28 minutes ago, dermott said:

Scoring more goals is all very well. MU's fundamental problem is they don't have the talent required to play Amorim's very specific style - the major reason they tanked last season - and don't seem to be taking steps to rectify that. Something, eventually, will have to give. I suspect Amorim will probably opt out.

Cunha and Mbeumo could fit nicely in the two 10 roles in Amorim system. But like I said Amorim isn’t exactly looking like a success and the current climate at the club is rock bottom.

They could have signed Cole Palmer and he could have struggled. Just think they’re good signings in principle. MU on the other hand need much much more than two quality signings.

49 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Not heard the one about Leeds and Chilwell. I don't believe he is sellable. He, and Sterling are to us what Sancho is to United.

Best case we get a late loan and stoll pay most of their wages, but likely they stay until their deals expire as one will pay them close to what we are.the Saudis don't even want them.

I don't believe Sterling is even bothered about play time.he started as a professional at 15. He has played so many games already. Can rest for a couple of years, make big money then find move on a free to have some fun playing a

Maybe same for Ben.

Chelsea News

Chelsea stalwart could finally leave this summer with hug...

With the Club World Cup now over, we're back in a similar situation to the one we were in a year ago at Chelsea where sales are priority 1.

44 minutes ago, terraloon said:

Chelsea News

Chelsea stalwart could finally leave this summer with hug...

With the Club World Cup now over, we're back in a similar situation to the one we were in a year ago at Chelsea where sales are priority 1.

Will see then.

I doubt anything happens though.

To add to the above both Sterling and Chilwell have contracts than run until the summer of 2027 with us. Small chance Ben takes a wage cut to leave, no way i see Sterling doing so. He loves living in london.

To add to them Nkunku has a contract that runs until 2029. He is on just under 300k a week.less than Sterling, more than Chilwell. All three hard to move on due to those salaries.

If Bayern don't want Nkunku then I don't see a side who would want him and would pay his wages. Seems like United are no longer after him.

2 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Not heard the one about Leeds and Chilwell. I don't believe he is sellable. He, and Sterling are to us what Sancho is to United.

Best case we get a late loan and stoll pay most of their wages, but likely they stay until their deals expire as one will pay them close to what we are.the Saudis don't even want them.

I don't believe Sterling is even bothered about play time.he started as a professional at 15. He has played so many games already. Can rest for a couple of years, make big money then find move on a free to have some fun playing a

Maybe same for Ben.

Agred on Sterling. He is no longer a professional footballer. Retired on full pay.

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

To add to the above both Sterling and Chilwell have contracts than run until the summer of 2027 with us. Small chance Ben takes a wage cut to leave, no way i see Sterling doing so. He loves living in london.

To add to them Nkunku has a contract that runs until 2029. He is on just under 300k a week.less than Sterling, more than Chilwell. All three hard to move on due to those salaries.

If Bayern don't want Nkunku then I don't see a side who would want him and would pay his wages. Seems like United are no longer after him.

Whilst I don’t doubt that footballers are greedy most want to actually play.

Of course we all remember Bogarde but by and large footballers want the best of both worlds. It’s worth remembering that most footballers at PL level will be paying 45% IT and 10% nic. Add to their government deductions they will be paying to their agents and of course to the PFA pension fund

Chillwell it will all be about the numbers. The potential costs for the remainder of his contract are £20 million ish . The calculations will need to include nic employer’s liability of 13% longside the fact that there is around a saving in 26/27 of £4.5 amortisation and £5m wages .He is the easiest the three is the easiest to see being moved on for say £10 million starts to sway the numbers significantly.

There was rumours that Nunkuku was on £300k a week but think that was all put to bed .Capology suggests that he is on £195k a week. Still a huge sum. But likely that includes a % of his signing on fee.

Sterling is a difficult one and of course his wages are even more ridiculous. I likewise can’t see who would take him on but again unless someone is mad enough to offer him say a 4 year deal( unlikely) or he decides to go to Saudi then the best we can hope for is a loan or his contract gets bought out

Edited July 20, 2025Jul 20 by terraloon

1 hour ago, terraloon said:

Whilst I don’t doubt that footballers are greedy most want to actually play.

Of course we all remember Bogarde but by and large footballers want the best of both worlds. It’s worth remembering that most footballers at PL level will be paying 45% IT and 10% nic. Add to their government deductions they will be paying to their agents and of course to the PFA pension fund

Chillwell it will all be about the numbers. The potential costs for the remainder of his contract are £20 million ish . The calculations will need to include nic employer’s liability of 13% longside the fact that there is around a saving in 26/27 of £4.5 amortisation and £5m wages .He is the easiest the three is the easiest to see being moved on for say £10 million starts to sway the numbers significantly.

There was rumours that Nunkuku was on £300k a week but think that was all put to bed .Capology suggests that he is on £195k a week. Still a huge sum. But likely that includes a % of his signing on fee.

