Manchester United Transfer Rumours/Discussion 2006 :)

sofireland

"I think he should go to PSV (Eindhoven) or Ajax or somewhere where they have a tradition of raising young players.

and united haven't this at all, David Beckham, George Best, Ryan Giggs, anyone?

Obviously he doesn't want to lose one of his star players,

Nalz

sofireland wrote:

and united haven't this at all, David Beckham, George Best, Ryan Giggs, anyone?

you could add another 20 on to that...however, they've let a few slip through their fingers. Savage, Platt, Bosnich, Beardsley, Giles etc, even in recent years with Healy and McShane. I hope he doesnt let Pique, Lee and Evans go. They look decent players. I think Silvestres time at Manchester United could soon be over. Time to move on for him and time for us to cash in on 3 -5 million.

The Rooster

McShane hasnt played with West Brom since his great performance v the Czechs. According to Monday's Irish Times he's been stuck on 6 league starts since then. I presume he's dropped rather than injured as he played against San Marino in the intervening period. WBA must have some very good defenders!

According to the Daily Mirror today, Jermaine Defoe has jumped ahead of Torres (atletico doing crap and its thought are open to offers, torres has not played in europe this season) as Fergies's number 1 target in the January transfer window.

Nalz

The Rooster wrote:

. WBA must have some very good defenders!

Chirs Perry and Curtis(who Wenger admires alot) are keeping McShane out of the team

Headshot

united are in the newspapers today

Owen Hargreaves is now close to recovering from a broken leg and is ready to beg Bayern Munich to let him join Manchester United when the transfer window opens on 1 January. (The Times)

Manchester United are also watching Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres, who would cost over £20m. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United are ready to make a £12m swoop for Tottenham's Jermain Defoe. (Daily Mirror)

And Manchester United are also keeping tabs on Hamilton's 16-year-old midfielder, Jamie McCarthy. (Daily Star)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

love to see Torres at united

evad_lhorg

sure screw it we may as well take them all.

a back up winger would be nice too.

Headshot

evad_lhorg wrote:

sure screw it we may as well take them all.

a back up winger would be nice too.

and we'll take David Villa on the side too

i wouldnt be suprized if the only RUMOUR that might have a leg to stand on would be Torres coming to united [probly will be played out of position too:rolleyes: ]

evad_lhorg

well Hargreaves seems to be on/off but theyd be stupid not to sell him i think.

If the Defoe one is true I just hope it isnt another chance for spurs to rape them for money.

we need a striker with a bit of height as well which is why Torres would be the much better signing.

sofireland

mmm... back up winger, we've park, but he's injured.
of all these rumoured targets, i would love to see torres at united, i really would.
But Hargreaves would also be good, probably get him at end of season...
Defoe, and let tottenham name their price, i don't think so,

Anyway, didn't we pay 5m down on torres already?

aidan24326

From www.sportinglife.com

UNITED LINKED WITH DEFOE SWOOP
Manchester United are plotting a £12million bid for Tottenham frontman Jermain Defoe in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mirror.

With Giuseppe Rossi out on loan, Alan Smith well short of match fitness and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injured, Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson fears a striker shortage could derail his side's Premiership title bid.

Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha have formed a powerful partnership up front so far this season but with the latter notoriously prone to injuries, strength in depth is vital if United are to prevent Chelsea from wrapping up a title hat-trick.

Ferguson was first interested in signing Defoe when he was leaving West Ham in January 2004, however the Scot decided to sign Saha from Fulham and the England striker, now 24, joined Spurs for £7million

But the Mirror now claims he has rocketed back to the top of Ferguson's wanted list, ahead of the likes of Fernando Torres, Darren Bent and Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

This I do not understand. There are better strikers out there than Defoe. He has been struggling to even get in the Tottenham team. Don't know why Ferguson would be so keen on him.

MrJoeSoap

The Rooster wrote:

According to the Daily Mirror today, Jermaine Defoe has jumped ahead of Torres (atletico doing crap and its thought are open to offers, torres has not played in europe this season) as Fergies's number 1 target in the January transfer window.

Print the jerseys now so!

Never ever ever believe the Daily Mirror.

Trilla wrote:

Chirs Perry and Curtis(who Wenger admires alot) are keeping McShane out of the team

Curtis Davies. Class defender.

