Football 2013-2014

[ThomThomDrum]

Hmm... He's been playing better under Jose this season overall. I think he'd be foolish to go PSG. He'd learn more and be a better player overall at Chelsea.

[eFestivals]

How much will sagna be on? 100k plus who might only be a understudy for zabaletta. You only have to look at united's and Chelsea's bench to see players who are on 100k plus.

Sagna's on £80k at the mo, apparently - and thinks he's worth more. I'm not sure he'll get it at ManC.

There shouldn't be a FFP anyway, if people want to put money into a club it's up to them.What's worse the city owners ploughing money into City or the Glaziers taking millions out?

I agree that there shouldn't be FFP in some circumstances - but those circumstances have got to protect the club from the withdrawal of that sugar-daddy money.

So in City's case that probably means all money to the club as a gift and not as a loan.

Otherwise FFP merely gets to be protectionism in the Kray mould for the extabl;ished clubs ("come near me and I'll break your legs put you under financial restraint"), and not a competition.

[Andre91]

A lot is being made of how much money United are going to spend this summer, but they need A LOT of players. Players like Cavani, Hummels and Fabregas are being touted, but what world class player would want to join United? They have just had a terrible season, have no European football next season and have a very poor squad already. The most high profile player I can see them signing is Luke Shaw.

[pink_triangle]

yep, would be a brilliant signing for them I reckon.

I wonder if City are going to let him go? I guess they will, because they probably can't afford him to go for nothing next summer, given the FFP shite they're already in.

[eFestivals]

A lot is being made of how much money United are going to spend this summer, but they need A LOT of players. Players like Cavani, Hummels and Fabregas are being touted, but what world class player would want to join United? They have just had a terrible season, have no European football next season and have a very poor squad already. The most high profile player I can see them signing is Luke Shaw.

Spot on!

The only decent players they'll get will be ones who don't really have another offer - so not the most decent players.

Utd will pay premium money for non-premium players.

[eFestivals]

I imagine with them being short on homegrown status players they will keep him.

that's supposedly the main reason they want to keep him but will let better players go.

[thetime]

A lot is being made of how much money United are going to spend this summer, but they need A LOT of players. Players like Cavani, Hummels and Fabregas are being touted, but what world class player would want to join United? They have just had a terrible season, have no European football next season and have a very poor squad already. The most high profile player I can see them signing is Luke Shaw.

[thetime]

Spot on!

The only decent players they'll get will be ones who don't really have another offer - so not the most decent players.

Utd will pay premium money for non-premium players.

Edited May 19, 2014 by thetime

[eFestivals]

No one knows though and your not giving evidence why this is going to happen.

well, all I can do is guess until there's some real activity to comment on.

But which top player is going to decide to play for Utd rather than play for a club at the highest levels?

The only "top" players who might do will have gone for the money rather than gone to play for Utd - and that carries with it some big risks on how much of a 'top' player they'd turn out to be for Utd.

Utd is a great move for someone like Shaw who might turn out to be of the highest quality, and perhaps Utd will recruit a new team of similar great prospects - but it's unlikely to do them much good over the next year if they do.

All in all it's looking mighty difficult for Utd. Not impossible, but bloody difficult.

A year ago people like you were saying Liverpool didn't have a hope of top-four, despite them having already turned-in half a season of top-four form (and they couldn't do it in the first half, because that form needed them to have a significant upgrade mid-season).

If you look at the Liverpool squad now - and recognise they'll be doing their own upgrades - can you look at the Utd squad (including possible upgrades) and see them having a better squad?

I can't.

For me, LvG would have to pull a fergie-type rabbit out of the hat, and i just don't see him as someone who can get all of the existing players behind him enough. He's well known for annoying established players.

[Andre91]

Spot on!

The only decent players they'll get will be ones who don't really have another offer - so not the most decent players.

Utd will pay premium money for non-premium players.

[Wooderson]

LVG is going to be entertaining, win lose or draw. The chap is a lunatic.

[strummer77]

It's a strange one, it hasn't happened before a team of United's pedigree missing out on a champions league place in this country.

