Yep, agree with that Darren. Think we might play Jovetic on the wings a bit this year if he keeps up this form.

It was right we used the money we had to buy Mangala rather than a winger this window, I can see us going in for someone next summer though.

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melts, yeah that's true. I guess it's also depends on who is available. Di Maria and Sanchez have become available but I don't think you would have been able to spend that much on Di Maria and if rumours are to be believed, Sanchez only wanted to move to London anyway.

It'll be interesting to see if you do go for a winger next season and if you do who. Maybe Reus? Would be a lot of competition.

Do you think you'd even be looking for a star name? While you've made some good signings the last few years, you've not really been using a galactico mentality, so to speak.

Not sure it's Pel's style either.

If we sell Nastasic, Richards and Sinclair then we will have actually made a net profit in this window, which would make a change!

You're right, we haven't been going down the galactico route - Aguero is still our most expensive player and its only him, Mangala and Fernandinho that we have spent over 30 million on. Begiristain says that he views teams as having three year cycles so I think we'll do slight tweaks and additions but not much. Reus is someone we have been linked with for a while, I see us more likely to try again for Isco depending on how much game time he gets this year.

The last couple of years I've been more than happy with our transfer business, I hope we don't change too much from it.

Tbf your transfer dealings the past few years has been excellent, little fuss, got the players you wanted while getting rid of unwanted players for fairly good fees.

Supposedly United have the most expensive squad in the league which shows you how little thought has gone into our dealings considering so many areas still need fixing.

Manutd,

It took a while to get over the Hughes splurge to be honest, ever since the Barca boys have joined us though, we seem to have stepped up a notch in professionalism. We're doing our deals as early as possible and working on them well before the window even opens. They're doing very well on the sponsorship side of things too. Give it time though, we always find a way to screw things up!

I'm not surprised yours is high thinking about it, you spent a fair bit before Ferguson retired on Jones, Smalling, De Gea, Young etc. Add the recent additions and it soon totals up. There are a few players there that you should get quite a lot of mileage out of though.

Yeah I've a feeling Isco will end up at City eventually.

I think the board and Pel are quite considered in their approach to transfers. Bodes well for the team perspective, but like I said I think some times you need that star in a certain position to make the difference in the CL.

City could have fallen into the trap of doing it for all positions. Good for you they haven't and that they can balance the two, a bit like how Barca did.

I wonder whether your commercial expansion might influence the decision to bring in some more star names?

No surprise that's what we've been trying to do since Woodward took over from Gill.

Hopefully in the future midfielders and defenders will be banned so we can actually play more of our better players, maybe that was Woodwards thinking anyway?

"I wonder whether your commercial expansion might influence the decision to bring in some more star names?"

Potentially, contrary to popular opinion, they really do see the academy as the future (both in terms of players and the manager at some point as well) and there are a few that internally, they think will make the step up.

I honestly thought we were going to try for Messi until the FFP sanctions hit - I think they thought they stood a chance of luring him due to the fallout from the tax saga and the Neymar signing.

There's not many really marketable stars out there outside of Barca and Real at the moment though that I can really think of!

Apart from Rooney melts, swap for Aguero?

Ha! I'll pass, Mex!

melts

Strange really, in some respects you're taking more of an Manchester United approach than we are.

I honestly think Woodward wants United to be Real Madrid.

That's my worry too. His priority seems to be money and stature, rather than what's best on the pitch. We'll see I guess.

That's actually a very good way of putting it Darren, and I said the very same thing the other day - that we were starting to remind me of you guys!

If I'm completely honest, I think your last five signings excluding Rojo (Di Maria, Herrera, Shaw, Mata, Fellaini) you've paid more than you probably should have for. You are going to have a very strong first XI soon though, particularly if you get a DM which you are still crying out for for me.

Yep I agree with that. Though transfer fees are a hard one really. Because I've had a similar opinion about quite a few of the transfers we'd made under Fergie - Smalling, Jones, Young, RVP and Berbatov in particular.

Given our financial strength I guess it's just something we have to accept is going to happen more often than not.

1982, we shall see. I suppose the advantage to being United, if you're in opposition to that transfer model, is that I don't think it's possible for us to really get close to doing what Real Madrid do as our pulling power won't ever match theirs, so striking a balance between stars and players needed for the team may become an inevitability by virtue of not being able to attract enough stars.

Completely agree Darren

Maybe Woodward feels he can make united a far bigger brand than real, it's not impossible with the kind of marketing deals he's been doing. We are ultimately a business and in today's world money talks. If in the future we can generate more money than any club then it will make a big difference.

Brand identity can work on more than just success on the field, whether it would work is another matter.

In marketing terms maybe, but I just don't think it's possible for us to ever have the pulling power for players that Real have.

So we are at a disadvantage in terms of taking a Galactico approach. Di Maria is probably the biggest name we've signed from abroad since Veron. And that was because Real Madrid wanted to sell, not because our pulling power is so great.

Unless Manchester changes location and suddenly becomes bathed in sunshine for most months of the year then we will never have the pulling power of the big 2 in Spain

Yep exactly.

Yeah but don't forget reals galactico mentality has only really been a thing for the past decade which was built on great marketing by Perez on the history of the club.

I'm just saying the way the world and football is changing money more than ever is the key, not that I like it and in Woodward we do have a man who is very successful when it comes to marketing and finance.

London's difficult enough to compete with, let alone Madrid.

London has the most billionaires in the world, money will always be a bigger pull than climate. Things can change, just look how much football has changed in the past 20 years.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 6 seconds ago
London has the most billionaires in the world, money will always be a bigger pull than climate. Things can change, just look how much football has changed in the past 20 years.
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Yes it will. However both barca and Madrid have both