Sterling is a difficult one and of course his wages are even more ridiculous. I likewise can’t see who would take him on but again unless someone is mad enough to offer him say a 4 year deal( unlikely) or he decides to go to Saudi then the best we can hope for is a loan or his contract gets bought out

I'd agree both Ben and Nkunku want to play regularly, and may well take a small cut to make that happen.

Everything I have heard on Sterling tells me he is not fussed, or rather playing is 3rd behind being with his family in london and making the most he can now. No London side will give him anywhere near what he is getting now. Maybe in 2 years he goes on a free to fulham, west ham or palace.

17 hours ago, DarkMata said:

Cunha and Mbeumo could fit nicely in the two 10 roles in Amorim system. But like I said Amorim isn’t exactly looking like a success and the current climate at the club is rock bottom.

They could have signed Cole Palmer and he could have struggled. Just think they’re good signings in principle. MU on the other hand need much much more than two quality signings.

Indeed. Primarily midfielders and defenders who are up to Amorim's demands. He inherited a poisoned chalice but it was, ultimately, his choice. He wanted to wait till the end of the season to take the job. Offshore Jim and his mates said the job wouldn't be available at the end of the season. Who the fark were they going to appoint in the meantime? Amorim fell for it.

11 hours ago, axman2526 said:

I'd agree both Ben and Nkunku want to play regularly, and may well take a small cut to make that happen.

Everything I have heard on Sterling tells me he is not fussed, or rather playing is 3rd behind being with his family in london and making the most he can now. No London side will give him anywhere near what he is getting now. Maybe in 2 years he goes on a free to fulham, west ham or palace.

Players like Willian are able to do this, this guy has never been good enough to warrant it. He is not good enough to be a starter in his prime, he has no chance of being a starter for Fulham or Palace. West Ham are stupid enough to do it, possibly.

For me, we fell into a trap, overpaying for a player that was only ever a one trick pony and was waning at even doing that. No football IQ whatsoever and limited ability. The guy has technically retired now and fair play to him for rinsing mugs like us for all he can get. Also from what little i have seem he is actually a humble, quiet, well rooted guy, so a career in punditry won't even beckon where bellends seem to be in abundance, such as Carragher, Redknapp, Nicol and Burley.

22 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

Players like Willian are able to do this, this guy has never been good enough to warrant it. He is not good enough to be a starter in his prime, he has no chance of being a starter for Fulham or Palace. West Ham are stupid enough to do it, possibly.

For me, we fell into a trap, overpaying for a player that was only ever a one trick pony and was waning at even doing that. No football IQ whatsoever and limited ability. The guy has technically retired now and fair play to him for rinsing mugs like us for all he can get. Also from what little i have seem he is actually a humble, quiet, well rooted guy, so a career in punditry won't even beckon where bellends seem to be in abundance, such as Carragher, Redknapp, Nicol and Burley.

Sorry - are you suggesting that prime Sterling isn't good enough for Fulham or Palace?

52 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Sorry - are you suggesting that prime Sterling isn't good enough for Fulham or Palace?

Seems to be. Bizarre.

2 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Sorry - are you suggesting that prime Sterling isn't good enough for Fulham or Palace?

No. I was stating that in his prime i never rated him as a starter for us, nor is he a starter for Arsenal on loan, nor indeed was he for Man City, hence why he ended up moving to us. Being of a certain generation i still class players being in their prime being the age range of 27-30, unlike the current pre-pubescent model we all seem to be moving towards.

My point is also that once he has bled his way through the remaining years of our contract, having effectively retired on full pay, he then won't be good enough to start for Fulham or Palace either, being what 32 by then and having played no football.

EDIT: I will happily confess though that i have never rated Sterling, before, during and after us, so my comments could easily be clouded. For me a one trick pony that rarely fits the model and has minimal football IQ. Actually a nice guy i suspect away from the pitch, but i've never been a fan.

Edited July 22, 2025Jul 22 by WhiteWall

I really wish these Garnacho links would go away.

Fulham interested in KDH

Loan or buy

Prime KDH for the avoidance of doubt😐

Edited July 23, 2025Jul 23 by OneTommyLangley

On 22/07/2025 at 20:57, WhiteWall said:

No. I was stating that in his prime i never rated him as a starter for us, nor is he a starter for Arsenal on loan, nor indeed was he for Man City, hence why he ended up moving to us. Being of a certain generation i still class players being in their prime being the age range of 27-30, unlike the current pre-pubescent model we all seem to be moving towards.

My point is also that once he has bled his way through the remaining years of our contract, having effectively retired on full pay, he then won't be good enough to start for Fulham or Palace either, being what 32 by then and having played no football.

EDIT: I will happily confess though that i have never rated Sterling, before, during and after us, so my comments could easily be clouded. For me a one trick pony that rarely fits the model and has minimal football IQ. Actually a nice guy i suspect away from the pitch, but i've never been a fan.

Can't agree here. One of the smartest players England has ever produced. His ability to read the game is what made him adaptable to so many different systems and players since his teenage years, and made him such a lethal goalscorer in his peak years. I can't help feel that the actual issue for Sterling has been attitude, and I think it shifted and crystallised somewhere in his last years with City. Sterling should be competing with Salah and Hazard in that debate and yet he is no where near the conversation.

