Manchester United Transfer Rumours/Discussion 2006 :)

AthAnRi

Interesting Quote from Van Bommel. Look like he said something he shouldn't have

Source
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/european/article1222232.ece

I will replace Hargreaves at Bayern, claims £8m Van Bommel
By Mark Ogden
Published: 28 August 2006

Owen Hargreaves is "close to leaving Bayern Munich", according to Mark van Bommel, who is set to replace the Manchester United target at the German club. The United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been told by Bayern to forget about clinching a £17m deal for Hargreaves, an unused substitute for the 0-0 draw against Nuremberg on Saturday night, before Thursday's transfer deadline.

But the German champions thrashed out an £8m move for Barcelona's Van Bommel at the weekend. And the Dutch midfielder claims Bayern want him to fill the gaps left by Michael Ballack and the transfer-seeking Hargreaves.

Van Bommel said: "I have left Barcelona because there were not enough guarantees that I would play every week. With 24 top-class players, I know I can't expect that. But at Bayern Munich the chances of playing are so much bigger, they told me, with Michael Ballack gone and Owen Hargreaves close to leaving the club."

bucks73

Van Bommel said: "I have left Barcelona because there were not enough guarantees that I would play every week. With 24 top-class players, I know I can't expect that. But at Bayern Munich the chances of playing are so much bigger, they told me, with Michael Ballack gone and Owen Hargreaves close to leaving the club."

Oops. Dont think Bayern will be too happy with that slip. Not the best way to start off at a club.

Unearthly

Doesn't really mean anything to me. Probably just read all the speculation and came to the conclusion the he is CLOSE to leaving. Everyone knows that.

EDIT: Gah didn't read the "they told me" part.

So yeah feck up from him.

sprinkles

The Rooster wrote:

cannot believe that someone said no United player was worse than 7/10 v Watford, and another said "thought the lads did well". Low standards indeed

Brown and Silvestre were all over the place at the back. Carrick and Fletcher never got to grips with their midfield - neither a patch on the solid performances John O'Shea gave in the first two games. And Solksjaer's touch was very poor. I'd be surprised if United play that badly again all season, Ferguson was fuming with his players throughout the second half. Just lucky that the performance came against Watford, who will definitely finish in the bottom 5, most likely be relegated.

Flectcher should be offered as a makeweight in any Reo-Coker deal. That could suit all 4 parties.

Totally agree. Well said

Dave Larkin

I sincerely hope United don't play that badly again in the season. The next two home games against Tottenham and Arsenal in the league and Celtic in midweek in the CL should be great. Let's hope we keep up our winning ways.

As for signing Hargreaves, I'm still hopeful the deal will go through. Fingers crossed, because we desperately need another midfielder.

As for a striker, that's another position that concerns me. We only need one more player (a squad player) in my opinion. That should do it.

We better hurry it up, though. Thursday looms...

boy_wonder

Yes agree with posts above regarding uniteds poor performance.

I forgot Carrick was playing at all until around the 60th minute when he received a pass from giggs. I'll gave him a chance but usually you get excited about a player when a club fork out 18million for him!!! Carrick doesnt do it for me - so far
Silvestre took his goal well alright but was all over the place at the back and was skint for their goal - his usual shaky self.
Fletcher is a waste of space. Ya got love him for trying and his work rate but he's a headless chicken - aka the waterboy or Forrest

They are to name only a few. Agreed that it was a potential banana skin and that other bigger clubs might drop points down there but United were poor!!!!

All that said, another three points with Neville, Heinze, Scholes, Rooney to come back into the fold so a decent start. But lets not get fooled, 9points/9 but against Charlton, Fulham and Watford all relegation material in my opinion.

As far as the transfer situation goes. I think they will get Hargreaves as there has been so much media attention on this for the last 2/3 weeks and no smoke without fire. I think Bayern a little peeed off V Nistleroy didnt sign for them in a part exchange.
Lets just wait and see who we get(if anyone) but im sick of United being linked with every player under the sun. If all those thrashy newspapers were right we'd have some team by now since the world cup - Riberi - Adriano - Tevez - Senna - Diarra - Torres - Viera - Mascherano - Sabrosa - Klose

Nalz

The Rooster wrote:

Brown and Silvestre were all over the place at the back.

