Benjamin Šeško (playing for Man United)

[bealios]

The price is probably (hopefully) academic. If we were previously going to let Isak go for £130m - £140m, and we have to over-pay on Sesko by £10m or so - then the Isak price is now £140m - £150m or so (including add ons). It really doesn't matter what the actual price is - its the difference between the Sesko price and the Isak price which is important. Anything extra to secure the additional Sesko price should be a pure pass-through to Isak buyer. IF scousers want Isak so much, they have to meet the premium we have to pay to any other club who know this shit is going on in the background. 

 

Personally I think Sesko and Wissa going into the new season is stronger than keeping Isak. Isak was going anyway next year, even without this summer's shenanigans we would have had to face that media stuff regardless. Getting rid now is the right answer. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I am gutted about the manner of all of this - I'd have loved Isak to be remembered as scoring the winner in our first trophy in ages, and cheered if he ever came back. But as it stands, and the manner in which it is has happened, he's a mercenary/snake, and it will leave a sour memory. All it took for him to avoid that is to make his intentions clear at the end of the season - I'd still be on board with at least not boo-ing his existence if he did that. As it stands he has taken away some of the pure joy I get every week with my re-watch of the cup final highlights (which I have eventually moved from doing daily to weekly). It will now be tempered by knowing what happens next. Fuck him.

 

   

[Deuce]

Get this sick filth across the line. Tell Isak we need one more season from him.
 

Sit the lads down and hit ‘em with:

 

 

[madras]

7 minutes ago, Zero said:

I understand your point. I would say there is a chance we switch to 442 this year after getting Sesko, Wissa AND retain Isak. 3 players rotating for 2 positions, same as CM (Bruno, Tonali, Joe)

 

Or else I also don’t understand why we don’t find a new CM urgently. 3 players for 3 positions there, destined for a collapse.

Not so much switch to 442 as use it now and again. We could just not be so regimented 433, like last year when we went 3/5 at the back and it looked good.

[Heron]

4 minutes ago, Barnes23 said:

 

If we sign Sesko, we will be selling Isak to Liverpool. If we do so, we haven't gotten anything over Liverpool or Isak at all - we have capitulated, acquiesced, to those we should be looking to topple. We won't even have acquired his true value in this market (imo, £180m plus).  The ramifications of that that are much more far-reaching - a few good signings cannot remedy it. That is why the mood remains relatively bleak. 

There is absolutely no certainty about your opening statement.

 

Also what are you on about a few good signings cannot remedy it? Of course they can. One player doesn't make a squad.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2025 by Heron

[Mag3.14]

2 minutes ago, madras said:

How ? That many points from the conference league ? Bloody hell !

 

Guess that's the importance of sustained participation in any european competition, points rack up fairly rapidly 

[Vinny Green Balls]

3 minutes ago, bealios said:

The price is probably (hopefully) academic. If we were previously going to let Isak go for £130m - £140m, and we have to over-pay on Sesko by £10m or so - then the Isak price is now £140m - £150m or so (including add ons). It really doesn't matter what the actual price is - its the difference between the Sesko price and the Isak price which is important. Anything extra to secure the additional Sesko price should be a pure pass-through to Isak buyer. IF scousers want Isak so much, they have to meet the premium we have to pay to any other club who know this shit is going on in the background. 

 

Personally I think Sesko and Wissa going into the new season is stronger than keeping Isak. Isak was going anyway next year, even without this summer's shenanigans we would have had to face that media stuff regardless. Getting rid now is the right answer. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I am gutted about the manner of all of this - I'd have loved Isak to be remembered as scoring the winner in our first trophy in ages, and cheered if he ever came back. But as it stands, and the manner in which it is has happened, he's a mercenary/snake, and it will leave a sour memory. All it took for him to avoid that is to make his intentions clear at the end of the season - I'd still be on board with at least not boo-ing his existence if he did that. As it stands he has taken away some of the pure joy I get every week with my re-watch of the cup final highlights (which I have eventually moved from doing daily to weekly). It will now be tempered by knowing what happens next. Fuck him.

