The ease and discretion with which Manchester City concluded the deal for Jack Rodwell over the weekend made it even more painfully clear that Manchester United are really struggling in the market these days.
That Chelsea snapped up Oscar with minimal fuss and PSG seemed to get the Lucas Moura deal concluded within hours further twists the knife in to the Old Trafford outfit and begs the question: Why can’t United close a deal anymore?
Obviously Chelsea and Manchester City have inordinate amounts of cash to spend . But, If the Glazers and Sir Alex are to be believed, then Manchester United aren’t struggling for cash flow either. So why are they making every deal so protracted and ultimately losing out on most of their targets?
Time and again over the last few years Manchester United have drawn out their negotiations to the point that someone else steps in or the deal just fizzles out completely.
Robin Van Persie wants to go to Manchester United. Of course Arsenal don’t want to sell their best player to their old rivals and, consequently, they are quoting big sums. It’s nothing new or conceited. It’s the way football business goes. Manchester United are being given ample opportunity to show that they really want the player. But, instead of biting off the hand up to the elbow, they seem to be squabbling over a few million and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this deal now goes south aswell.
How often do you get the chance to sign a world class player? Not often, even for the top clubs. Robin Van Persie is nearly as good a player as Wayne Rooney. He will walk straight into the first XI at Manchester United and therefore fits perfectly into the category of seriously good signings. A first team addition rather than a squad builder. Someone who can make an instant difference in the biggest games. But United are now in danger of letting this one fall through their fingers and allowing the class gap between them and their rivals to increase to a potentially insurmountable level.
By haggling, as usual, over a few million Manchester United appear to be playing Russian Roulette with their future as the pre-eminent power of English football. This is a deal that Fergie needs to get done now rather than let a PSG or Manchester City pop along last minute and show Arsenal the money.
So are you frustrated with Manchester United’s current transfer strategy?
KUYE ABIOLA
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Pls sign RVP before its too late…
CiTyBlUe
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Ye sign RVP, I’m literally praying he gets injured after you buy him, that would be the icing on the cake after taking another title from your grasp.
Jesmonta - Malta
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Who needs RVP ? 29 years old and very expensive. we have enough strikers to cover. We really need a Defender to cover Evra and Rafael( who still needs tolearn more) and a holding Midfielder such as Mouthinio or Dambele of fulham.
Alan Critchley
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:17 pm
It just makes you wonder if the management are more into believing the guff about fan base and value of the club rather than picking up players who could keep us there. Photo ops for Gill at share launches and holidays obviously take priority and we acquire 2 seemingly good prospects (cheaply) and but no further players of real stature. I fear for another season with no silverware. Come on Utd where’s the urgency or perhaps the share value is accurate?
Stuart
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Yeah I’m fed up of hoping we’re gonna get a player and then they either don’t get him or he goes somewhere else.At least we’ll get rid of the glory hunters as we don’t make real big signings anymore.
CiTyBlUe
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:23 pm
You and your fan base deserve to be fed up, wait for the pain and then you will have something real to whine about.
Cajet
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Why can’t you pay the 25m and get RVP before PSG enters the race again
Frosty7
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Completely agree with you! So frustrating how Chelsea and City seem to be interested in a player then 24-48 hours later they’re signed!!!!
United’s transfers always seem to be massively drawn out sagas and this summer is no different. Gill keeps going on saying there are funds available….actions speak louder than words!
CiTyBlUe
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Its United fans turn to live in despair, hurt and pain for three decades, Makes it all the more sweeter knowing that we Manchester City are aiding to the Glazer devastation.
Mugsy
Aug 13, 2012 at 7:34 pm
You scraped the title last year, only winning on goal difference. Dont get too cocky after one good season. This season will tell the true tale
sunday mgbada
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:21 pm
dat is true my man manutd dnt hv money atall bt manutd need man of god true we need deliverace 4 united at is all up manu
stillo
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Alex ferguson pls sign more player or you will go truphyless next season. Ferguson you need to sign rvp, luka modric and sahin. Man u need them
wayne
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Firstly just because some daft bastard overpays for a player doesn’t make him world class,just means the club overpaid,so the class gap is subjective.If it’s true that Mouras agent is getting between 6 to 9 mill and Moura will be getting 200k + per week,hardly call that haggling over a few mill
Moura wouldn’t have had much impact on the first team this season anyway.Simple fact is PSG completely overpaid for a prospect.
hasnock
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Huh! guys Man united is the most decorated club in Premier league. No doubt something is happening . Its just gets you go nuts when manshitty and this PSG-sugar dudies snatch your player at a crazy price .Keep it cool . United has it all . Time is to witness
Sanyaolu
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Am fed up wit united, man u neva won any race to sign a player against any top team because they dont want spend money, and transfer nowadays has turn to big money
clint
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:49 pm
I don’t know why it is always Man Utd current financial state that is mentioned, Man Utd never ever bought players more than £30mil even when they were the richest club in the world year after year. Ronaldo, Nani… Etc. U can mention them name after name except for Berbatov all was never more then £20mil United was never a team to buy player with over inflated prices and let’s face it they will never be that team. For a team with over a 134years of history and there record signing is £30mil must tell u a story.
Francis Lubanga, Uganda
Aug 13, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Its high time we changed manu management otherwise we are heading to total ruin, and one sign to this fact are the low returns from the current flotation of manu shares during its IPO !!!