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote:

united are in the newspapers today

Never! :eek:

evad_lhorg wrote:

well Hargreaves seems to be on/off but theyd be stupid not to sell him i think.

Actually given the tax laws in Germany, they'd be stupid to sell him.

sofireland wrote:

Anyway, didn't we pay 5m down on torres already?

Depends on who you believe.

Jivin Turkey

Feeling a bit cynical today MJS?

MrJoeSoap

Jivin Turkey wrote:

Feeling a bit cynical today MJS?

Yup, today and every day! Woke up before mid-day for the first time in months... six hours before mid-day. :eek:

aidan24326

Mr. Joe Soap, it's true you can't always believe what they write in the papers, but apparently Ferguson has had a long time interest in Defoe, so there could be some truth to it. I don't think Defoe is the answer by any means, but Ferguson has been getting it wrong as often as right these last few years where transfers are concerned. Probably more often in fact. To think he once saw Eric Djemba-useless-arse as a potential replacement for Keane. The mind boggles. Not to mention burning 28 zillion on Veron. Good player, probably not quite suited to the premiership, but absolutely never worth anywhere near that amount.

wheres me jumpa

Defoe AND a midfielder in January is fine by me.

GuanYin

There are at least 3 better strikers that are probably available - Defoe is overrated.

sofireland

He's got a proven record in the premiership, goal scoring wise

So it may not be a bad signing, but wait and see is what i say

Lest we forget we've smith to come back (when near match fit) Solsjkaer and Rossi so technically we've 5 strikers on the books.

Pro. F

On the shopping list (if I were in charge!!)
1st - a central midfielder.
2nd - a central midfielder.
(Of the two one defensive minded and one attack minded. Probably the attack minded one first. As the donkeys (squad players) can do a better filling in job doing defensive work)
We'll probably have four fit, decent strikers come January: Rooney, Saha, Ole, Smith (unless I've missed something). So problems will be over by then. If we do need a striker by then, or at any time, I'm not keen on Torres. Aside from the fact that he didn't impress me that much, when I was living over there and watching spanish football last season, I see a more important problem - Spanish, Italian and Portuguese players prefer to play in Italy or Spain; the climate and the culture is what they're used to and what they want. London may be bearable for them but Manchester doesn't do. If he joins United I can't see him staying for too long and when he eventually gets pi$sed off he'll kick up a fuss because, being a big name, he'll know that clubs back home will want him. For this I don't like the idea of paying big money for him.
Since we have two strikers that are working well I don't see why we need a big money one brought in as back up, it will just cause disruption.

eirebhoy

£12m for Defoe? To think many people thought Andy Johnson was a rip off...

madds

I can see Utd moving Rooney into a deeper role as time goes by, similar to the way Scholes started out as a striker but then reverted to an attacking midfield role.

Rooney's stamina, eye for a pass, his aggression, and shooting from distance prowess are the perfect attributes for an attacking midfielder.

Although some people see him as an out and out striker, I fancy the move to midfield will happen if we sign a big-name CF during the Summer (Torres/Huntelaar/etc.)

Nalz

madds wrote:

I can see Utd moving Rooney into a deeper role as time goes by,

as long as when time goes by.........

Manchester United buy.......


some decent strikers!

evad_lhorg

sofireland wrote:

Lest we forget we've smith to come back (when near match fit) Solsjkaer and Rossi so technically we've 5 strikers on the books.

Smith? so what! Rossi? SO WHAT! smith should never have been a United player at all. Rossi can score at a certain level but senior level is beyond him at the moment.

and as much as I hate to admit it....Olé is on his way out. he cant run for balls or beat players anymore really. he gets into good positions but we need better back up.

the best thing we have coming back is the work horse Park. Great player

sofireland

I know Ole is on his way out, he's 33 ffs! But as he's shown already he can chip in with a few goals. United aren't a team which relies solely on one player to bring in the goals like they did with RVN, its better that they come from all over.

Rossi hasn't had the chance to prove himself, yet, he will get it when he returns. Newcastle seems to have been a waste of time.

Say what you like about Smith, before he was shunted into midfield he was doing well for us, 7 or 8 goals in 15 matches, which is good. Personally, he was the last player i ever expected to sign, but he reminds me of mark hughes, he has such a savage work ethic. He deserves to be there imo

Just my thoughts

kinaldo

sofireland wrote:

Rossi hasn't had the chance to prove himself, yet, he will get it when he returns. Newcastle seems to have been a waste of time.

