until we buy Hall next summer, and Sorloth coming in if Zirkzee heads to Juve.
3.) 31 Aug 2026 15:05:28
I don't see any signings coming in now. Which is frustrating, given the lack of talent in the defence, added to our rivals for the top 4/5 adding good signings (on paper).
And also, don't see Zirkzee moving, think he's turned down Fiorentina.
But nothing we can do about it; we just have to get on with it and hope the club know what they are doing. I personally think it will come back and bite them on the rear end, but time will tell.
4.) 31 Aug 2026 15:06:36
Totally fair to wait out a window and sign your number 1 target the next window, but pretty inexcusable to go into a potentially 50+ game with 1 experienced left back who is proven to be injury prone.
1.) Dalot and Maz can play there? So, are we saying the way we play doesn't benefit from having a natural left-footed player at left back? I doubt it.
2.) Dorgu or Amass can play. Carrick has shown he doesn't think Dorgu is a left back, and Amass has been rumoured to be sold back to the Championship.
Stop-gap or loan signing needed, in my opinion, to at least provide cover and play EFL Cup games.
5.) 31 Aug 2026 16:45:26
Rock and a hard place, but keep Zirkzee as back up No9 or loan Sorloth?
6.) 31 Aug 2026 16:49:43
I have a big problem with comparing last season to this season.
Last season we coped with limited midfield options because we only had to play one game a week. The drop off in team performance when Casemiro was off the pitch was massive.
Unless you expect us to drop out of every cup competition, we can't muddle through with one left back.
Shaw is injury prone, getting older, and tbh looks a bit off pace despite not going to the WC.
Amass isn't ready to play at the top level, and Dorgu isn't a defender. At that point we're relying on right backs to cover Shaw, and that's a massive concern.
7.) 01 Sep 2026 01:48:00
I sort of understand the point you are trying to make, but it's likely Shaw is gone at the end of this season. Dorgu ain't a lb, Amass seems to not be rated, and if he's loaned this season I believe he has one year left on his deal, so will prob be sold, and then there's Leon, who could be anything or nothing...
I wouldn't say spending 34m on Raum or 14m on Salinas is a waste of money, both are release clauses as well. If Hall is indeed #1 target next summer, you'd either have an experienced player for him, or rotate with a more defensive lb to rotate with, who has a different profile and can play cb.
31 Aug 2026 12:15:09
I always believe time gives us better clarity of a situation, or in this case a football match.
Yesterday was a good and potentially needed result after the poor performance against Hull. Every club is susceptible to having a bad game, but two in a row, both against promoted clubs would have been the start of a negative narrative that would threaten to derail our season before it even gets started.
Some takeaways from the game then.
Mainoo was excellent in midfield, and he is the only one so far who has really put down a marker to be a starter. That said he does have a slight advantage as he is already settled in this team. He is really flourishing into a great player, and so far it looks like which of the other three will swap in to play alongside Kobbie to suit the game plan for that particular match. I still believe it will take another 6-8 weeks for our midfield identity to fully take shape, and probably longer for that to become consistent with the rest of the team.
Our attack looks very threatening, especially when Bruno clicks into gear. I think attack will be our strength this season. Without having one dominant goalscorer it becomes very hard for teams to come up with a plan to shut us out. It's not like if you mark one player out of the game that we are completely nullified. All of Sesko, Bruno, Mbeumo, Cunha and Rashford should be aiming to score at least 15 league goals this season. That alone would give us 75 league goals, which would make us the second highest scorers in both of the last two seasons. Add in another 20 or so goals spread out amongst the rest of the squad and we could be looking at 90+ league goals.
Finally, defensively we still look suspect. Both individually and in certain phases of play. Our tactics leave us a little open in the middle of the park, and that can lead to us being susceptible to quick counter attacks when we lose the ball. Maybe a slight change in our rest defence here could help. Rather than have 424 shape, have one of the fullbacks invert into midfield to create a 334 shape instead.
While individually we are making a few too many mistakes. Maybe some of that is down to rustiness, or a lack of cohesiveness due to a lack of consistency of selection. Or it could just be a lack of quality.
We could see quite a few high scoring games this season, where we let in a couple of goals each game, but score enough to still pick up points.
Some people are being a little too dismissive of the opposition in my opinion. Hull have won both their first two games, a record currently only matched by City and Chelsea (although Arsenal will probably also join them).