Edited May 19, 2014 by strummer77

[adam1234]

I don't think UTD will struggle to attract players. They are still probably in the top 5 clubs in the world.

[pink_triangle]

well, all I can do is guess until there's some real activity to comment on.

But which top player is going to decide to play for Utd rather than play for a club at the highest levels?

[The Nal]

Ryan Giggs won a trophy on average once every 28.3 games during his Manchester United career.

[Wooderson]

I think Man Utd will get a 12 month pass, I suspect a lot of big(ish) European players will look beyond man utds flaws and see last season as a one off under a manager out of his depth. Fail under LVG and people will have second thoughts. I still think Man Utd will be shopping for similar players as the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Monaco, Juventus and wouldn't automatically assume man utd can only get those players by offering the biggest wage.

[pink_triangle]

Reckon for any tier 1 player they sign it's gonna cost them a premium. Players aren't stupid. Utd's bargaining/negotiating position isn't -strengthened- by CL absence.

[eFestivals]

I still think if Liverpool and Man U offer players the same deals, some will go one way and some the other, so it's not purely money.

It's not purely money, opportunities are also a big part of it. And for the top players, not having the opportunity to play in the CL is a BIG factor!

For the likes of Luke Shaw tho, Utd is a great opportunity. The left-back slot is vacant so he'll very probably get to play, and he's young enough to spend perhaps a few years there winning nothing and that not blight his career.

There's a different perspective for every player, but for the very best players in the prime of their career it's not going to be their first choice (unless perhaps a childhood fan).

[pink_triangle]

It's not purely money, opportunities are also a big part of it. And for the top players, not having the opportunity to play in the CL is a BIG factor!

For the likes of Luke Shaw tho, Utd is a great opportunity. The left-back slot is vacant so he'll very probably get to play, and he's young enough to spend perhaps a few years there winning nothing and that not blight his career.

There's a different perspective for every player, but for the very best players in the prime of their career it's not going to be their first choice (unless perhaps a childhood fan).

[zahidf]

It seems like LVG is appointed to get Man utd into top 4: if he fails, they could well sack him end of season.

Man Utd the new Chelsea?

Edited May 20, 2014 by zahidf

[mrtourette]

It depends who your choices are. If it's arsenal v man utd, it's hard to see why a player would choose the latter. Liverpool v man utd is a tougher choice because last season was a significant change in the fortunes for both teams, there may be reasons to think that trend will continue, but time is the only real way of knowing. If man u are targeting the same players they can make an argument that last season was a one off, they are the club with the manager who has won things. it is them with the track record of regular champions league and Liverpool's one world class player may be on his way out.

Liverpool can then reply that man u are on their way down, lvg is a dinosaur and man u are in transition. Both arguments could be persuasive. I don't believe players will look purely at who offers it next season, but who can offer it in the seasons after that. Clubs will have to make arguments why they are in the best position to achieve that, in fact if there is a good time to miss Europe, the year following the world cup is probably it.

On another topic, I forgot our bet which I'm pretty sure you won. Where do you want me to send the money.

[The Nal]

Yaya Toures agent is some bellend isn't he?

"He might leave because they forgot his birthday".

[eFestivals]

On another topic, I forgot our bet which I'm pretty sure you won. Where do you want me to send the money.

.... tbh, I can't remember having had a bet with you. But if I did I did, and if I won so much the better.

To WaterAid please - www.wateraid.org.uk

[zahidf]

Yaya Toures agent is some bellend isn't he?

"He might leave because they forgot his birthday".

[ThomThomDrum]

If a player has the choice between Liverpool and Utd and it was not about money or being a childhood fan then obviously the prospect of playing in the CL next season gives Liverpool and advantage over Utd. The line being used by Liverpool would be "we have it now and adding you as a player strengthens us so we will be aiming for the title and continued qualification for the CL". It would be very much "join us we are currently pretty good, while Utd are currently pretty shit"

Of course this can only be touted if they managed to keep Suarez.. He goes and its a game changer