


30 Jul 2026 · 55m · 18 chapters

Manchester United transfer news and squad assessment, focusing on why deals for Lewis Hall and “Ciumini” (likely Camavinga/Chumeni) won’t happen, plus broader criticism of INEOS/United recruitment strategy and midfield/left-back needs.
No guests are present. The host is Art Goldbridge (United Stand). The episode includes listener comments/questions.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle sacking makes a Lewis Hall move harder, not easier; United are not in talks with Hall or “Ciumini”; Newcastle don’t need to sell after £170m+ sales (Gordon, Tonali, and likely Bruno Guimaraes). The window is “pathetic,” with United allegedly only actively working on Marcus Rashford. The squad is imbalanced: center-backs look strong on paper but midfield/full-back/wide areas are weak. INEOS are accused of “easy” signings, overpaying, and relying on release clauses/manager relationships rather than difficult recruitment.
Comparisons to past failed links (Anthony, Tonali, Wharton, Alex Scott). Rashford PR that he wants to stay. INEOS transfer examples cited: Tillemans (release clause), Zirkzee? (not confirmed), De Ligt, Dorgu, Cunha, Amad, Yoro, Zirkzee?; plus City’s £100m midfielder loan plan and Guardian’s Jamie Jackson analysis.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes.
Discussion on the potential transfer of Lewis Hall to Manchester United.
“There's something about fall that makes you want to slow everything down.”
Discussion on the potential transfer of Lewis Hall to Manchester United.
“to start because Eddie Howe has been sacked by Newcastle and predictably this has sent a lot of journalists and United fans into excitement that we're going to sign Lewis Hall.”
In-depth analysis of the factors affecting Lewis Hall's transfer to United.
“But let's start off talking about Lewis Hall this morning.”
Discussion on Chumini's contract situation and United's midfield challenges.
“So effectively, Spanish reports this morning, I can't, is it Ramon Alvarez?”
Exploration of recent media articles critiquing Manchester United's transfer strategy.
“I think it was Jamie Jackson in The Guardian today.”
Learn about the disparity in spending compared to rivals and the implications for Manchester United's squad.
“well, when one of our supposed rivals is spending£100 million on a player to loan them out, and we're the only club out of the top six that's never spent£100 million on a player.”
Discussing the unrealistic expectations surrounding potential signings Lewis Hall and Ciumini.
“And that to me is, you know, not acceptable.”
Critique of Manchester United's management and their transfer strategies and outcomes.
“We can't sell deck chairs on the bloody Titanic Well, you wouldn't sell them We couldn't sell life rafts on the Titanic Luke says, is our recruitment team on holiday?”
Exploring the financial situation of Manchester United amidst poor transfer activity and club expectations.
“transfer window I love United always will but this window compared to others is embarrassing and showcases our lack of ambition to improve on last season.”
Discussing the club's financial health despite negative sentiments from fans.
“A lot of negativity surrounding the club on all socials right now.”
Clarifying views on player evaluations and media interpretations.
“Do you share similar views on Anderson, Barcola and Boadi, similar to what you had on Mania yesterday?”
Exploring opinions on club ownership and potential relegation for a fresh start.
“talking about analysing being eaten by a shark or stung a thousand times by a scorpion.”
Engaging in discussions about the potential signing of Lewis Hall amid transfer rumors.
“And at the start of this season, it's going to be Deleuze, Shaw, Martinez and Maguire, which is Ten Hag's back four.”
Analyzing the transfer strategies under current management and their effectiveness.
“because I think they do it because their head is right up the arse of this ownership and they actually love doing PR work for them because that's all it is.”
Discussion about the lack of impressive transfers and managerial influence.
“But a lot of our transfers don't, when you scrutinise them, don't involve a lot of work.”
Analyzing why players choose clubs and the importance of ambition in transfers.
“And every summer I hear it multiple times from this live chat or in the comments.”
The impact of not signing top targets and the cycle of poor recruitment.
“Anthony, Sancho, Inanna and other failures.”
Discussion on the challenges facing Manchester United's transfer strategy.
“And we're very unlikely to sign many plan A's over the next five years with a club that won't spend money.”

Get the gist, explore an idea or ask about something said.
On The United Stand, what are the key points of this episode?
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.
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0:42So stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice. Ready to talk with an expert? Visit bill.com slash proven to get started and grab a$150 gift card as a thank you. Terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details. This episode is supported by FX's The Shards, a seductive drama from executive producer Ryan Murphy. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of glamorous, deeply entangled high school seniors drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties, and excess. At its center is Brett, whose reality begins to unravel when the arrival of a new student coincides with a series of mysterious murders.
1:21FX's The Shards, now streaming on Hulu.
1:29Hello everybody, welcome to the United Stands. I'm Art Goldbridge. This is your latest Manchester United transfer news. Lots to get into as always on the news show. Lewis Hall is where we're going to start because Eddie Howe has been sacked by Newcastle and predictably this has sent a lot of journalists and United fans into excitement that we're going to sign Lewis Hall. We will tell you about that of course. There's also stuff coming in from Spain around Real Madrid and Manchester United. We've got something on Rashford. We've got something on Bouadi. We've got an interesting article in The Guardian that is basically ripping apart Man United's plans for next season.
2:05I think that's very important to discuss as well. Also, a couple of things I want to bring into the show a little bit later, one of which is discussing the INEOS transfer strategy two years on, basically looking at every signing they've done and exposing them as the frauds many people think that they are. I mean, have they actually done a transfer that was difficult? Have they actually done a transfer that was, you know, groundbreaking? Or is it actually just papering over the cracks of very easy deals and being ripped off? We'll talk about that. I'm sure we'll get time. But let's start off talking about Lewis Hall this morning.