While Ipswich played well in the first half against us and made a real game of it, as well as having won their first game of the season.
Promoted teams maybe, but still in the league on merit and playing well.
1.) 31 Aug 2026 13:35:02
If you add Amad to scoring line, they each only need to score 12 to reach 72 goals total.
Everything up front looks promising.
My worries are with the back 4.
30 Aug 2026 18:32:03.
A good win and scoring a clutch of goals is always great for the moral.
I suspect that game will be played out again several times this season, poor defensively, great in attack, midfield inconsistent.
While Ipswich didn't have half the number of chances we did, they probably had a similar number of "good" chances.
Which shows we are still giving teams too much space.
Kobbie makes a big difference in midfield and I'm looking forward to seeing him play with both Santos and Baleba and seeing if they can strike up a good balance in midfield.
1.) 30 Aug 2026 20:19:28
I think Amorim's legacy is Kobbie Mainoo. By leaving him out, he spurred him on to get stronger, work harder. He finished last season looking much more athletic than previously. Crazy he didn't get a sniff for England, and here he is back and looking sharp for us again.
He is the first name in midfield. Who can play with him effectively in big games, low block, etc etc, will impact who goes in beside him.
30 Aug 2026 10:35:43
Looking at the money Spurs have spent and their start to the season, it really highlights that spending money is no guarantee of success.
Also we might have dodged a bullet with Mathus Fernandes, who, if things don't turn around at Spurs, could end up with the unenviable record of being the first player relegated from the EPL in three consecutive seasons.
1.) 30 Aug 2026 12:26:55
Spurs will be fine. They have a nearly new team, so will take a while. I expect them to be in and around the top 6 in a few weeks/months time.
On paper, they have a really good team. Add Ndiaye from Everton to their front line, and they will be very dangerous.
2.) 30 Aug 2026 14:35:06
Fall guy, it's only when it's United that those on here say time, and lots of it, is needed. Spurs, nope, they are not allowed time. Some were still giving RA time after virtually 2 years, but people measure others with a different stick.
Same as our signings, if Liverpool signed Tielemans and Santos there would be huge laughter. We sign them and they're great players, someone even suggested they'd be world-class soon.
3.) 30 Aug 2026 15:28:20
One of the issues with the current team is a severe lack of pace. Both in terms of physical pace and the speed at which they play.
I'm sure you'll see it again today v Ipswich.
Tielmans and Mainoo starting today. Both as slow as each other. If they get a slight bit out of position, they'll never get back in time.
19 Sep 2026 12:21:15
Salford, I've never really been away, I've read the posts daily, but with it being the first couple of weeks back to work (I'm a teacher) it's been incredibly busy and I've just not had the time to post as much.
I think what we have to try and remember is that we don't know what the manager and his coaching staff are doing behind closed doors. The comments he makes to the press and in public are almost definitely different to those he expresses behind closed doors.
You sometimes see fans wishing the manager would "speak out" in the press, whether that is against the owners or the higher ups at the club, or to publicly call out a player. But we forget that the manager isn't a fan like us, he is an employee and he has to conduct himself in a professional manner.
Employees are legally bound to act in a certain manner that doesn't negatively affect their employers.
The problem is that in football is a very emotive sport and we often get players and managers say something in the heat of the moment. Which leads us to expect them to be brutally honest all the time.
For all we know Carrick might be bring his concerns to his line manager or even to those higher up. But his job is to worry about what is happening on the pitch, it's is Wilcox's job to try and provide him with the players he needs for that, and it is Barrada's job to make sure the club is spending within our limits and not financially hamstringing ourselves.
Each man has their own area of expertise, and a different remit for their role. Just like any management chain the people below aren't privvy to the bigger picture that those above them have and are working within.
Carrick might highlight what players he needs, to Wilcox to play the way he wants/needs the team to play. Wilcox has to factor in not just what Carrick wants, but what the squad needs both short and long term. He not only needs to try and give Carrick the players he wants, but he has to think beyond this season, and how the squad will take shape in years to come.
That might mean not spending on a player that Carrick wants now because we have a youth player who can fill that role over the next couple of years, and instead considering the problems further down the line that Carrick isn't (and shouldn't be) thinking about right now. Maybe several players who play in the same position have their contracts end at the same time and to avoid a massive issue in a years time Wilcox might look to bring someone in now who Carrick doesn't think is vital for this season.
