TRon

Morata would have been a decent signing if we hadn't gone for Wood. I just think this team is crying out for a pacy striker, especially someone with the explosive power of Zapata. Morata is a good player, but unreliable in front of goal, and Wood from what we've seen, looks like a poor player who used to be a goal scorer, now not even that.

I just don't see it. Great strikers win you matches, but it's the midfielders who make you tick as a team. Think this guy will transform our football.

Nothing will top this in this window.

His injury record means it would be a massive risk relying on him coming back and not getting crocked again. I mean I thought that would be the concern for a lot of people.

it's on.

Is nobody else concerned about potentially going through the rest of this season with Wood as our main striker? For me a genuine class back up for Wilson is the only real guarantee of survival. I don't think it's happening, but if Zapata signed tomorrow I don't see how we'd go down.

That's what made it all the more baffling that Conte was all in for him. Even as a wing back you'd want someone with half decent delivery.

Yep. Thought this yesterday when it was suggested that the fee was agreed, just the payment structure needed to be sorted out. It seems advanced enough to be fairly confident.

It's not mandatory to buy at least, I think he'll be back in England by the summer. Worst thing that could happen for Barca is if he hits a purple patch and they end up stumping the full fee for him.

I'll wait until the end of the window before I give them any fair plays tbh. Still wouldn't be surprised if this one goes through in the last couple of days with an extra mill here or there.

Put it out there that we've made enquiries about Faivre just to give Aulas a little kick in the pants.

According to our lot they kept upping the asking price.

Getting him mixed up with that Gosens fella then. My bad.

Given that this one was dead just a few days ago, and now is miraculously back on, I'm thinking it is going to get done. Probs means the Zapata links were bs though as I doubt they'd sell us two players in one window.

Even their own guy on here @Trensa was saying that the title chances were really small. But they will want CL football so understandable if they want top dollar to be persuaded to sell. But they have put a price on him which isn't that far off our valuation, so obviously they are very conscious of the dwindling returns if they keep him beyond this window.

I think for this season we would put survival above all else, so experience is probably a plus. If we stay up, I would think we'd start looking to recruit some of the future wonder stars like Ekiteke to address the ageing squad issue.

Yep. And Carlos will also be 29 by then, £40m plus will probably sound far too expensive by then.

Don't know tbh, I just assumed that's how he liked to set up.

I just said this in the Joelinton thread but I think if you have Joe and Bruno in there, that's enough legs to allow Shelvey to do his quarterback stuff. You can afford to have one lazy playmaker in a 3 man midfield.

I don't like the idea of Shelvey in midfield at all, but if we can get Bruno G in there along with Joe, that might just be enough legs to allow Jonjo to do his quarterback stuff. Would have to be a 3 man midfield of course, but that seems to be Howe's preferred formation anyway.

There'll be a couple of London rags equally rattled tbh, I hope our Brazilan links will give us the edge if they decide to jump in with their fans screaming blue murder.

Still need a striker urgently IMO.

At least he's admitted it was a good offer. Fair enough it wasn't the "right time" but he'll be getting a much smaller one in the summer, and they'll keep getting smaller with every window that passes.

Tbh you can see it just in the way he steals the ball. Uses angles and body leverage to shift opponents off the ball and you wonder how he even done it.

Man U have spent a fortune on players, the Glazers are taking money out through dividends.