Brown played well, and threw himself at every ball. Moved out to RB cas O Shea couldnt handle the high balls in! Yeah Silvestre wasnt great, but he got the goal and took it well so that makes his 6 a 7.

The Rooster wrote:

Carrick and Fletcher never got to grips with their midfield -.

yeah Carrick was solid but thats it, he deserved a 7 IMO, as for Fletcher he was constantly on the go. Anything less than 6 would have been a bit harsh.

*********************************************************

Anyhow, Im wondering can this statement Van Bommel made about Owen Hargreaves leaving the club soon (source - The Star) be read much into? Im really hopeful United get him.

evad_lhorg

according to teamtalk Utd are making a last minute move for TREZEGUET! WTF?!

wheres me jumpa

Trezeguet - oh sweet jesus no.

Reo Coker - doubt it very much but oh sweet jesus please.

Hargreaves - well if all else has failed.

Looking at our current attacking options and our current midfield options, there is a greater need for a midfielder. This is based on the general assumption that we only have enough for one more player.

Bounty Hunter

it could be a loan move for tezeguet, he would be a nice squad player who would go back to Juve when thy get back into Seria A

Reo-Coker is being considerd because the heargreaves deal has stalled

but i would say Heargreaves to sign on deadline day

Sizzler

That should be the end of that so !

Owen Hargreaves' agent claims there is 'no chance' of the Bayern Munich midfielder joining Manchester United before the close of the transfer window.

The Red Devils have been desperately trying to bring the England international to Old Trafford over the past few weeks.

Reports have claimed the Premiership club are willing to splash out £17 million on Hargreaves, having already spent big on bringing Michael Carrick to the club.

Hargreaves has also expressed a desire to join United, but Bayern have been insistent that the Canadian-born player will not be sold.

Bayern's capture of Mark van Bommel from Barcelona refuelled rumours that a deal for Hargreaves could be completed before Thursday's transfer deadline.

But the player's agent Roman Grill concedes it is now highly unlikely that the 25-year-old will be heading to The Premiership this week.

"There is no chance of the deal taking place," Grill told the Daily Star.

"We have to accept there is no way they will allow this transfer to happen.

"We did everything we could to grant Owen his wish to play for United, but his only hope is that, if United remain interested, the deal could happen in the January transfer window or next summer."

wheres me jumpa

Im worried now because I have been pleased with our start to the season and thinking we have Rooney, Scholes, Heinze and at least Hargreaves to come into the side.

We need one more midfielder.

MonkeyWrench

I don't think anything will happen in the transfer market between now and COP thursday. I'm glad that Trezeguet is not coming to the club, i don't think he is the type of player that utd need being of the lazy goal grabber he is for Juve. I'm annoyed at the outcome of the heargreves saga, it looks as though even Sir bobby won't have a hand in this one. He would have been a great inclusion to the team based on his performance in the world cup and for Bayern. Hopefully when January comes around we can make a bid for him again and succeed this time.

Unearthly

Won't he be cup tied in Europe by January?

I know he can be used in the Premiership but usually buying european cup tied players is a no go area for Ferguson.

Dave Larkin

Unearthly wrote:

Won't he be cup tied in Europe by January?

I know he can be used in the Premiership but usually buying european cup tied players is a no go area for Ferguson.

That's a massive blow, yeah. We could be waiting until next summer...

We still really need a midfielder. Reo-Coker would suit me fine, but he's not really the type of player we need.

On MUTV last night, a caller mentioned the possibility of playing Heinze in the defensive midfield position. What do you all think of that?

The Rooster

Apparently the Trezeguet rumours are in most of the papers today. Fueled by an apparant sighting of his father (who is his agent) with MU officials. Difference of opinion whether its a permanent deal for £10m or a one season loan deal. 5Live this morning said a one season loan deal after which United will buy Torres for £30m (I think he was quoting a newspaper though).

Trez scored 23 league goals in 32 appearances last season.

madds

If Trez is signed, we will have the following fwds in our 1st team squad in order of selection:

Rooney
Trez?
Saha
Smith
Solskjaer
Rossi

My question is - who misses out? Not Rooney because he's a genius, and not Saha as he's magnificent for the first 3 matches and pre-season. So do we spend €15m on a player that's going to sit on the bench??