Barrada then has access to a bigger picture than Wilcox, he has to factor in what money can be made available for transfers and wages, while also considering existing commitments. For example this summer we didn't spend the reported £170m-ish on Tielemans, Balaba, Santos, Thompson, Orozco and Darlow. The payments for they will be spread out, some going out this summer, some at future dates.
But we also have large fees going out on players we have already signed, many of which were before the current management team took over. He also has to factor the other spending the club are committed to. All the incomings and outgoings. Yes spending more on the first team squad right now might bring better performances and results this season. But it could create bigger problems down the line once we are committed to that spending.
Ultimately fans tend to want revolution at their club, quick and immediate results with wholesale changes. Yet that nearly never works, and even when it does it tends to sow the seeds of its own destruction which will bloom further down the line.
Clubs need to evolve if you want to be able to get to the top and stay there. Look at the clubs who have been successful over the past decade.
Man City spent money, but they also had a plan to adapt and evolve, they hired a managers who would look to play a particular way so that when they managed to get their dream manager in the squad was built to be able to adapt to his style. Unfortunately, Pep had evolved his style quite a bit by the time they signed him and they made wholesale changes to that squad, but even then that was spread over a three year period. They also broke the rules at least 115 times to be able to do it as quickly as they did.
Liverpool hired Klopp who built on some of the principles that Rogers himself installed. Then over a 3-4 year period they rebuilt the team before they could truly succeed. There were times under Klopp in the first year or two where some questioned him and what he was trying to do. Liverpool would play with such intensity that the players were exhausted by the 70th minute and they regularly dropped points to conceding goals late in games.
Arteta at Arsenal was in some quarters considered a joke until last year, he was able to grab an FA cup with the team Emery built when he first took over, then 4 years with no trophies as the club dismantled and rebuilt the squad. They won the title last year, were strong in Europe (something they've never really been before) and they are the overwhelming favourites this year in the league and amongst the favourites for the UCL.
All three teams took 2-4 years to dismantle and rebuild the squads, and they did not become the all powerful teams they became overnight.
We are in a process, and it's a process that if done correctly shouldn't be derailled if we are forced to change manager. Which is why I'm calm about the whole thing, disappointed obviously with recent performances and results, but I'm not losing my head over them.
Last summer we brought in Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo in attack, add to that Bruno for the shirt term, and Lacey for the long term. Along with Amad and Dorgu who should hopefully develop into top class players and we look like we won't need to make wholesale changes in our forward line over the next 3-4 years. Sesko, Lacey, Amad and Dorgu can develop, while Mbeumo, Cunha and Bruno shoulder the bulk of the goal scoring burden. Rashford and Zirkzee will probably leave and ideally we would have a more experienced head at CF to help Sesko grow into the role. But that's probably the only areas we could do with spending/upgrading/replacing.
This summer we spent in midfield, and with Baleba, Mainoo and Santos all being 22 or younger we look settled in midfield for the foreseeable future. Add Tielemans and Mount as more experienced options, and the possibility of young lads like Kone, Orozco, the Fletcher twins or Thwaites breaking through from the academy we look well stocked. The only issue is that maybe we lack a little experience in there, if Mount leaves it would be good if we could get a more experienced player in to replace them for the short term while the younger lads develop and gain come consistency.
We now have an attack and midfield that should improve over the next couple of seasons without having to spend much if anything on it.
The problem area now is defence, and they say that attack wins games, but defence wins titles.
We have a couple of young lads in Yoro and Heaven who look to have what it takes to make it to the top. But we have to remember that defenders peak later than attacker's and midfielders. Their position relies more on experience, communication, and unity/teamwork, all things that take time to develop in players. In truth they are probably 3-4 years away from really being ready to command a first team place.
What we need is top class first choice players who are available more often than not. If you could wave a magic wand and make it so Martinez and MdL wouldn't be injured for the next 2-4 years then you solve the issue instantly. But that isn't going to happen, and we probably need to replace them when we can. Martinez, Shaw and Maguire all have their contracts end next summer. So we will be forced to address defence then. We also need to sort out the fullback positions, with none of them good enough.
So when we consider that Carrick has a squad without any fullbacks who are good enough, regularly injured CB's with young players who are 3-4 years away from really being ready to be relied upon regularly at CB as the only real cover in that position.
A midfield that is entirely new and trying to find the right balance, while also in truth probably a couple of years away from being the kind of dominant midfield you would expect at a title challenging side.
