Benjamin Šeško (playing for Man United)

[Ben]

31 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

That’s a really interesting article and very well written to be fair.

 

I agree, seems like the Saudis are at a cross roads with us, unsure whether to push on.

[Magpie Mover]

Footballers go to the club that pays the most money, that's undeniably with what's happening to us this summer.

[SteV]

Just now, Magpie Mover said:

Footballers go to the club that pays the most money, that's undeniably with what's happening to us this summer.

Then why’s everyone not in Saudi?

[Magpie Mover]

As I mentioned in my post after money the second most important thing is where you live, and lots of people don't want to live in Saudi.

[gdm]

 

[Rich]

[bobbydazzla]

5 minutes ago, Magpie Mover said:

As I mentioned in my post after money the second most important thing is where you live, and lots of people don't want to live in Saudi.

Sorry, but you’re talking nonsense in your original post about nothing but money and location being of interest to players 

 

Players will weigh up a variety of factors of which money and location are two 

 

Club stature

Squad quality and depth

Trophy history  

Manager

Team mates 

Quality of league 

Standard of facilities 

Owners vision

Emotional ties to the club  

 

Will also be in their thinking 

 

Undoubtedly some will prioritise money over everything else, but to say all of them only care about money and location is a ridiculous opinion 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[SteV]

8 minutes ago, Magpie Mover said:

As I mentioned in my post after money the second most important thing is where you live, and lots of people don't want to live in Saudi.

So those footballers won’t go to the club that pays the most money (i.e Saudi)

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Magpie Mover said:

Footballers go to the club that pays the most money, that's undeniably with what's happening to us this summer.

 

This is such a simplistic view and in so many ways, wrong. Trying to justify our shortcomings and wages alone blames players and shines no light on a myriad of other things

[oldtype]

51 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

That’s a really interesting article and very well written to be fair.

 

Yeah, this article is decently insightful and more or less summarizes our ownership issues right now. 

 

PIF came in thinking they could turn us into Manchester City within a few years. Now having realized that this isn't the case, they're now unsure if they're all that bothered. 

 

We're still part of their portfolio and they won't do anything to devalue the asset, but I'm sure there are serious internal doubts about whether it's worth investing time and money for stuff like a new stadium and training ground. We probably occupy a lot less of their attention as well. Wouldn't be the first time management of a PIF asset got pushed to the wayside for sexier new things.

[Magpie Mover]

The long list of players that we have missed out on this transfer window all have one thing in common, they signed for the club that offered them the highest wages. 

[sushimonster85]

Ben Jacobs (so take that for what its worth) saying on Twitter that Watkins is very open to a Man U move. Could do with them fucking off out the Sesko picture.

[gbandit]

Watkins to Man U would be class, his career dies a death and they overpay for the privilege

[Magpie Mover]

If Wissa comes here it will be because of the huge wage increase he will get. If spurs offer him more he'll go there. We can all pretend it's more complicated than that but I don't imo believe it is.

[sushimonster85]

4 minutes ago, oldtype said:

 

PIF came in thinking they could turn us into Manchester City within a few years. Now having realized that this isn't the case, they're now unsure if they're all that bothered. 

 

I feel like this is the opposite of everything we heard early on. From the start I feel like we were cautioned that they are long term investors, and look at success over decades rather than short term.

[oldtype]

3 minutes ago, sushimonster85 said:

 

I feel like this is the opposite of everything we heard early on. From the start I feel like we were cautioned that they are long term investors, and look at success over decades rather than short term.

 

Yes but I think "long term" in their heads was more like 4-5 years. Not 10+.

[sushimonster85]

Just now, oldtype said:

 

Yes but I think "long term" in their heads was more like 4-5 years. Not 10+.

 

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I heard talk of them wanting to see success over 10/20 etc.

[The Prophet]

9 minutes ago, oldtype said:

 

Yeah, this article is decently insightful and more or less summarizes our ownership issues right now. 

 

PIF came in thinking they could turn us into Manchester City within a few years. Now having realized that this isn't the case, they're now unsure if they're all that bothered. 

 

We're still part of their portfolio and they won't do anything to devalue the asset, but I'm sure there are serious internal doubts about whether it's worth investing time and money for stuff like a new stadium and training ground. We probably occupy a lot less of their attention as well. Wouldn't be the first time management of a PIF asset got pushed to the wayside for sexier new things.

 

This is fan cliche bingo, without any of the reality of the situation.

[oldtype]

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

 

This is fan cliche bingo, without any of the reality of the situation.

What is the reality of the situation, pray tell.

[bobbydazzla]

16 minutes ago, Magpie Mover said:

The long list of players that we have missed out on this transfer window all have one thing in common, they signed for the club that offered them the highest wages. 

They signed for clubs with far more prestige than NUFC

 

We’re allegedly (if you believe Twatter) competing for players who are also being courted by teams that have trophy cabinets full of silver and are known throughout the world as being the best and most successful clubs in football 

 

We’ve won one trophy in most of our lifetimes, two CL qualifications in two decades and a purple patch for a couple of years in the mid 90’s when the current crop of top quality players were either in nappies or spunk in their dars balls 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[NWMag]

 

[JT24]

Just now, NWMag said:

 

Wish the case was we’d be signing him BEFORE Isak left. 

[sempuki]

14 minutes ago, NWMag said:

 

I like Transfer Checker.

[Jonas]

Chelsea, Man City and Blackburn managed to lure players over more successful, established clubs to them despite having no record to speak of and apparently very little going for them at all when the right money was offered. They could pay and could offer a project that's outlawed of us and money was the reason for the projects anyway.

Look at some of the players Middlesbrough managed to sign and who they were signed from. There's no logic for that other than money.

Top players didn't even come to England at all until the PL got rich, despite English clubs dominance in Europe, size of some of the clubs and the history. 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2025 by Jonas

[The Prophet]

7 minutes ago, oldtype said:

What is the reality of the situation, pray tell.

 

Sorry, bit of a tl;dr

 

Post takeover, there was lots of external noise that we would be the next Chelsea or the next Man City, but internally the messaging was always way more measured, I believe "long term, patient investors" was the phrase used.

 

This was in pre-FVM world too.

 

PIF are exactly what they say on the tin, an investment fund. I wouldn't go as far to say that they're passive investors, but they're not exactly hands on either. Yasir is a Non-Exec Chair, while the other three PIF board members, perhaps bar Solis aren't involved in the day-to-day running of the club. 

 

It's kind of understandable too. We're a £300 million investment in a trillion dollar fund.

 

With this being the case, you need an elite executive structure in place, led by a strong CEO. Unfortunately a couple of months after Stavely left, Eales took ill. Allegedly he's been on medical leave the last few months, which pretty much explains everything coming to a grinding halt.

 

Now I get the board wanting to take its time finding a new CEO, it's an enormous appointment, but as soon as Eales went on medical leave an interim solution should have been sought to prevent what we're seeing now.

 

Its's compounded by not being able to hold onto a Sporting Director for more than two minutes too, with Mitchell looking like a disastrous appointment by Eales. That's a massive vacuum in the football operation.

 

PIF are hands off, bureaucratic and slow, but there's nothing to suggest they've lost interest. For me it's a lazy take for fans and pundits who don't follow or aren't interested in how the club is being ran. The current situation is being caused by losing the two most important executives in an inexperienced football operation.