I've always felt that Rooney could do a job in an advanced central midfield role similar to the one Scholes has filled in the past (remember Scholes orginally started out as a striker).

Rooney is best when he's facing goal and running at defenders, either lining himself up for a shooting opportunity or playing a colleague in. He also would provide a bit of bite in the tackle, granted his temper would need to be controlled somewhat here.

Possible lineup:

---

VDS

---

Neville---Ferdinand---Vidic/Brown---Heinze/Evra

---

Carrick

---

Ronaldo

---

Rooney

---

Giggs

---

Trezeguet

---

Saha

---

Thoughts?


Madds

Drapper

TBH nobody will miss out! its a long season................ Premiership, Champions LEague etc.............

Also, JS Park is an alternative on the right wing too when Giggs is rested! Can't burn him out too early in the season.

Other that that your line out is about right for crunch matches!

Unearthly

It looks lovely on paper, and I'm sure it would beat the lower class teams with relative ease, but against top opposition, I can see us struggling for possession and Carrick isn't your traditional defensive midfielder, he wouldn't give the protection that is needed imo and we would be exposed.

herbieflowers

Yeah too right Unearthly, I think that's Man U's main problemm and has been for the last few seasons - the ability to beat lower class oppostion well but being out muscled and out played by bigger teams, namely Chelsea.

The striker talk / rumours are strange, with Rossi, Smith, Solskjaer, Saha and Rooney why would there be a need? A midfielder has to be the priority, maybe the Senna deal will surface again...?

The one thing I've been happy about so far is the team's flexibility. The past couple of seasons Man U have been, at times, too one dimensional. The players appear to be used to playing different systems (although it is very early to be judging (!) I've liked what I've seen so far!)

daveg

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?HLID=413004&CPID=8&title=Corinthians+duo+England+bound?&lid=&channel=Football_Home&f=rss&clid=3

Speculation is growing that Corinthians' crown jewels Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez may both move to The Premiership before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

The Brazilian side sent a delegation of officials to London on Tuesday to meet with investment group MSI in a bid to negotiate the exit of star striker Tevez after he signalled his desire to leave the club following a falling out with the fans.

However it now appears as though Mascherano's future is also up for debate with Corinthians possibly ready to cash in on the Argentine World Cup star after he missed training on Tuesday.

Club president Alberto Dualib has admitted that talks with MSI are likely to clarify the situation of the two stars on Wednesday, with the Argentine media suggesting that the duo are expected to make their way to England.

"This Wednesday is the key day and the negotiations are very advanced," said Dualib.

Former Boca Juniors sensation Tevez has been linked with a number of clubs across the continent ever since it became clear he was desperate to leave Brazil, with Roma, Manchester United, Chelsea, Milan, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid all believed to hold an interest.

The latest club to reportedly join the race is Aston Villa, with Randy Lerner's millions dramatically increasing their pulling power in the transfer market.

However reports in Tevez's home country suggest that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could be leading the chase for the powerful forward.

Meanwhile defensive midfielder Mascherano appears to be the subject of a tussle between Manchester United and Chelsea, with Sir Alex Ferguson turning his attention to new targets after seemingly missing out on Owen Hargreaves.

Tevez and Mascherano's agent Adrian Ruocco is attending the crunch meetings in London and the situation of the two Argentine internationals should be much clearer in the next 48 hours.

Whilst Tevez had been expected to leave after staying away from the club for the past week, Mascherano has now also gone AWOL with arguments continuing over his availablilty for the glamour friendly against Brazil at The Emirates Stadium on September 3.

Corinthians are not keen for the midfielder to travel for the tie, even though he is suspended domestically, and relations between the parties have reached a new low after coach Emerson Leao confirmed Mascherano had skipped training.

"I began the practice at 8.30 am and there was no sign of Mascherano," coach Leao confirmed to reporters.

"I haven't received any official message from him and the case has been passed to the directors."

PHB

I think it's a bit harsh to criticise United atm, currently we are 100%, with the majority of our first choice team injured.