 

   

giving him to a cartel rival that we hope to compete with just seems so self destructive to me. If we just got rid of him to some club on the continent, fine. But fucking Liverpool 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2025 by Vinny Green Balls

[Stottie]

7 minutes ago, Mag3.14 said:

 

Aye that was 24/5 season, 23/4 season villa was only 17 - still double ours however.  Celtic had 31 and Leipzig had 97!

Thanks for the info. Missing out last season due to the Man U cup win looks like it hurt us more than you would expect.

[nufcjmc]

Just now, madras said:

Not so much switch to 442 as use it now and again. We could just not be so regimented 433, like last year when we went 3/5 at the back and it looked good.

Agreed i know the manager denies it but at times our patterns of play looked stale and repetitive. New players new ways of utilising them always help keep options open and oppositions guessing. 

[madras]

1 minute ago, Mag3.14 said:

 

Guess that's the importance of sustained participation in any european competition, points rack up fairly rapidly 

Hardly sustained though. They had 1 season in the conference, we had in the champs league.

[SteV]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

giving him to a cartel rival that we hope to compete with just seems so self destructive to me. If we just got rid of him to some club on the continent, fine. But fucking Liverpool 

 

 

 

What if - and putting emotion/hatred aside - Liverpool were to run away from the the league, and take points off all the  other top teams, allowing us to finish 2nd/3rd rather than 5th?

[madras]

1 minute ago, nufcjmc said:

Agreed i know the manager denies it but at times our patterns of play looked stale and repetitive. New players new ways of utilising them always help keep options open and oppositions guessing. 

Stale and repetitive is a bit harsh imo. We just ha e trouble breaking down low blocks and can be slow to alter things. Understandably given the small squad but going forward we should have more variability.

[alexf]

Annoyingly we should also have had a season in the conference if it wasn't for Man City going out on the piss all week before the fa cup final.

[Roids]

What a shitshow of a transfer, bidding over the odds for an 'ok' player...

[Shadow Puppets]

Just now, Roids said:

What a shitshow of a transfer, bidding over the odds for an 'ok' player...

🙄

[nufcjmc]

5 minutes ago, madras said:

Stale and repetitive is a bit harsh imo. We just ha e trouble breaking down low blocks and can be slow to alter things. Understandably given the small squad but going forward we should have more variability.

You not remember that period last year where it all seemed to be going sideways or backwards the side lacked fresh ideas or new ways of breaking teams down. Nothing to bring off the bench except and ineffective Wilson to change things.

 

Manager himself admitted new players bring new dynamic to the group freshen things up and provide competition and pushing existing players. 

 

Not taking owt away last season was excellent but we had some poor games and results along the way and "limped" to 5th thanks to no less manu

 

 

Edited August 4, 2025 by nufcjmc

[Izakaya]

3 minutes ago, Roids said:

What a shitshow of a transfer, bidding over the odds for an 'ok' player...

Didn't realise it was coming out of your pocket...

[Vinny Green Balls]

3 minutes ago, SteV said:

What if - and putting emotion/hatred aside - Liverpool were to run away from the the league, and take points off all the  other top teams, allowing us to finish 2nd/3rd rather than 5th?

not so certain it would pan out that way. Best to not seriously strengthen another club in the league where we play, and who likely acted underhandedly at that.

 

He's our prized asset. They better pony up an eye watering amount as a bare minimum. If we weren't in such a strong position with his contract, I might have a different view. But three years, man.

[Roids]

7 minutes ago, Shadow Puppets said:

🙄

bringing back the Freddie Shepherd era transfer strategy, must be in the dna

 

 

Edited August 4, 2025 by Roids

[Kanj]

42 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Ramsdale is probably just about a better keeper at this moment in time, but Trafford will surpass him quite comfortably. He's still a baby for a GK.

we don’t know that yet but he has the potential to be a top keeper. 