2:38So look, rather surprisingly, I've already reacted to it on that football. Eddie Howe has been sacked by Manchester United. Sorry, I've just got someone in the chat I want to get rid of here. Someone defending Ineos already, calling me a mug for calling out the calling out inios yeah bye-bye wrong channel uh mutv for you mate get your box of tissues out and your lube um get comfortable whatever you sit on and uh let's go so we're going to talk about the uh lewis hall deal and um so i think it's luckhurst which i you know i i betray myself and any credibility of this community by mentioning samuel luckhurst and transfers because he's got about as much, you know, you may as well ask your goldfish.
3:20But he says that Manchester United might be looking at Lewis Hall. Lewis Hall, Eddie Howe has left Newcastle. I think that kills the deal. Some people think it starts the deal. Let me just tell you a few things about this before I tell you why I think it doesn't help Man United do a deal for Lewis Hall. And I will admit this is a news show and Manchester United are weighing up a move for Newcastle United left back Lewis Hall this summer. Their 21-year-old is viewed as the ideal long-term replacement for Luke Shaw, whose contract expires next year. Hall had been keen to leave Newcastle before Eddie Howe's departure.
3:55This is from Samuel Luckhurst in the last few minutes. I think there'll be more. I think there will be... Oh, got a Dillett injury update as well. I think there will be more people talking about this. Absolutely. I think two plus two is five for a lot of people. Eddie Howe leaves Newcastle, so Lewis Hall leaves Newcastle as well because they didn't get on. I have been saying to you for a number of weeks, I do not believe that Man United will sign Lewis Hall. I've heard nothing about talks. In fact, it was Mike Keegan who said that Man United were baffled by the links to Lewis Hall about a month ago.
4:31I haven't heard anything since then to make me believe that that has changed. he would also cost a lot of money which Man United don't want to spend and there are some very obvious issues with Lewis Hall signing for Manchester United which I will list off now Firstly, he was only last week pictured in the new Newcastle away kit talking about it being his boyhood club Secondly, his issue was with Eddie Howe who has left the club If the issue is removed, why does he want to leave the club? Thirdly, Newcastle do not need to sell cheap. They don't need to sell at all. They have already made£170 million in sales from Anthony Gordon and Tonali, and they're about to sell Bruno Gameres.
5:17They are going to have over£200 million of sales before they even think about selling Lewis Hall. And that puts us straight into the same situation we were with, with Anthony about, what, three, four years ago, where Ajax are selling and United sit on their hands until they go numb and then when they write checks out, they're very big. We had an opportunity with Ten Hag when we took him from Ajax with insider knowledge to go and get Anthony for under 50 million. We waited till the end of the window when we paid 90 million euros. This is what we've done with Lewis Hall. And that's presuming we're in for him, which I don't think we are.
5:59But we have left it too late. I did a video in April, early April, saying Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City. There were loads of clubs don't even know what they're doing next year. They don't know whether they're in Europe. They don't know whether they're not in Europe. We pretty much knew we were going to be in Europe in April. And I said at the time, whether it's Bruno Gimérez, Tonali, Lewis Hall, now is the time to get at the front of the queue with Newcastle when they've sold nobody, put the money on the table, get the deal done quick. Because if you wait with Newcastle, there'll become a point when they've already sold three players and then you're trying to get the fourth player out and they go, we don't want to sell them.
6:39And if we are selling them, the price is ridiculous. And that's where we are with Lewis Hall now. That's exactly where we are with Lewis Hall now. By the time we even think about it, they'll have sold three players and they'll want big money. So all these people this morning who are, they're guesses, they're chances, They've got no information. They're just, you know, they're just trying to generate a bit of interest on their Twitter account or their news article. Oh, Man United could go for Lewis Hall. They've been told nothing. They're like Jon Snow. They know nothing. They've been told nothing.
7:09They've just woke up and decided to scam you, basically, on optimism. There is no story about Man United talking to Lewis Hall. There is no talks with Lewis Hall. and all they've done is gone, yeah, Eddie Howe being sacked probably makes it way harder for Man United to do a deal, but let me be a little bit niche and make out that it makes it easier. It doesn't make it easier. It makes it factually harder. Like I said, they've done over 200 million in sales, so they don't need to sell anyone else. They've got rid of the manager that he wasn't getting on with. He probably becomes their starting left back on one of their best players next season and then gets sold next summer.
7:49and we can't afford him anyway. So I think with Lewis Hall, I don't like to say I told you so, but I think it says it on the thumbnail, so I must give it some clarity. I told you we weren't going to sign Lewis Hall and we're not going to sign Lewis Hall. And for anybody that thinks that we're going to sign Lewis Hall, read the story of Anderson to Manchester United, Tonali to Manchester United, Wharton to Manchester United, Mateus Fernandes to Manchester United Alex Scott to Manchester United because all those stories are the same we really like the player we're monitoring the player we do really really like the player we see them as a perfect player but we're not going to sign the player so forget Lewis Hall it's just not going to happen United won't be able to do that deal so some people are going to tell you yeah I think this can happen I think it can happen I think they're Barry bullshitters who are ignoring the information the only way Lewis Hall signs for Manchester United is if United whacks£70 million on the table and he puts a transfer request in and I don't think either of those things happen let alone one so that's my thoughts on the Lewis Hall situation let me know yours in relation to Chumini look I've got to say there are so much other things more interesting that I want to talk about this morning but I've seen people in the chat I saw that I saw it myself I have to just give you the news on it.
9:13So effectively, Spanish reports this morning, I can't, is it Ramon Alvarez? I don't know how credible he is, but to be honest with you, there's quite a few people reporting it from Spain, basically saying Rodri signing for Real Madrid could lead to Real Madrid selling a midfielder and it could be Cimini. Right. Okay. Let me tell you the story on this. the reason Cimini has not announced his new contract is because he's been in America and now he's on holiday he has agreed a new contract at Real Madrid some people are saying well when he agreed that contract Real Madrid hadn't signed Rodri I'm sorry there's very few footballers in the world who when they sign a new contract have a clause in it saying I get to decide whether you're signing a player or not.