Only one of the first choice back four, with Neville, Vidic and Heinze out injured.
no Scholes and no Rooney, who are probably our best two players, with Ronaldo next to them.
Carrick is coming back from injury, so just give him some time.
Fletcher played well in the first to, and while didn't play great against Watford, he wasn't terrible.

Give it some time and we'll see if United bring somebody in before the deadline, but one thing is for sure, Fergie is trying to bring in someone.

As for Trez, his league record speaks for itself.

evad_lhorg

what do you mean his league record? he is SH1T end of story.


Mascherano would be a great buy if it were possiible and both him and tevez would be amazing but thats wishful.

David19

evad_lhorg wrote:

what do you mean his league record? he is SH1T end of story.

Why do you think he's sh1t? He has an amazing goal ratio in possibly the hardest league to score in.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=12719&cc=5739
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trezeguet

Monaco: 93 appearances - 55 goals
Juventus: 155 league appearances - 95 goals
France: 66 appearances - 32 goals

For Juve, "He's the highest scoring foreign striker in the club's history."

justfortherecor

Trezeguet is 29 in October. Van Nistelrooy is 30.

Van Nistelrooy was sold for 10.2 million and now the figure for Trezeguet is reportedly 10m.

Van Nistelrooy was proven in the EPL, I've never been completely convinced by Trezeguet. Doesnt make sense to me unless it is indeed a loan move.


Reo-Coker, on the other hand, would be a fantastic signing if utd could get him at a reasonable price. Great attacking player, and good vision and passing. But, tbh, I cant see any more developments in the transfer window.

justfortherecor

Looks like I'll have to correct myself on the reported firgure for Trezeguet.

According to skysports United supposedly tabled a 17m stg bid for the striker. Juventus rejected it (thank god, that would have been embarrassing).

jobonar

evad_lhorg wrote:

Mascherano would be a great buy if it were possiible and both him and tevez would be amazing but thats wishful.

this would be an amazing deadline day double swoop!! 1 would be great but 2 would just be incredible. :eek:

signing 1 is a possiblity and i'm hoping its Mascherano!! today and tommorow should be an interesting 2 days and i'll be amazed if another name isnt added to the squad by then!!!

TheMonster

Fergie has said he doesn't see Ole as a CF any more but as a wide forward player. Saha and Smith and possibly Ronney are the only CFs so could be a CF on the cards also.

Unearthly

I have my doubts about this Tevez. I'll admit apart from the World Cup, I have seen feck all of him, but from what I hear, he is similar to Rooney to where he wants to play. So do we have a case of buying a player for our strongest position?

I agree with people who say the striker department is fine as it is. There is no point splashing out 20 odd million pound in case someone gets injured. Midfield needs to be strenghtened first. It has been overlooked for a few seasons now, if we are looking to the future, a player like Senna doesn't fit the bill.

One thing I have noticed though, when Man Utd go into transfer negotiations, do they start off with 17 million?

wheres me jumpa

I have seen alot of Trezeguet over the last 6-8 years in internationals and european games. I am aware of his record. But Im sorry I have never watched him and thought, wow what a striker. Now I havent seen him play in Serie A and thats why I dont fully commit to my judgement on him just yet.

AthAnRi

Unearthly wrote:

I have my doubts about this Tevez. I'll admit apart from the World Cup, I have seen feck all of him, but from what I hear, he is similar to Rooney to where he wants to play. So do we have a case of buying a player for our strongest position?

I agree with people who say the striker department is fine as it is. There is no point splashing out 20 odd million pound in case someone gets injured. Midfield needs to be strenghtened first. It has been overlooked for a few seasons now, if we are looking to the future, a player like Senna doesn't fit the bill.

One thing I have noticed though, when Man Utd go into transfer negotiations, do they start off with 17 million?

Whats worng with having two Wayne Rooneys .

I think the main difference between Trez and Van the Man is speed of attack. Ruud was/is a super player but there is no doubting now that Utds attack is crisp and speedy. As Madds pointed out Saha is in magnificent form and his style of play is very complimentary to Utd. good in the air. Flicks on to wingers and has speed to get into the box. However he is injury prone and his finishing can sometimes be poor. Trez on loan = Yes Trez Permanently = No thanks.