Sterling has been blessed with game sense and athleticism beyond compare and it's what made him very successful despite relatively limited technical ability for a player in his position. And yet he was discontent with Guardiola because for some reason he thought he needed to be something more than a goalscorer, to the point he was happy to blow up his very successful role and look elsewhere.

He came to Chelsea with the opportunity to be a leader for an inexperienced team in turmoil, and he proved to be as much of a shrinking violet as the rest. The missed 1v1s, ignoring team-mates in better positions, the farces with free kicks and penalties were all things that you can excuse from a rash teenage prodigy but not from someone who was brought in to make this team his own. He is more obsessed with an imaginary chip on his shoulder instead of maturing as a player and leader.

Edited July 25, 2025Jul 25 by JM7

These are always Worth a listen.

On 22/07/2025 at 18:57, WhiteWall said:

No. I was stating that in his prime i never rated him as a starter for us, nor is he a starter for Arsenal on loan, nor indeed was he for Man City, hence why he ended up moving to us. Being of a certain generation i still class players being in their prime being the age range of 27-30, unlike the current pre-pubescent model we all seem to be moving towards.

My point is also that once he has bled his way through the remaining years of our contract, having effectively retired on full pay, he then won't be good enough to start for Fulham or Palace either, being what 32 by then and having played no football.

EDIT: I will happily confess though that i have never rated Sterling, before, during and after us, so my comments could easily be clouded. For me a one trick pony that rarely fits the model and has minimal football IQ. Actually a nice guy i suspect away from the pitch, but i've never been a fan.

Sterling was legit wc player. Two level above our current winger.

The problem is he started his career at 18. Player who started his career early tend to have big drop off earlier.

Edited July 25, 2025Jul 25 by Bob stark

On 21/07/2025 at 17:17, dermott said:

Indeed. Primarily midfielders and defenders who are up to Amorim's demands. He inherited a poisoned chalice but it was, ultimately, his choice. He wanted to wait till the end of the season to take the job. Offshore Jim and his mates said the job wouldn't be available at the end of the season. Who the fark were they going to appoint in the meantime? Amorim fell for it.

I said last season that I have never seen team doing what Amorim did last season. Amorim basically try to copy his sporting system to united and of course it was a complete disaster.

I saw his team play high press with

Casemiro-Ugarte

De Light - Maguire - Mazraoui

😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

On 17/07/2025 at 15:41, Sexyfootball said:

• Madueke to Arsenal

• Fernandez to Real Madrid

• Nkunku to Bayern Munich

• Jackson to Aston Villa

• Rogers to Chelsea

I'll be turning cart wheels if all of that happens LOL

My wish list includes Rogers to play the Fernandez role as I'm convinced he has the attributes to match Enzo's contribution plus better all round technique and finishing. This would have to be funded by the sale of Fernandez but I'd do it without hesitation.

Yildiz is my preferred left wing target but nearly impossible to get I imagine.

Hato to round off the summer incomings would be nice if that can be afforded after the other two moves.

On 25/07/2025 at 07:39, Bob stark said:

Sterling was legit wc player. Two level above our current winger.

The problem is he started his career at 18. Player who started his career early tend to have big drop off earlier.

There was never a time I thought Sterling was world class. The one thing in his game he was always good at was reading the game and getting on the end of a cross, similar to Lampard. But outside of that, I thought almost every other part of his game was average. The way he runs, shoots, passes, always looks so awkward, it's probably why he has more misses from like 3 yard out than I have ever seen. His decision making was often sh*t too.

Edited July 27, 2025Jul 27 by Scott Harris

Most people threw absolute daggers at Sterling last year, and yet his winger replacements Neto and Sancho didn't even match his 23/24 PL goal output between them, despite playing more than double his minutes ...

I'd bet he'd still be our best goal-scoring winger in 25/26 if he was given the chance, which he won't be.

I'd also bet he'd be our most frustrating winger too. Rough with the smooth as the old saying goes ...

Edited July 28, 2025Jul 28 by Sexyfootball

Sterling's overall game just isn't worth the additional goals he'd likely contribute. (If he'd even)

Judging from his stint at Arsenal, he looks done.

8 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Sterling's overall game just isn't worth the additional goals he'd likely contribute. (If he'd even)

Judging from his stint at Arsenal, he looks done.

I wouldn't hold anything against him for last season at Arsenal LOL. Can you imagine how depressing it must have been to go from being a respected (in the dressing room) senior player/mentor at Chelsea to having to play for Arteta ?

5 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

I wouldn't hold anything against him for last season at Arsenal LOL. Can you imagine how depressing it must have been to go from being a respected (in the dressing room) senior player/mentor at Chelsea to having to play for Arteta ?

Yeah but there were signs under Poch. We could see his decline in real time.

From March until the end of the season virtually every player was improving and looked comfortable bar Sterling.