It’s time.

Saw him at home vs Telstar in the first match of the season. He made a near disastrous error in the first 10 minutes, iirc. He looks promising, but let the kid grow physically and mentally for a couple seasons before plucking him from the comfort of Ajax.

If we get £39m for Hojlund, Antony goes Betis, and Sancho to Roma for £20m (which looks possible again), then United are under no pressure at all to sell Garna at a discount. Especially since he’s on a relatively small wage. If Chelsea want him, they’ll need to pay up.

If Amorim’s system can work in the PL, it will require 2 badass CM’s. We currently have 0. I love that Bruno stayed, but as an 8, he’s a square peg. I think we should have sold him and spent the money on 2 CM’s that fit the system.

Yeah, he thinks a big club is going to pay him his massive wages next summer when he leaves on a free 🤡.

Calm down.

He’s got to find matches somewhere if he wants to stay in Brazil’s WC plans. Surely he goes. Would be massive to clear his wages

What he’s done with Real Oviedo is a fantastic story and it shows real class.

I agree. It’s not ideal. On the bright side, he’s one of the best prospects in Europe, and I trust Vivell. Sesko is a big bastard with good feet who hits the ball hard, and last season Leipzig asked him to come deep for the ball in the build up. I really think he’ll suit Amorim’s system well.

If we can ship Sancho, Garnacho, Antony, then we should still be able to bring in Sesko and a midfielder. A lot will depend on how we structure the Sesko purchase. Same as Cunha and Mbeumo, we need Leipzig to agree to installments.

I’ve watched the Everton replay a couple times. I honestly do think our priorities should be 1)CM (Ugarte and Casemiro aren’t it), 2) RWB (Dalot has been awful this preseason, and Amad doesn’t look ready for the role), 3) ST. Maybe a cheap option up front is the answer? Vlahovic on loan?

I prefer Watkins, too. But there’s absolutely no way we should be paying more than £40m for a 29yo, and there’s simply no way Villa sell him for that. If you’re going to spend, spend on a 22yo that’s a potential world beater. Vivell is a good judge of talent. I trust him.

I remember a few of his misses that were especially terrible. I remember him banging in goals in Spain and thinking, “Forlan? Wait, Diego Forlan?!?!?”

Had a great career. Loved watching him play after he left United. He was brilliant at the World Cup in 2010

We would need €30m for him to break even for PSR. I can’t see a club paying that. Would we try to loan him?

Most likely scenario is that Onana remains our keeper through this season, and we try to offload him next summer when his book value is lower.

It’s going to come down to whether we can do installments. I hope we can find a way to make it happen.

I admit I’m worried that he’ll struggle at CM, especially if we don’t bring in a suitable partner, but I thought he looked excellent against B’mouth. He worked hard defensively, and he’s in a position to get on the ball a lot and dictate play. I think this could work.

I really think this is a massive point. Cunha/Mbeumo give us goals, but they also provide strong, hard working players for our midfield and backline to play into. Should instantly improve our buildup. Progressive passing stats should improve immediately for guys like Mainoo, Ugarte.

I’ve watched a fair bit of him, and I really do think he’s the type that could help us control matches, but we should elsewhere if Atalanta are posturing. They’re masters of squeezing United.

We really should be talking more about head injuries in football.

I saw they sold their women’s team, and the club claim they have no PSR concerns. As I said, I don’t think Villa are in a position to have to sell Watkins. If they are, I’d happily take him for £20M. But realistically, we’re probably looking at £60M, and he’s simply not worth that as a 29yo.

He’s my top choice, but Villa are under no pressure to sell, and it’d take a giant fee to pry him away. We’re skint, and even if we could afford it, he’s 29. He’s not Van Persie. He’s not the final piece of the puzzle. If we could have him for £20M, sure. But Villa will want £60M. Too much.

That’s why this won’t happen. There’s no pressure for Villa to sell. They’ll be asking 60M, and there’s no way anyone should be paying that for a 30yo. I’d do it for 20-25M, but there’s no way Villa will accept that.

'Saturation of soccer': Why empty seats litter Club World Cup, Gold Cup Little more than a week into the summer of soccer, and some of the defining images of the Club World Cup and Gold Cup have been seas of empty seats.

It takes Jeff 860 words to mention ticket prices 🤦‍♂️

www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Ok, but you asked why were linked. He’s as good as Gyokeres at running channels, better in the air, has excellent close control, carves chances for himself… he’s probably better than Gyokeres, and he has a high upside. But after Hojlund, I get why Utd are scared to rely on a young striker.

🤷‍♂️ who is better? He’s probably better than Gyokeres, and/or he almost certainly will have a better career than Gyokeres. I’ve watched a lot of him. He’s more complete. Unless we’re in for Osimhen, we’re not in for a better ST than Ekitike.

Understandable if we’re put off by the price though.

He’s the real deal. He’s 22 and he’s already shown the ability to take over games in the BL. Maybe he’s not what we need rn, but he’ll end up having a brilliant career. I’m really confident that he’ll end up being one of the top few strikers in the world.

He’s already incredible. He has all the tools to become a top striker. Wonderful technique, crafty enough to create opportunities on his own, big, physical - real handful. I have zero doubt that he’ll become a much better player than Gyokeres.

Would have him back in a heartbeat.

I think Patrik Shick and Moise Kean have reasonable release clauses. Maybe Ruben can convince one of them to join the project?

Honestly, Shick might be a good choice to help mentor Hojlund if we keep him.

Won’t argue with you about it. But I do think that in 1-2 years he’ll be better than anyone we’re able to attract. He’ll be better than Cunha. Hems 20, but he’s a 20yo born 2004, not 1984. GenZ are infants. The right club structure and manager will fix these personality issues.