10:06I mean, it's preposterous to think that Ciumini, when he signed his new contract, also got a clause in there saying you can't sign another midfielder while I'm here. I mean, it's just ridiculous. It's ridiculous. So look, he has signed a new contract. There is nothing out there. And the reason it's not been announced publicly is because he's not actually in Spain to do it yet. We do need to move on from Ciumini. If it flips back, it'll be a huge shock and it'll be a nice surprise but there's nothing going on and and these stories these lewis hall and chumini stories that people hype up they're basically as bad as the glazers well they're not they haven't put the club in debt but they're they're basically romanticizing to try and spin positivity around a football club that is doing very very bad in this window at the moment in fact there was a very good article today just just to deviate a little bit there was a very good article.
11:01I think it was Jamie Jackson in The Guardian today. I'll read you a little bit out of it. I thought it was very, very good. So basically they were talking about the squad and they were saying, because I genuinely said this last night, like I genuinely do think the positive fans are waking up and I do think the media are starting to wake up, which I credit them for because the job in the media as a journalist is to reveal the truth and not be a client journalist to Manchester United Football Club. It's not a nice football club. They're not run by nice people. So why would you be a client of theirs?
11:39Uncover the truth. And I quite liked this article because it was speaking about, it used the centre-backs as a key indicator, basically, of the problems of the squad. Because when you look at the centre-backs, Man United, you've got Harry Maguire, De Litt, Lissandro Martinez, Manez, Aidan Heaven, Yoro. You've got five centre-backs for two positions. So you could look at United's centre-back pool and go, it's really good. But then you go, well, that's probably one of the strongest areas of the United's team because obviously our goalkeeper's good, but he's young. Our full-back situation's not great.
12:16Our midfield situation's not great. We need a backup striker. Our wingers are reasonable, but we don't really have a left-sided player. Our centre-back pool is probably the strongest part of United's team going into the new season. But even that's not strong when you scratch the surface because you've got De Litz, who is on his way back with a bad back, but isn't going to be back for another month or two. And when he does come back, could have another issue. You've got Lissandro Martinez, who I think is our best centre-back, but is out of contract very soon. Some people think we should sell him.
12:51Some people think he's injury-prone. you've got Harry Maguire who had a very good end to the season but is basically at the end of his career you've got Heaven who's at the start of his career and is still you know hopefully going to be a good player but he still needs to be developed and then you've got Yoro who cost 50 million quid who's probably our fifth choice centre-back so all right we've got five centre-backs but there is it's not it's not as balanced as people think it is like there's that there is papering of the cracks in there there is thin ice there so it was very good but then it went on to He said, but if there's problems potentially with the centre-back, it's nothing compared to the midfield.
13:27When you look at what Man City have done with Elliot Anderson and they're also about to sign Buadi, and let's not forget, Man City are about to sign a midfielder for£100 million and potentially loan him back. That's power. Listen to this, right? Manchester City are about to sign a player for£100 million and potentially loan him out for a year. We're the only top six club that's never spent£100 million on a player. And if you want a key fact about how Man United are falling away and falling off, well, when one of our supposed rivals is spending£100 million on a player to loan them out, and we're the only club out of the top six that's never spent£100 million on a player.
14:16It's a very clear view of the drop-off at Man United. But look, it goes on to say, you know, you've got Chelsea spending£117 on Morgan Rodgers. You've got Tottenham spending massively on Tonali and Fernandes. Liverpool are about to sign big on Barcola. Arsenal would love to sign Vinicius Junior. Man United have been and signed Uri Tillemans, who is 29 with 13 years in his legs and no competition for him and 48 million pounds for Andre Santos who has 11 league starts last season for Chelsea this is not my words this is the words of Jamie Jackson in the Guardian and I think I think the media are starting to wake up I think they're starting to wake up and go even we're not going to get spun anymore like you've got Man City spending 100 million pounds on a player that they might loan United have never spent 100 million pounds on a player you've got united's two major signings being a 35 million pound release clause that no one else wanted and a 48 million pound player that started 11 games last season that's nothing against tillemans and santos but it's not overwhelming is it and i i i look at united squad and articles like that do help and i go where is this squad equipped to have a good season I don't think it is I don't think it is and you know Carrick can say it is but I think the centre-back situation could fall apart big time full-backs ain't good enough midfield's not good enough wingers I'm reasonably happy with Nvermo, Ahmad, Konya, Dorgou potentially Rashford and you know Sesko if he can stay fit and Bruno's the superstar but you know this is not a very good Manchester United situation there is five weeks left in the window but there's still a lot of work to do.
16:08And the reason I mention that is obviously to give a little bit of context to the Lewis Hall and the Ciumini stories. Why the hell are we talking about Lewis Hall and Ciumini with five weeks to go and left in the window? I mean, these are pipe dreams. These are fantasy. And we shouldn't be doing this. We need to sign at least three players. and we're talking about, you know, huge amounts of money for players that were just not going to sign. And that to me is, you know, not acceptable. Not acceptable at all. Let me get some of your comments just on the Lewis Hall thing before we move on to the next story.
16:57Michael Murray says, Mark, what do you think of Sano from Mainz as your defensive midfielder? Japanese international, young and strong and technical. I know a lot about Sano because obviously we've covered the Bundesliga on Mats Football. There's not a lot of players in the Bundesliga I don't know now. He's a very good player. He's not young. I think he's 25, 26. He'd be very easy to sign for Manchester United. But my feeling about Sano is that you wouldn't expect him to sign for Manchester United or Arsenal or Man City or even Villa. I think he would be a good signing for the Premier League, but I would expect him to be going into someone like Brentford or Brighton or Crystal Palace.
17:36I think that's where he should go. Did you see Karl Anker's comments about our transfer strategy being more ensuring, more about ensuring we don't finish below fifth rather than going for higher than third due to drop off in previous seasons after getting third? Just music for everyone. I mean, I haven't seen those comments, but if you're telling me United's transfer strategy is about finishing fifth instead of going for second, why are these people still in charge of our club? Why are we not forcing them out? That would be my answer to that. I mean, are we supposed to be happy with trying to stay fifth?