He was handed Premiership starts in home games against Charlton and Sheffield Utd in which we failed to score and he failed to impress.

sofireland

kinaldo wrote:

He was handed Premiership starts in home games against Charlton and Sheffield Utd in which we failed to score and he failed to impress.

Aye, but what i meant was he's not had an extended run in the side, at either united...

Took his goal in the League cup quite well, but all strikers need service!

Nalz

give Rossi a chance lads for jaysus sakes! I dont know whats going on with Smith, he's currently not even being used as backup or a bench player. Not one of his fans I must say but I think he deserves another shot at OT.


anyone got a link to last night goals?

thanks

sprinkles

Manchester United have rejected 'wonderkid' Freddy Adu after the American teenager spent a week on trial at Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror)

sofireland

Once again, that paragon of virtue and integrity that is the mirror!

Re Smith, he's not fit enough yet, he's doing special training, as in its much more intense that the usual stuff and he's on a program to speed up his recovery, i'd expect to see him back again soon, hectic time coming up.

Richardson, my god, he is useless... sell him

Headshot

sofireland wrote:

Richardson, my god, he is useless... sell him

agree with fletcher

sofireland

I know fletcher gets stick, but he works hard unlike that Big player wannabe Richardson.

Anyway, lifted this from Rednews

MIKAEL Silvestre could be a tasty sweetener in a United swoop for Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres.
The Reds' lack of depth in the striker department is a concern at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson only has Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney fit and the Frenchman picked up a knock against Chelsea on Sunday which has had the Reds sweating over his place against Everton.

Ole Solskjaer and Alan Smith are not 100 per cent and Giuseppe Rossi is on loan at Newcastle. Even when the American returns in the New Year, it is unlikely he'll be up to speed as his St James' Park first-team experience has been limited.

If United see off Benfica at Old Trafford next Wednesday to make the Champions League knockout stages, the attack will need strengthening to sustain a Euro and Premiership title challenge.

Torres, part of Spain's attack at last summer's World Cup, is among the candidates and isn't cup-tied in the Champions League, as Atletico did not qualify for Europe this season. Spurs striker Jermain Defoe and Charlton's Darren Bent have been linked with a move north, but Torres could be the top priority.

Atletico have been reluctant to sell and want around £25m, but the possibility of Silvestre being involved in the deal could be tempting for the Spanish outfit and the out-of-favour defender.

The Frenchman has slipped down the pecking order at United since Nemanja Vidic established himself as Rio Ferdinand's defensive partner, and Patrice Evra and Gabriel Heinze have been contesting the left-back role. Since returning from injury in October, his only starts have come when United boss Fergie has played his fringe XI in Copenhagen and in Carling Cup ties at Crewe and Southend.

Last January, despite the £12m arrival of Vidic and Evra, Silvestre turned down a move to Gerard Houllier's Lyon and vowed instead to fight back at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old successfully did that and earned himself a new contract in August that can tie him to the club until 2009.

But since putting pen to paper, his United standing has declined.

A January move to La Liga would interest Silvestre even though he remains up for the challenge at United.

He said: "I would like to discover a new style of play. I've done Italy in the colours of Inter, England in the United jersey - all that's left for me is Spain."

Paul Tergat

Smith is definitely good enough to be a utd player.

he has good technique and defenders hate having to play against him. he is the perfect type of player we need to bring off then bench there no point in us getting torres if that then means that one striker will always be left on the bench...the ideal thing with Smith is that he has a great attitude. we need these kind of players in the squad.

if you think about it, if we had 4 amazing strikers it just would not work, as they would all want to play all the time and, for example, if torres didn't het his game he'd be straight off back to spain! remembering back to 99 we had 4 great strikers, but you really could identify the first choice (Yorke and Cole) and then the impact strikers we has on the bench (Teddy and Ole) who were content to start 15-20 games a season and do a job mostly from the bench

my basic point is we need quality squad players, and a fully fit smith is definitely one!!

sofireland

Here here!

I agree, its our squad more than our 1st 11 that needs strengthening more than anything

rcs

Was listening to Off the Ball last night on newstalk & they we're saying they were getting a lot of texts from different sources about a rumour that Alex Ferguson had fallen out with Ryan Giggs!