And a forward line that are trying to cover for everything behind them and finding the right balance early on as some players recover from injury, and others trying to find their rhythm after a world cup interrupted summer and pre-season.
No team has had more shots than us so far this season, but we aren't quite hitting our stride yet and are not converting enough of our chances. But the underlying numbers are encouraging.
Maybe when Baleba is able to get into the team we can start to find a better balance in midfield, but I still think that will take a bit more time.
However, until/unless we are able to get MdL back fully fit and playing regularly, we will continue to struggle in defence and give up too many chances. Even when he is back and fully fit he will only be one of four defenders and the other three will continue to be inconsistent either due to not being good enough, inexperience, or due to struggling with fitness.
As the season progresses my prediction is that we will score well, and the midfield will become better as the season progresses, but that we will continue to see us give away too many goals and be too easy to score against. That won't change until we bring in 3-4 new and better defenders, regardless of who the manager is.
18 Sep 2026 10:42:18
The problem many fans suffer from is allowing their emotions to rule their head. Getting frustrated with performances and allowing that frustration to cloud their judgement. Wanting a manager who'll come in and "take no prisoners" almost like it's a punishment for underperforming. Some might even feel a level of satisfaction when a player gets booted out of the team or falls foul of the new manager.
However, that rarely works in modern football, and even on the rare occasions that it does, it doesn't last long.
We might not like it, but modern footballers are pampered, and they typically don't respond well to the stick. It's the carrot that gets the best results. Going too hard on them always results in either forcing a player out (typically for a big loss, which effects your ability to replace them), or you cannot move them on and they contribute to a negative atmosphere in the dressing room bringing the rest down with them.
While I'm not happy with the current performances, I think we still need to give the management team more time to try and find a solution. Because ultimately if they can't find the solution, then it's unlikely someone will. You might get the dead cat bounce, but it'll soon slip back. In truth they probably will struggle to find a solution. We know the squad is incomplete and there are clear weaknesses in the squad that are difficult (maybe impossible) to work around and perform at the level we want/expect.
It's a process, and we are not complete yet. Which is something we need to keep in mind when judging current performances.
13 Sep 2026 10:11:59
Truffert has always been my personal preferred choice. I like Hall, and he has huge potential, but for me Truffert ticks more boxes of what we need right now. He's more experienced (we have a lack of that throughout the side), he's currently better at defending, and he plays more as an overlapping fullback rather than a inverting fullback. Given the options we have on the left wing and the strength we now have in midfield I feel we need our left back to offer attacking width more than providing midfield solidity.
We also have two right backs in Dalot and Mazraoui who are better at inverting rather than overlapping, and you don't want both full backs inverting as it will make us too narrow.
I doubt we'll be able to get Truffert in January, Bournemouth were adamant that they weren't going to sell any of their key players in the final weeks of the transfer window, and they have no need to sell in January unless we made a silly offer (which we won't under this management thankfully). However, trying to get the deal done in January, even if unsuccessful, should hopefully help us get everything in place to get a deal done early next summer.
If we are going to continue this process of sorting different key parts of the team out in successive summers (attack last summer, midfield this summer), with defence the focus next summer. Then in my opinion it's more important next summer that we get deals done for key defenders early, as defence more than any other part of the team is about how they play as a unit rather than as individuals. So getting those players in early so they can be part of the entire pre-season and start to build that on pitch unity will be important to how successful we are in the first half of next season.
We will need a first choice LB, a first choice top level CB, and a first choice RB, as well as possibly/probably a second CB who can offer experience as a rotation option given that we will lose both Martinez and Maguire at CB and Shaw at LB all of whom are out of contract. I can see us moving on one of Dalot or Mazraoui (more likely Mazraoui).
Meaning our options before we sign anyone will likely be: Dalot, MdL, Yoro, Heaven, Amass, and Dorgu.
Ideally if we can get Truffert that solves LB, personally I'd like to see us signing Michael Kayode from Brentford for RB, then we will need a peak top level CB, ideally a left sided/footed player, and then a second "older" (over 30) CB who can bring some experience and support to the younger lads such as Yoro and Heaven, but whose happy to be a rotation option.
03 Sep 2026 08:09:04
In theory, going to the Championship would be better, as it's probably the best league to prepare a player for the EPL. However, that only works if he plays regularly, and given the level of competition in the Championship, the position he plays, and where he is currently in his development, I would worry that his game time might end up fairly limited in the Championship.