18:09It's bullshit. Sangari's off the Brentford mark yeah we covered that yesterday morning no surprises there but Arda and Co have been made to believe they're top business managers but in today's time you don't get top quality without being quick and spendings as Hitton Adam says I'm terrified all roads lead to Balaba if you've not done so already could you compare his stats from last season to his so-called good season well I'm not going to spend any time talking about Balaba on a news show mate because there is no news around Balaba it's just hype from him it's PR from him there is nothing from Man United they're not in talks, they're not looking to sign him he is on the list somewhere down the bottom but we don't need to worry about that at the moment Why are we building a new stadium when an upgrade to Carrington is long overdue?
18:54Most of our players becoming injury prone after they come to us says Korshik, we literally just updated Carrington a year ago mate, in fairness What in Carrick's CV makes the board think he can turn an Everton squad into title contenders? says Marlow are you going to do a call-in show says Veghorse well all I'd say about that is you know people were warned we did it years ago and exactly the same thing happened Mark can you explain why we're broke after spending 85 million euros even though we get in the Champions League and have the highest revenue in the Premier League says that we're not broke we're not broke we make a lot of money the problem is we have to service debt and we have owners that don't want to put their own money in so the club just doesn't have enough money but it is wealthy.
19:37It's just the way we're run. On time and I missed it, says Shift. Would you take Jed Spence as a left back? No, I wouldn't. Toby, I've spoken about this before. I think he had a very average season for Spurs. I actually think he's a right back as well. And I think that, you know, three or four good games in the World Cup shouldn't make them a Man United target at left back. Do you think if we sign Hall, the board will call him the third midfielder and left back signing in one? Well, we're not going to sign Lewis Hall then. I want us to be real and I don't want that I don't want to waste time on it Robert McCormack says how quitting means more players are leaving Newcastle well Robert unless you sat on the board at Newcastle I'm sorry I'm not going to I think you're just fanning the flames of stupidity that Lewis Hall is coming to Manchester United Newcastle have already sold£170 million of players with Anthony Gordon and Sonali, and they will sell Bruno Gameres, which will take it north of 220 million.
20:37They don't need to sell anyone else. And if they do sell someone else, whether it be Liveramento, Lewis Hall, Tao, whoever else, they'll charge massive money because they don't need to sell. And they can say to that player, you're not for sale. So I don't think this means there's going to be an exodus from Newcastle. And even if there was, they're not desperate for money. So I see it the other way. I think it makes it even harder to do deals beyond Bruno Gomérez. Robert says, I never said Hall is coming to Manchester United. No, but you said more players are going to leave Newcastle. I disagree.
21:12I think one more is going to go, but we know Bruno Gomérez is going to go. I don't think anyone else is going to leave. £170 million from Gordon and Tonali and then Bruno Gomérez. They've just pocketed. In one summer, they've probably pocketed in sales what Man United can't even do in a decade. Have we sold£250 million worth of players in the last 10 years? There's a question for you They're about to do it in one summer So people take the piss out of Newcastle But they're about to make£250 million in sales We can't sell deck chairs on the bloody Titanic Well, you wouldn't sell them We couldn't sell life rafts on the Titanic Luke says, is our recruitment team on holiday?
21:57I don't know what they're doing, Luke I don't know what they're doing. I mean, the only, you know, if like Man United transfer news was like the financial markets, the only story that you would make money on at the moment is Rashford. and what i be what i mean by that is it's it's the only story that that is sort of being spoken about by proper journalists i mean romano who gets a lot you know romano gets a lot of shit and you know me i i i will say bad things about people and good things about people i'm very fair um i think that's the way you should be in life i don't think you should have a gender and there's a lot of people who've sort of jumped on Romano over the last few weeks including other journalists but was it not Romano who dropped the Lewis Hall exclusive about an hour and a half ago so you know you can dislike some of these journalists but you almost you also have to be fair in remembering they do get a lot and I think that with regards to Rashford that's the only player in or out that we're constantly getting stuff on and that's probably because United are aware that Rashford's coming back to training with his under his arm in the next his boots under his arm in the next 10 days so they've got to start spinning a positive now what we're getting around Rashford is and Romano was on about this this morning he wants to stay at Man United um he won't go to Turkey.
23:32He won't go to Saudi. He'll only go somewhere that's a big club. So I think that apart from Rashford, and we all know that that's PR, there is nothing about Man United. And what worries me, just picking up on that for a moment, because people say what's happening with the midfielder, what's happening with the left back. We're not signing Lewis Hall. We're not signing Cermini. As of today, we're not signing them. That doesn't mean in a month's time something something amazing could happen. But the bottom line is we're not in talks with Lewis Hall. We're not in talks with Ciumini. We're not in talks with Alex Scott.
24:06We're not in talks with anyone. What worries me is United can only do one deal at a time. Are we just spending our time on Rashford? Is that what's taking everybody's time up? How do we integrate him back? How do we get the fans on board? How do we get a load of media on board? Because if that's what they're doing, that might explain why it's so quiet. Because United can only do one deal at a time. And if we're working on the reintegration of Rashford, it might explain everything because there's a lot of work to be done there. This is a player that desperately wanted to go to Barcelona and we desperately wanted to sell him only two months ago.