Mick
Aug 13, 2012 at 6:05 pm
The glaziers only give enough cash so we stay up there pushing for cup to keep the cash flowing in we carnt shop off the top shelf and we don’t have to go in the bargin basement just yet the cash cow just keeps turning over and they keep on milking the cow
Kashere21
Aug 13, 2012 at 8:18 pm
The transfer policy of United is no longer a dominant force, all their top target has slip off, due to their inability to rap a deal b4 any potential buy splash,as my favorite team, i no lönger have a trust with the management of United as for now. The policy is killing the spirit of our club and shall be change b4 is too late. GGMU.
devilno.7
Aug 13, 2012 at 8:26 pm
i see no need 4 united 2 go al out 4 Rvp. Buy him n play him wer? Kagawa wil play behind r0oney leavn chicha n welbeck 2 da bench, Rvp is nothin but a luxury. Yes united r not signing big name starz, dey hardly ever, wat we need is a ful bak, howeva las seas0n we shud hav got sneijder but united dont n wil not overpay 4 a f0otballer, it is whether u lyk it o not da man united way
Mohd Zaki
Aug 13, 2012 at 8:35 pm
I have commented before. As far as I’m concerned with this fucking Glazers we will never be able to attract good but not even great players to the club as they try to earn if not pay their mounting debts! Nuff said…..
chris
Aug 13, 2012 at 9:28 pm
all you write about is a few million. arsenal want more like an extra ten million because its united. they have money but they will always try to get the beat price not just go in with an over the top price which is far more then the player is worth. look at moura, united valued him at about 27 mil didnt want to go above that and psg went straight in at 35 mil more then he is worth. id say the 27 united offered was more then he was worth. the transfer market is far t inflated now teams will Qatar owners put in ridiculous offers and united wont follow suit.
chris
Aug 13, 2012 at 9:32 pm
not only that but since the glazers took over with all this debt and we have one at least one trophy each season bar the last. they will win a trophy this season thanks to the management of fergi so saying management needs ti change is bullshit
Ugochukwu
Aug 13, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Me we dnt nid Rvp in our club
Chingy
Aug 14, 2012 at 2:50 am
The system of negotiating to sign players for the cheapest is a syndrome in united.The Glazers are not to blame b’coz they provided enough funds to sign world class players n nw it’s about time we stop being stingy n get the deals done.It’s frustrating to see a nice player being linked with utd bt ends up smwhr else
Jevin from Mauritius
Aug 14, 2012 at 3:05 am
They we ready to splash 30m pounds on an unknown player like moura and then they cannot pay 25m for RVP. Man this is Mr Robin Van Persie..not caroll. How come utd always refuse to pay just a few millions for a world top 10 player and then waste 10m on someone like bebe. And how come united sold Park Ji Sung for only 2m and is berbatov really worth 5M? Man if we were to buy him it would have cost us more than 15m. Take Jack rodwell for example. We were quoted way over 20m for this player 2years ago. Now he is worth only 15m?? or is there a special price for manu?? Manu is way richer than REAL Madrid according to ‘forbes’. Then how come Real can invest 94M on someone who scores 60goals a season (C Ronaldo) and we CANNOT PAY 25M for someone who can get us 37goals(RVP). Manu is now a Limited COMPANY who works for a few owner’s profit rather that 700 MILLIONS FANS WORLDWIDE satisfaction….in the early 21st century manu could spend 29m pound on players like Veron, 23M on RVNistelrooy, 28M on Rio Ferdinand and did’nt owe a prnny to anyone..Now after 12 years of inflation manu cannot invest 3 quarters of that sum on players that is twice as good. In my point of view Manu dont have any money at all and are just trying to buy players to at least say that ‘we’ tried. I don’t understand why chelsea, city, Real, bayern and Barca can pay for players that we, the richest and most valuable sports club in the world can only dream of. In my point of view when Rooney will stop playing we will be just like arsenal today. We are doing what Arsenal did a few years ago when vierra quit and then thierry..they invested on youth..very good idea but more than 5 years wihout silverware. last year it was Manu’s 1st..We still have a long way to go. Our youngsters also are quiting and so does arsenal youngsters. Everything is going to be more expensive now and will be worse in the future. If manu cannot cope now, I dont see any reason why it will in the future. Life is more expensive for me also but I cannot say that food is expensive and stop eating. Well Manchester United has stopped ‘eating’ now as it can no longer afford it. Long live United but I do not at all approve about the management.
Utdfan
Aug 14, 2012 at 3:30 am
SAF is complacent in his old age, GILL is a “Yes Man” for Glazers and a serial Liar !!! followed by the best of the lot; The Glazers, whom are Greedy Blood Sucking Parasites, so with these great characters at our Club, how can we possibly sign any half decent player……just stop hoping for any major transfers otherwise you’ll just be disappointed like the previous few seasons. These guys are seriously damaging the club and should leave so as to stop the rot !!!
Cyrildouglas
Aug 14, 2012 at 6:55 am
Manu really lack the cash n resource 2 attract best players,they are no longer the force they are onces again that y barca beat them in 3 cl finals.fuck them
Gift chibuike
Aug 15, 2012 at 8:48 pm
ThankGod 4 making man.u 2 b able 2 sign RVP.dat’s gud