His problem is that he developed physically much younger than his peers, which led to him relying too heavily on his physical talents at youth level.
When he stepped into the first team against physically mature athletes, he started to struggle.
Going to the Championship is normally a good place to prepare players for the EPL because it's similarly physical. But that isn't the side of Chido Obi's game that needs developing. It's his technical skills that are lacking. Going abroad to a league that focuses much more on technical skills, hopefully to a club where he'll get a good amount of minutes, will hopefully be the move that helps round out the areas he is lacking currently.
31 Aug 2026 09:30:51
Everyone reacts differently to major life-changing situations.
For some, having something like what Eriksen has gone through, they would take that as the sign to hang up their boots and adopt a slower pace of life. Which is a perfectly reasonable response.
Others, however, might look at it as a sign that life is short, and to make sure they spend as much time doing the things they love. If that is playing football, then I can understand why Eriksen wants to prolong his career as long as possible.
Fortunately, he is wealthy enough to be able to get advice and support for the best medical professionals in the world, and I'm sure he would be basing his decision on what they suggest.
Also, no club would offer him a contract which goes directly against medical advice and which could endanger him.
For example, after his first incident and subsequent ICD implant, he was unable to continue his career in Italy as they have a blanket rule forbidding players to play with heart devices. However, that isn't the case in other leagues or at international level, which enabled him to continue his career back in England.
I wish him the best of luck with the rest of his career, and I hope he is able to bow out on his own terms.
19 Sep 2026 17:19:54
Brentford work so well because they don't rely on everything to come from the manager. As a club, top to bottom they are well run.
They know the markets they can operate in to get the best value for money. They have a clear identity as a club, they bring in players and managers to suit that.
We have seen how when you do that, you can get the best out of everyone. A team greater than the sum of its parts.
19 Sep 2026 17:16:41
While at times it is unfair, the rule was introduced because teams started intentionally delaying games and pretending to be injured to breakup the play and to gain an unfair advantage.
Is the rule perfect? Nope, but few rules are.
Personally I wonder how the game would be if we reduced games down to 60 minutes (30 minutes a half), but stop the clock every time the ball is dead. No extra time, no point time wasting as all you are doing is dragging out how long your team are on the pitch for. Would it work? Possibly, would it be better than what we have? Debatable. Some would like it and some wouldn't. While some teams will still find a way to delay it or get around what it is intended to do.
19 Sep 2026 17:11:11
Opinions are like a-holes, everyone has one and most of them stink.
You don't become a billionaire by being a nice guy, so if we are going to be owned by a billionaire, we won't be owned by a particularly nice guy.
Pick your poison.
19 Sep 2026 17:08:44
I keep saying it there are no easy games in this league.
If you got the top 40 wealthiest teams in the world, ALL 20 EPL teams would be in it.
When teams that would be relegated have the capacity to spend more money than most of the sides that will make the UCL quarter finals, and do, then that highlights the kind of quality the bottom clubs can bring in. Let alone the mid-table and top sides.
The EPL spent 3X more money this summer then the second highest spending league in Europe.
Relegation level clubs are buying players who'd be getting to the latter stages of the Europa league and even players who'd be getting out of the UCL group stage at other European clubs.
13 Sep 2026 10:31:42
We say it all the time, but there really is no easy games in the EPL.
The amount of money that the EPL generates, and thus the spending power it gives the clubs, is unrivalled.
This summer the EPL spent EUR1.5bn. The second highest spending league was Serie A with a total of EUR420m.
Our league is spending more than three times as much as the next highest spending league.
This summer, if you looked at the top spending clubs in world football, the top 7 are EPL sides, with Real Madrid 8th, and Ipswich 9th. Coventry spent more than the super wealthy PSG.
In fact, all three of the promoted clubs in the EPL were comfortably inside the top 20 clubs in the world for spending this summer (Ipswich 9th, Hull 13th, Coventry 17th).
It's not even just the promoted teams trying to catch up, or the top EPL clubs either; Brighton, Forest, and Brentford also feature in the top 25, alongside the promoted clubs and the established top EPL sides (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, City, Newcastle, Spurs, and Villa). Meaning 14 of the top 25 spending clubs in the world this summer are EPL clubs.
Being back in the UCL this season is a huge coup for us, one that very few genuinely expected at the start of last season. However, it's highly unlikely that we will face many, if any, teams in the UCL that have outspent 90% of the EPL teams this summer. Which begs the question, where is the real challenge?