I'm getting sick of Utd being linked with every player under the sun however. I don't think there has been a summer where we have been linked with this many players only to sign 1.

The Muppet

AthAnRi wrote:

I'm getting sick of Utd being linked with every player under the sun however. I don't think there has been a summer where we have been linked with this many players only to sign 1.

United signed 2 so far.

I,m not keen on trez either, I think our interest in him may have been an attempt to get a shift in the Tevez situation, I hope so anyway.

evad_lhorg

BOth Tevez and Mascherano will be in London this week to play Brazil. hopefully bot can hop on a bus to manchester and sign a few pieces of paper on their travels.

event

Unearthly wrote:

Won't he be cup tied in Europe by January?

I know he can be used in the Premiership but usually buying european cup tied players is a no go area for Ferguson.

presuming ye are still in europe at christmas;)

besty

evad_lhorg wrote:

BOth Tevez and Mascherano will be in London this week to play Brazil. hopefully bot can hop on a bus to manchester and sign a few pieces of paper on their travels.

The likelihood of us signing one, nevermind two of the above is slim. As much as I would love to see either of them come to United, something tells me that it's not going to happen. Incidentally, I'd prefer Mascherano to Tevez but I'd say we'd be looking at close to a £20 million price tag.

AthAnRi

The Muppet wrote:

United signed 2 so far.

I,m not keen on trez either, I think our interest in him may have been an attempt to get a shift in the Tevez situation, I hope so anyway.

Technically we have signed 1. Kuzack or whatever his name is was taken on loan and will be included in next seasons signings. But I guess you could say we have aquired 2 players for this season.

Either way 2 out of 4000 isn't bad.

jobonar

besty wrote:

Incidentally, I'd prefer Mascherano to Tevez but I'd say we'd be looking at close to a £20 million price tag.

well fergie was gonna pay £17m for Hargreaves so surely £20m for a better younger player is better business? i'm sure the glazers could find the 3mil in one of their pockets!

GuanYin

Not quite sure what the anxiety is. Utd have good form at present and players yet to come in. Whether they have the maturity to keep that up remins to be seen and I'd still think they may benefit from more of a midfield general than carrick.

In any case, I don't think united *need* anyone right now. I'd think they should leave it til christmas.

AthAnRi

psi wrote:

Not quite sure what the anxiety is. Utd have good form at present and players yet to come in. Whether they have the maturity to keep that up remins to be seen and I'd still think they may benefit from more of a midfield general than carrick.

In any case, I don't think united *need* anyone right now. I'd think they should leave it til christmas.

At present being the operative word. Buying players at christmas means they will limit themselves to buying players who are not cup tied. Also we did this one with Ballack. Let's leave it till January and then get him on a free. Didn't exactly work that one.

GuanYin

AthAnRi wrote:

At present being the operative word. Buying players at christmas means they will limit themselves to buying players who are not cup tied. Also we did this one with Ballack. Let's leave it till January and then get him on a free. Didn't exactly work that one.

Hrmm, so you have a team playing well, with your best players to come into the side and you unsettle those who have come in and played a blinder, by buying excess first team players, effectively ruling out the development of those already there.

Hrmmmm.

My point is, buying for buying's sake is rarely a good thing. If there was an exceptiona player available, by all means go after him, otherwise wait til you actually identify a need and then go for one.

AthAnRi

psi wrote:

Hrmm, so you have a team playing well, with your best players to come into the side and you unsettle those who have come in and played a blinder, by buying excess first team players, effectively ruling out the development of those already there.

Hrmmmm.

My point is, buying for buying's sake is rarely a good thing. If there was an exceptiona player available, by all means go after him, otherwise wait til you actually identify a need and then go for one.

OK but I think last season is proof that we are a little bit light in the Midfield area. Lets not get carried away with Wins over Fulham, Charlton and Watford teams which we should be expecting to beat.

Yes we have added carrick but we have also lost ruud.

IMO I believe that we are still short 2 players. 1 Striker and a midfielder. I would be more than happy to take either at this point in time as apposed to risking it until January when we could be out of the Chaps League and Out of the title race.

Necronomicon

psi wrote:

Hrmm, so you have a team playing well, with your best players to come into the side and you unsettle those who have come in and played a blinder, by buying excess first team players, effectively ruling out the development of those already there.