[bealios]

2 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

giving him to a cartel rival that we hope to compete with just seems so self destructive. If we just got rid of him to some club on the continent, fine. But fucking Liverpool 

I agree it hurts for it to be Liverpool (believe me, I am still scarred by Beardsley leaving to Liverpool back in the 80's) - but given the choice of another year with Isak with a media circus around this next destination and general displeasure around our main striker if he stays, compared with Sesko, Wissa, and a bit of pride around taking Sesko (with some Man U interest we navigated) I would take the latter. 

 

Very much a personal thing, but I also don't think Isak is as good as the hype - world class when on form and playing Arsenal, but he is nowhere near Haaland, Messi(!), Henry in his day etc. - he is world class depending on your definition of that, but world class doesn't automatically mean £150m - there are a lot of world class players who don't go for £150m (i.e. most of them). I don't start watching a Newcastle game thinking if Isak is on form, we win. I do go into those games thinking if Tonali/Bruno/Big Joe click, we will win. 

 

[PauloGeordio]

15 minutes ago, Heron said:

There is absolutely no certainty about your opening statement.

 

Also what are you on about a few good signings cannot remedy it? Of course they can. One player doesn't make a squad.

 

 

 

We've proved that. When Isak was misfiring others stepped in with goals.

[SteV]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

not so certain it would pan out that way. Best to not seriously strengthen another club in the league where we play, and who likely acted underhandedly at that.

 

He's our prized asset. They better pony up an eye watering amount as a bare minimum. If we weren't in such a strong position with his contract, I might have a different view. But three years, man.

Obviously we don’t know how it will/would turn out.

 

Isak might go there, not fit the system and be a relative flop (aye, I think that’s extremely unlikely as well).

 

But we need to not be too obsessive (emotionally driven) about what selling him to a ‘rival’ will do.

 

Trust the people making the decisions to get it right. Whatever you want to say about this summer, they have massive credit in the bank IMO.

[KaKa]

This latest bid is actually still slightly less than what Liverpool paid for Ekitike, which was £69 million + £10 million in add ons. Just for a bit of context.

 

The current bid for Sesko is at £69 million + £8 million.

 

[McDog]

8 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

not so certain it would pan out that way. Best to not seriously strengthen another club in the league where we play, and who likely acted underhandedly at that.

 

He's our prized asset. They better pony up an eye watering amount as a bare minimum. If we weren't in such a strong position with his contract, I might have a different view. But three years, man.

 

 

I've never been a bedwetter on here and I get your argument. I have the same feeling that @gdm has. This has passed the point of no return in all likely hood. The only way I see us digging in is if Liverpool continue to lowball. It sure as hell seems like we're lining things up for life after Isak. Do I declare this as fact? No, none of us knows how it plays out.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2025 by McDog

[PauloGeordio]

2 minutes ago, bealios said:

I agree it hurts for it to be Liverpool (believe me, I am still scarred by Beardsley leaving to Liverpool back in the 80's) - but given the choice of another year with Isak with a media circus around this next destination and general displeasure around our main striker if he stays, compared with Sesko, Wissa, and a bit of pride around taking Sesko (with some Man U interest we navigated) I would take the latter. 

 

Very much a personal thing, but I also don't think Isak is as good as the hype - world class when on form and playing Arsenal, but he is nowhere near Haaland, Messi(!), Henry in his day etc. - he is world class depending on your definition of that, but world class doesn't automatically mean £150m - there are a lot of world class players who don't go for £150m (i.e. most of them). I don't start watching a Newcastle game thinking if Isak is on form, we win. I do go into those games thinking if Tonali/Bruno/Big Joe click, we will win. 

 

The great reset. Newcastle mark III. I think for the group mentality factor the idea of a clean start with Wissa and Sesko will make us better with the sum total of our parts. That's all team mates committed, United together. Us against the 6 again. Fuck 'em. Eddies black and white army.