Couldn't be true could it? Not another one.....

kinaldo

rcs wrote:

Was listening to Off the Ball last night on newstalk & they we're saying they were getting a lot of texts from different sources about a rumour that Alex Ferguson had fallen out with Ryan Giggs!

Couldn't be true could it? Not another one.....

There was some mentions of it in the papers today, only because he was likely rested on what happened to be his 33rd birthday

- nothing substantial though.

evad_lhorg

in the star today they said it was straight after the chelsea game they had a row.

besty

Just home from my first United game! Just thought I'd drop it into the United thread. Met Wazza today doing a book signing at Old Trafford too! Great experience and will deffo be doing it again before too long.

Paul Tergat

didn't know this but we apparently have 2 games before chelsea play again so chance to open up a 9 point lead:

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,2483_1730440,00.html

A quirk in the fixture list means United are in action twice before Chelsea play again, following up Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough with a lunchtime engagement with Manchester City on December 9.

The chance to open up a pressure-inducing nine-point lead on the Londoners is not lost on anyone at Old Trafford, particularly as Chelsea's next league outing is against bitter capital city rivals Arsenal.

However, Neville is equally aware the Red Devils must not allow their focus to wander.

Having suffered a calamitous loss at Middlesbrough last term, a loss which triggered Roy Keane's infamous MUTV tirade, and also failed to beat City on home soil, nothing can be taken for granted, particularly in a week when, for the second season running, their Champions League fate will be determined by a last-day encounter with Benfica.

"We are in a run of fixtures just now which saw us slip up badly last year," he said. "We have started in a decent way, now we must go up to Middlesbrough with the right determination and attitude and hopefully get another victory."

we expecting 6 points from these upcoming games?

this is the big test coming up now, if we can maintain this form up until the transfer window we're in with a great chance....we really need a midfielder and probably another striker for the rest of the campaign

bucks73

Two tough games but I would be surprised if we didnt pick up the six points. Boro always give us a tough game but they seems to be having a bit of a confidence wobble at the moment. They played dreadful against the scousers last week and didnt deserve a point. Hopefully they play like that again. As for Citeh, good result during the week but I would very surprised if they were able to breach Uniteds defence even once with that strike force. I know its a derby and anything can happen but United are looking a lot more dominant in games than even last season and should have more than enough firepower to win.

Even though it wouldnt be a "true" 9 point lead, it would be very nice to have. Make Chelsea feel like they have a lot of catching up to do and then hope the gooners can put in some sort of decent display against them.

gracehopper

it'd be a great advantage going into xmas with that kind of lead. We could then stengthen in january and get ready to hold on. I'd much rather be chased than have to chase someone else

sundula

Skysports - Henrik Larsson to Man U on 3 month loan deal

county

sundula wrote:

Skysports - Henrik Larsson to Man U on 3 month loan deal

yes,its all over sky,i dont know what to make of this

_blank_

Henrik Larsson? :eek:

Jesus.

sofireland

Shrewd move if its true... suits all partys

gracehopper

Deadly, would love to see him in a United shirt

Paul Tergat

Just seen this on skysports.com...would love it to be true, perfect solution...would prefer it to be till end of season but either way it can only be good for us!

Henk helpin us win the league???? would be class

MonkeyWrench

That would be some signing if it were permanent. That old boy has a few years left in him yet. It would be great to see him link up with rooney up front. I'm working with quite a few Celtic supporters here in work at the moment and they are not too impressed!:)

cournioni

Good signing, I reckon it is just because the Swedish season is over at the moment which is why it is only for three months. He should have the experience to keep the United ship steady until Solskjaer and Smith are back to full fitness. We should have signed him 7 or 8 years ago...

sundula

Dont know if i would class it as so good - ye might be looking at in through rose tinted/old celtic legend glasses. He is old and playing at a low level. Will be more a super sub me thinks.

gracehopper

sundula wrote:

Dont know if i would class it as so good - ye might be looking at in through rose tinted/old celtic legend glasses. He is old and playing at a low level. Will be more a super sub me thinks.

Well Barca wouldnt have beaten Arsenal last year if it wasnt for him. He came on and changed the game. So i'd be happy to have him as a super sub, no problem!

TheMonster

sundula wrote:

Dont know if i would class it as so good - ye might be looking at in through rose tinted/old celtic legend glasses. He is old and playing at a low level. Will be more a super sub me thinks.

TBH thats all we need - the bench has been very l light in the striking dept