Hrmmmm.

My point is, buying for buying's sake is rarely a good thing. If there was an exceptiona player available, by all means go after him, otherwise wait til you actually identify a need and then go for one.

But things can go array so easily. The team is playing well at the moment, sure, but one or two hits to midfield and there isn't a lot of depth there. And no transfer window to fall back on for a couple of months.

GuanYin

OK but I think last season is proof that we are a little bit light in the Midfield area. Lets not get carried away with Wins over Fulham, Charlton and Watford teams which we should be expecting to beat.

Fulham and Charlton aren't mugs by any means. Last season they looked light, yes, but they have strengthened and lots of younger inexperienced players have come on alot since last season. Plus you have scholes and giggs back on form.

Necromomicon wrote:

But things can go array so easily. The team is playing well at the moment, sure, but one or two hits to midfield and there isn't a lot of depth there. And no transfer window to fall back on for a couple of months.

Then either bring in and develop younger players or rely on developing what you have.

The number of names I've seen bandied about with United of late is shocking, especially since none of them would actually add much to the team.

I think they'd be better off buying the likes of Steven Reid or an established premiership player at a lesser team and giving him 20 games than going after some big name player and risk unsettling a squad that is looking quite strong.

Sizzler

OK so whats the odds on us sneaking someone in by 12pm tomorrow night?

Also slightly off topic but why do so many clubs wait till the VERY last minute to sign players Bet you theres at least 2 transfers that get squeezed thru just before midnight tomorrow !

AthAnRi

psi wrote:

Fulham and Charlton aren't mugs by any means. Last season they looked light, yes, but they have strengthened and lots of younger inexperienced players have come on alot since last season. Plus you have scholes and giggs back on form.

Then either bring in and develop younger players or rely on developing what you have.

The number of names I've seen bandied about with United of late is shocking, especially since none of them would actually add much to the team.

I think they'd be better off buying the likes of Steven Reid or an established premiership player at a lesser team and giving him 20 games than going after some big name player and risk unsettling a squad that is looking quite strong.

Fair enough. However I think that the current UTD team/squad are not going to win the league this season, but if they were to sign either Mascherano or Hargreaves or maybe even Reo-Coker, they would have a serious chance. As it stands if Carrick gets injured we are back to the same squad we had last season except we are minus Ruud and Keano.

Even in their matches against Charlton, Watford and Fulham they looked like they could concede goals. The Fulham match illustrated to me that our holding midfieler O'Shea just wll not cut it in the bigger matches. He was caught out of position on a number of ocassions and was partly responsible for the goal. In fact we could arguably have been a goal down had it not been for Boupa-Dioups poor effort on goal. This kind of sloppy play will cost us. I don't think this would happen if we had a Mascherano or Hargreaves.

AthAnRi

Rossi joins Magpies on loan

Newcastle have agreed terms with United to take Giuseppe Rossi on loan until 1 January 2007.

The Italian striker will link up with the Magpies immediately and, according to Sir Alex Ferguson, will gain some invaluable first team experience.

"It was a big decision for us especially as we don't have the choice of strikers," admitted the United boss.

"But this is something that Giuseppe wanted as he needs regular first team football.

"When he returns he will be a more experienced player who will be able to offer us much more."

Rossi joined United in July 2004 from Serie A side Parma. After impressing for the Reserves in his first few months at Old Trafford, he earned a well deserved call-up to the senior team.

His first team debut came in the Carling Cup victory over Crystal Palace in November 2004. He has since made a further 11 appearances, bagging four goals in the process.http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=359308

Surely this can only be true if we have made a signing?

Vokes

Its on BBC on SSN as well!

wheres me jumpa

Im hoping theres a signing on the way.

kinaldo

Cheers for the loan, best thing you've done for Toon since Keith Gillespie. What are the chances he falls victim to the Ncastle injury curse and never plays for Man U again?

Nalz

Hopefully that means a new face, in the form of a striker/attacking midfielder. But who?

One thing is though, Newcastle have Ameobi Luique and Martins already so Im hopeful Owen stays a good while out still and Rossi gets a few games under his belt between now and May. I'm happy with this decision.