24:49We've now got to make out that he desperately wants to play for us and we desperately want to keep him so maybe that's what united are doing all their work on because it's the only only updates we're getting are around rashford um and there is no prospect of him going anywhere as of today other than back to manchester united so maybe that's what they're maybe that's what they're spending their money uh spending their time on uh they'll certainly be spending their money on it 325 grand a week he's been on for the last month United have paid Rashford nearly one and a half million in the last month You won't get that reported by the client journalists They'll tell you that we've saved money on Sancho and Casemiro But they won't tell you that we've paid one and a half million to Rashford in a month They won't tell you that Highmark, I think it's one and a half million, it might be more 325 grand a week 650, well it's under one and a half million actually it's more 1.25 isn't it he's our best paid player I think he's paid more than Bruno hi Mark United stand hope you're well United are the ones who arrive to a party when it's over then has to go to the corner shop and overpay on reduced drinks they have wasted so much time which might cost us the Champions Leagues Daniel mate you snooze you lose if we wanted Lewis Hall we should have gone and done it early I said this last night there seems to be this mentality at United that if you wait till the end of the window the price will go down it's absolutely the opposite nine times out of ten the price will go up like Newcastle will literally charge more for Lewis Hall now because they've done two good signing sales and they're probably about to do a third as well you've got the most pragmatic take on our transfer window sorry sadly says you've got the most pragmatic take on our transfer window I love United always will but this window compared to others is embarrassing and showcases our lack of ambition to improve on last season.
26:47Well, thank you very much for your super chat, sir. Look, I think realism is the most important thing. For me, it's a pathetic transfer window. We haven't backed our manager. We haven't solved the issues that we've got. And the players that we brought in have been quite underwhelming. That's reality. That's my reality. On a positive, there is still a few weeks left in the window. And on a positive, I don't think it matters if we'd bought nobody. I still think we'd win four of our first five games. I think even with no Casemiro and no signings, we'd still win four of our first five games because on paper, they're a piece of piss.
27:23Now, obviously the Premier League can bite you in the arse, but we're going to beat Ipswich and we're going to beat Hull unless something crazy goes wrong. I'd say we'll beat Everton away as well. So that's three wins before we play Man City. And then you might have a bit of, it's a Manchester derby, that's a flip of a coin. We might have four from four. And then we're going to win the league. But it's a marathon, not a sprint. I think it's been a pathetic transfer window. I think the inability to sell doesn't get enough focus. But I do think we'll have a very good start to the window. Alex, sorry, a very good start to the season.
28:01A lot of negativity surrounding the club on all socials right now. What effect do you think they'll have on Glynios, if any? Well, he won't have any, Alex, because they've sold all the season tickets and the kit sales are very good. So ultimately, you know, if you're a business person and let's say you've got a hotel and on TripAdvisor, your reviews are really bad. You go into the accountant and you say, I'm worried because we're getting bad reviews. And the accountant goes, don't worry. You've got record money coming in for this summer. And next summer, you're all booked up already. What about the bad reviews?
28:40Well, who gives a shit? Do you think we should reply to them and apologise? Don't do that. Don't do that. Just stay quiet. You're still selling out your hotel a year in advance. Don't worry about it. And that's my honest assessment of what United probably think about people being negative about them. The money still rolls in. Do you share similar views on Anderson, Barcola and Boadi, similar to what you had on Mania yesterday? I thought you were very harsh, the Sunrisers Army. Oh, mate, you are somebody, you know, like a lot of people in this community, I do respect your opinions and you do pop up every now and again.
29:16I don't like that, though. I was not harsh on Mainu at all because you didn't listen. And it frustrates me when people I actually respect misinterpret things. What I said about Mainu is, do you think he's overrated? and I said no I don't think he's overrated I think he's an amazing talent but what I also said was he's not the finished article and for me I don't put him in the midfield starting every game like Bruno I think there needs to still be games where if he has a bad half an hour he gets subbed off or if he has a bad game Tilleman starts that what I said is he's a brilliant player I don't think he's ready to be starting every single game I think we still have a responsibility to develop him and I won't be crying if we start games with him on the bench.
30:07I did not say he was a bad player. So I've been completely and utterly misinterpreted there. Thank you very much for that. Luke says, our recruitment team on holiday, thank you very much for that. I'd rather be eaten by a shark than stung a thousand times by a scorpion. This slow and painful death of the club is hard to see. Just get relegated, lose the owners and start afresh. Ami, I'm really glad you turned that into football because I really thought you were just going to carry on talking about analysing being eaten by a shark or stung a thousand times by a scorpion. But look, many of you said it, and I do agree with you.
30:40If it meant getting rid of the glazers, would you go down to the National League? Many people said, yeah, I'd rather start with something pure than carry on being poisoned. For 10 years, getting Champions League has been a curse in disguise. No ambition and unwanted players are all of a sudden desperate to stay. Rinse and repeat, says Marlow. And MyRed555 says, if peak Sir Alex took over United now, where do you think we'd finish? For me, outside top four. So Carrick doesn't have a prayer.
31:11Peak Sir Alex Ferguson managing Man United now. I think he'd get his top four. He couldn't win the league, but I think he'd get his top four. What happened with that secret midfielder, Marks, is Vincenzo? It was Scott. Yeah, it was Alex Scott. Yeah, two weeks ago, So we were in talks with Kone and one other and it was quiet and people couldn't figure out it was. And basically it was Alex Scott. And we weren't even in secret talks. He was just the other midfielder that we like and we still do like, to be fair. Yeah. Right. Let's carry on. There is still bits to get through on the show this morning.
31:50I wanted to just talk to you. Dilitz, just very quickly on Dilitz. He is back in training. I think he's done some Instagram lives. So he is back in training, but is probably still going to be another month or two away from Manchester United. I think in relation to De Ligt, what you've got to look at is that one, can he get back? And I hate using the word back with De Ligt because it's obviously the problem. And two, how does he hold up to the demands of Premier League football and Champions League football? I think he's a fantastic player. I think he was a brilliant player for us before he got injured.
32:33And I think it's a player that Man United really do need to have back. But, you know, it's not going to be... Look, I said this yesterday morning on X. Our starting back four for the first few games of the season is probably going to be Ten Hag's back four. just like it was Ten Hag's midfield under Carrick. It was Maynou, it was Casemiro and it was Bruno and that was the midfield that Ten Hag had. And at the start of this season, it's going to be Deleuze, Shaw, Martinez and Maguire, which is Ten Hag's back four. This is not evolution. This is rinse and repeat. Big Smoke Barbecue says, Death by a thousand cuts, FC, it's embarrassing.
33:23Some good comments coming in this morning. I think people are starting to wake up, not literally wake up because it's a morning show, but also wake up to the reality that, you know, you've been lied to. This is not a football club that is ambitious. This is not a football club that is trying to win titles. This is a football club that's very much trying to, you know, pull the wool over your eyes. And I don't think it's helped by journalists, content creators, accounts on X. They're part of the problem. They do need calling out. Oh, Lewis Hall next. I would love to sit down with one of these journalists or one of these content creators or one of these people on X and say, tell us why we're signing Lewis Hall then.
34:06Tell us why you're bullshitting your own fans at a time where we need real news. Why are we signing Lewis Hall? Because Eddie Howe's been sacked. Oh, okay, okay. Yeah, so we're signing Lewis Hall then? Well, yeah, because Eddie Howe's been sacked, but they didn't get on. One of them's left. Surely he'll be happier now Eddie Howe's gone. Well, no, because they might decide to sell him. Okay, all right, okay. So they've made£200 million on sales and they want to sell another player now. Well, they might do. Yeah, okay. What do you think the price will be? Wow. Well, it won't be cheap, will it? Because they don't need to sell.
34:41So the price will go up, won't it? By 20%, 20 million maybe. So he'll be about 70 million, won't he? Yeah. So you really are talking bullshit, aren't you? A player that was in their new kit last week, who has an issue with Eddie Hall, but Eddie Howell's gone, who is at a club that doesn't need to sell. And if he is sold, he'll be sold at a price we can't afford. Oh yeah, Lewis Hall's coming to Man United, isn't he? Wind your own fans up again with bullshit. That's not what we're about. It's not what I want us to be about. I want us to be real. and I would rather be amazingly surprised by signing Lewis Hall in a month than hyping up a deal that looks like it's never going to happen.
35:23And shame on those people who do it because I think they do it because their head is right up the arse of this ownership and they actually love doing PR work for them because that's all it is. If people think we're signing Lewis Hall today, it distracts them from reality. for a few, and that's all that's going on at United at the moment, in my opinion. It's just distraction. We've not done anything for weeks. But if you talk about Lewis Hall and you talk about Chumini, you're distracted. And I'm bored of it. I'm bored of talking about Lewis Hall. I'm bored about talking about Chumini because they're not actually happening at the moment.
36:03And they're very unlikely to happen as well. I'll never say never, but they're not actually active. They're just theories. And at the end of July, with four and a half weeks to go in the window, in a crap window, we should not be talking about speculative deals. We should be talking about real deals. What are the real deals that Man United are working on right here, right now? And that's the question that nobody knows. Ab says, you look, you seem stressed. You need a spliff. Well, I certainly don't. The impact that Americans have on the sport we love is sad. The The disrespect that Man United have received is Europe, not respecting our owners, says Duke Studio.
36:44Death by a thousand cuts. It's embarrassing, says Big Smoke. And we can easily do a swap deal involving Xerxi and Ollie Watkins. But unfortunately, the club can't see deals like that. Well, Jack, I don't think swap deals are easy. I also don't think Aston Villa are stupid. So, yeah, I don't I don't I don't think that's that's easy to do. I think Oli Watkins is possible, but he is being offered very big wages in Turkey and potentially Saudi. So that probably puts Man United off, if we're being completely honest. Remember, we were discussing, I mean, last night's show was very good. I don't like to repeat stuff, but we buy cheap.
37:25We buy cheap, easy and desperate. Desperate to come to Man United. No one else wants them and cheap. They're our parameters. so is ollie watkins desperate to come to man united i'm sure he'd like to is he gonna be cheap his wages won't be will there be competition yes they're the they're the three things i use now if we're linked to a player are they cheap are they desperate to come to us and is there no competition and if you if you can get those three there's a chance if you pull some of them down there's probably no chance um sunrise's army says fair play mark wasn't trying to be critical Look, as I said, respect, but I wasn't in any way...
38:08I'm a big fan of Maynou. I just think what we were talking about is there seems to be this assumption that Maynou's our starting midfielder and he's not the finished article. We still need... I do it to defend these players. Like, if we allow the media to overhype Maynou into he's got to start every single game and he's not finished, he's not the finished article, when he has bad games, they'll slaughter him. So, yeah Thomas says, is there a release clause? Well, look, I saw something today And I think this is very good to bring in, right? It was an account called Fergie Standards on X And basically they listed off something And they said some of the transfers under INEOS Tillemans, release clause Xerxe, release clause Cunha, release clause Santos, minimal negotiation, overpaid asking price, no competition.
39:06Embermo, lots of negotiation, but ended up paying over the asking price. Are Ineos terrible at transfers? And I thought, you know what? I've never really looked at it like this, but, and that's just a selection of transfers, but Tillemann, Xerxi, Cunha, all are release clause, so there's no negotiation. Santos, no one else wanted him and we overpaid. And Chelsea were desperate to do that deal. And Mbermo took weeks and we still overpaid for him. So, yeah, sometimes we pay a release clause, sometimes we overpay. Are we good at transfers? Name me a transfer Man United did under Ineos that was difficult.
39:50That's what I would say. Like, if you look at Morgan Rodgers to Chelsea, you might not agree with it, but it's still a massive deal. If you look at Barcola to Liverpool, you might not agree with it, but it will still be a massive deal. If you look at Declan Rice to Arsenal, you might not agree with it. It's still a massive deal. How many decent deals have Man United done? Because I actually, I've got a list here in front of me. So let's go through it. Lenny Yorou, 52 million pounds. Massively overpaid.
40:25Has it been a good signing? Well, time will tell. Agate, 44 million pounds. Now, we only got Yoro because we took Agate, because it was all through George Mendes. Were we played or did we do a good deal there? Yoro Agate for over 100 million quid. Good deal, bad deal. Did we get played? Were we just George Mendes' play thing so we could get Xiao Neves to PSG? I'll leave that up to you. De Litt and Naz Rawi for a combined 50 million. um i actually think that was a good signing you know how much of that was down to they'd both played with ten hog before probably quite a lot but i actually do think that was a good signing xerxi release clause 36.5 million pounds i wouldn't say that was a good deal if i'm being completely honest um you then move on to dorgu um i think we paid 25 million pound for dorgu from Lecce I actually think that was a good signing I'm not going to lie about that and then you've got last summer Cunha release clause Embermo we overpaid for took weeks Sesco was option 5 and we paid 68 million Le Mans very good signing on the last day of the window we weren't even going to sign a goalkeeper and that was down to Tony Coton and then you're into this summer I mean, look, primarily, I like the Sesco signing, I like the Kunya signing, I like the Embermo signing, I like the Masraoui signing, I like the De Ligt signing.
42:07But a lot of our transfers don't, when you scrutinise them, don't involve a lot of work. They're easy. They're easy deals or they're based on managerial relationships. I mean, De Ligt and Masraoui would have been because of Ten Hag. Kunya and Embermo were because of Ameren. Le Mans was because of Tony Coton. Dorgu was probably the only one where I would say Ansesco, where it was somebody on the board, probably Favell. I don't see a lot from Wilcox, to be honest. I don't see Wilcox's handprints on a lot of these deals. And I don't see many deals that make you go, wow, that was really, really impressive.
42:52I think we operate on very, and maybe that was a plan by Ineos when they came in. Maybe they were like, we're so bad at transfers, we need to focus on easy deals. That's the only way this is going to work because we're just shit at transfers. But I still think we're shit at transfers. And I don't think it's a volume thing. I think when you scrutinize our deals, we focus on cheap, easy deals.
43:19I thought last season we had turned a corner when we signed Embermo and Cunha but we've gone backwards. Do you think Ineos puts off signings because the club is a mess? No, not really, mate. I mean, look at Chelsea. They're not really a glowing... I mean, look, I think there are things, Michael, to be negative about or moan about but what I refuse to do is moan about everything because I think there are positives. They're few and far between but there are positives. I do think we'll have a good start to the season because of the fixtures. I also think that players don't not choose United because the club's run by the Ineos or the Glazers because United's a mess but is Chelsea not a bigger mess?
44:06They're not in Europe. They've sacked so many managers And their managers have gone Because of issues with the board It's chaos at Chelsea But Morgan Rodgers has still gone there So I don't think players Players are mercenaries Ultimately a player will go Where They feel They have a good relationship with the manager And they're going to earn good money And Morgan Rodgers has gone to Chelsea it's a fucking mess as a football club over the last two years doesn't mean it'll be a mess now but if if a footballer was looking at the way a club had been run why would you sign for Chelsea and yet he has gone to Chelsea because footballers like managers don't necessarily look at the last two years they look at what they're going to get paid and what the relationship is with the coach so I don't think a player looks at it and goes I'm not going to Man United because the glazes are rubbish.
45:04I think players choose not to come to Manchester United because we probably don't offer them what other clubs are going to offer them. Mateus Fernandes is the prime example. Mateus Fernandes would have 100 % signed for Man United if we'd offered the same that Spurs did. Spurs played a very, very clever game. A lot of people took the piss out of Spurs for what they paid for Mateus Fernandez. But let's put it like this, right? You walk into a car dealership, there's one Ferrari left. It's the right, it's the dog's bollocks and it's the last one left. And there's a really rich guy negotiating for that car and they've got the reputation, right?
45:50you want it but you know you can't go toe-to-toe with them so you basically walk in and you pay a little bit more you offer a little bit more and the car dealership says look i know who you are but they're offering more money if you don't offer that i don't care who you are and that's what spurs have done spurs knew if they went toe-to-toe with man united he'd choose man united because we've got champions league football we've got bruno fernandez you know we've got roald trafford so spurs just came in and offered a little bit more and then people took the piss out of spurs going, oh, I can't believe Spurs have done that.
46:20But is that not ambition? Is that not like saying, we appreciate that Man United are in a better position than us at the moment, and we can't compete with them by going us or them. So you go higher than them. And all right, you might get the piss taken out of you because you paid a little bit more, but you paid a little bit more to get a deal that you never would have done if you'd paid market value. So I respect what Spurs have done because the only way they could get Tonali and Matias Fernandes was to actually offer them a little bit more than clubs in a better position than them. And that's what we should be doing to get our players.
46:58If Arsenal or Man City are going for a player, we should be offering a little bit more. That's what we should do. That's what Spurs did to take our targets. And Spurs have taken our targets. Let's now call it a spade, right? Matias Fernandes should be wearing a Man United shirt. He's wearing a Spurs shirt. Tonali should be wearing a Man United shirt He's wearing a Spurs shirt Elliot Anderson should be wearing a Man United shirt He's wearing a Man City shirt So our targets have been taken by more ambitious clubs And that ambition this summer has been about Paying a little bit more To get the right players that you want And how many times have you spoken In this community over the years And said no more Plan D, E or F signings These aren't my words These are your words over the years, as far back as Van Gaal.
47:48We must give our manager plan A and B. We can't keep giving managers plan E, F and G. Every summer for the last decade, I have heard many of you say it and you're absolutely spot on. We talk about the rinse and repeat. We're talking about the cycle of doing the same thing over and over again. And every summer I hear it multiple times from this live chat or in the comments. the most important thing this summer is make sure we're getting the manager plan A and B no more plans D, E and F and here we are again doing it like Tillemans is not a plan A, B or C neither is Santos and the third midfielder we haven't even signed them but they're definitely not going to be plan A, B or C either so when people come for Carrick which no doubt they will I hope people remember Carrick is going to be another manager that hasn't been given plan A, B, C options.
48:45And I don't think that's good enough. If we bought Benicius Jr. and sold Maguire, we would win the league. So sleepy, go back to sleep. John United says, I get why they struggled to sell players on huge wages, but what's the excuse with Xerxes? It really makes you wonder what they're actually good at, says John. Well, it's a good point because I think I'm right in saying that Xerxes' wage isn't actually massive. Let me have a quick look.
49:17I mean, this will be roughly. Xerxes earns, and look, this could be about 105 grand a week.
49:29Is the top end of what he... So let's say he's on 100 grand a week. Mate, but you know what? when United signed him, they probably thought 100 grand a week isn't that much. But realistically, for what he's done in the game, a decent season at Bologna and nothing at Man United, he's not a 100 grand a week player. So, you know, you can buy Jadon Sancho and give him 300 grand a week and no one's ever going to give him that and you're stuck with him. But you can also give Xerxes 100 grand a week and no one's ever going to give him that as well. So people talk about we've got to stop paying big wages.
50:11This is what I mean. Ineos have looked at United's transfers over the last 10 years and come up with something so simplistically stupid it makes you want to cry. They basically said no more expensive mistakes. Expensive's nothing to do with it. No more mistakes. Using the word expensive is wrong because good players are expensive. But by saying no more expensive mistakes, they're saying we're not going to pay£2 million for players. We're not going to give anyone over£200 ,000 a week. They've focused in on expensive mistakes. Xerxes is not an expensive mistake, but he is part of the problem. £35 million is not expensive.
50:53£100 ,000 a week is not expensive. But it's still a massive mistake because no one will give us£35 million and no one will give him£100 ,000 a week. So it's the same as spending£80 million and giving someone£300 ,000 a week. You're still stuck with them. So United have come up with this stupid strategy of no more expensive mistakes when they should have focused on no more mistakes. It's recruitment that's the problem, but it's not necessarily the wage or the price in relations of value. You can still make mistakes for 40 million pound players and get stuck with them, which we have done in the past.
51:25We were stuck with fucking Rojo for years. We were stuck with we've been stuck with a lot of players that weren't expensive. the minute you give somebody a wage over 75 grand a week it becomes very difficult like you many of you would say 100 grand a week's not a high wage it's a massive wage for a player that should be playing for Brentford it's a massive wage for somebody that should be playing for Valencia so buying cheap you still make the same mistake no one's gonna give Anana 120 grand a week. No one's going to give Xerxi 100 grand a week. These are massive wages that clubs where they should be playing can't pay.
52:07And it keeps happening. Kai says, we paid over the release clause for Xerxi because we didn't want to pay 35 million, overpaid because we're cheap. Yeah. Yeah. So Xerxi's release clause was 35 million upfront. We paid 36.5 so that we could, we gave Bologna another one and a half million so that we could spread it out over payments over three years. so we're probably still paying for Zerksy actually. Omar and Wilcox setting up character fail. Jim setting up Omar and Wilcox to fail. Glazers have the fall guy Jim ready to take the blame, says Achif. It's a scary thought. It really is. Do you think the board are actually playing us and has no real ambition to be title contenders, says Marlowe, or do you think that that's just a conspiracy theory?
52:49I don't think it actually matters, Marlowe. I don't think it matters whether they're playing us or whether they think we can win the league. Either way, it's incompetent or manipulative. We lose. If they genuinely think we can win the league operating like this, they're incompetent. And if they really think we can't win the league, but they're pretending we can, they're manipulative. But either way, it doesn't help us, does it? I really don't think Ineos has bought the best of the position. Don't know if Kunya is the best at his position. Really, this is where we need to judge Ineos as Ray. well, Konya's being played out of position, isn't he?
53:34For 10 years, I've done that one. I've done that one as well. Okay, that morning show has absolutely flown by. So thank you, everybody, for tuning in as always. Fasten your seatbelts at 2 o 'clock because we have got Ben Jacobs on the show. He's going to have to wear a crash helmet, I think. Let's see what there is to report. I mean, look, all I'm going to say, a really good show this morning. I would rather be real. It would be so easy to come on the morning show and say Man United are in for Lewis Hall and get everybody excited. But I think you have to be honest. I think you have to give honest opinion.
54:10And with five weeks left, well, less than five weeks left in the window, I don't think we need fantasy. I think we need reality. It's been a pathetic transfer window and we need some reality. now look if at 2 o 'clock Ben Jacobs says you know Belabe is still a possibility Lewis Hall is still a possibility don't shoot the messenger like if those stories are still floating around at 2 o 'clock that's an indicator on how shit United are at transfers because those stories are just speculative they're not factual What I want to see is United in talks with Roma for Kone. That's what I want to see. Anthony, Sancho, Inanna and other failures.
54:59What can coaches, managers do when we passed on so many other unsuccessful talents? Who should be held responsible? I think there's a direct, thank you very much, Korsh. I think there's a direct correlation between buying options, plan D, E and F and the next manager being screwed. so United should be buying A and B because if you buy A and B it's what the club wants it's what the manager wants if you buy if you go down the list and you buy plan F or E or D the chances of them flopping is bigger well we've been doing that for 10 years so is it not logical that we're going to end up with a load of players that aren't good enough if we keep buying auction D, E and F.
55:47When was the last plan A United signing? Who was the last plan A United signing? And how many times have we done it? I would say Man City, Arsenal, they're buying plan A or B most of the time. Man United very rarely sign plan A. And we're very unlikely to sign many plan A's over the next five years with a club that won't spend money. So this could be the future, I suppose. Take care, everyone. Stay safe. I'll speak to you in a bit.
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With Eddie Howe leaving Newcastle ahead of the new season, could it open the door for Manchester United to make a move for Lewis Hall, or will the defender feel he has an even bigger role to play without Howe? Goldbridge also rounds up the biggest transfer stories from the last 24 hours, including whether Rodri's potential move to Real Madrid could pave the way for INEOS to swoop for one of Madrid's midfielders.