The 2013/14 Transfer rumour thread

[m4ttm4son]

And they said Arsenal were being classless with their bid...

Maybe Man U thought it was Buy One Get One Free.

[billy2shots]

Can't stand all the mucking about. Utd have failed in quite a few attempts to sign players in the last couple of seasons by giving other clubs the jump using these tactics. I guess it's ok playing hardball when your the only team in the hunt but you risk losing out on the player. Not quite as bad as Arsenal yet.

I like the way Southampton have done business this year. Wanyama, theres the cash done. Osvaldo, theres £14m, bang signed in double quick time.

[Calm Chris]

Arsenal are absolutely shocking at signing, David Dean please come back.

[garcon magnifique]

Arsenal have made a £10M bid for Cabaye, apparently. I'd píss myself laughing if United outbid them...

[billy2shots]

Paul Pogba who left Utd for nothing last year is causing a few headlines in Italy. He is being talked up as a real star for the future and a target for Arsenal.

[Twinspark]

Paul Pogba who left Utd for nothing last year is causing a few headlines in Italy. He is being talked up as a real star for the future and a target for Arsenal.

He's a bit of a mercenary cünt, though - having stitched up both Le Havre and United to further his career. If Arsenal do manage to sign him - he won't be around for long.

[garcon magnifique]

I never really understood how United allowed Pogba to slip through their fingers. He was always a bit special.

[Milo]

Arsenal have made a £10M bid for Cabaye, apparently. I'd píss myself laughing if United outbid them...

I can't see them evening blinking until the bidding hits £25M. There's no way they want to sell him (fear the backlash) but as Andy Carroll proved, every player has his price.

What I will say is what a sh1t's trick by Arsenal and Wenger bidding on a player who's hours away from kicking off his season. Nothing like unsettling someone before a big game. Pricks.

[billy2shots]

Your right milo and he is not in tonight's squad now.

[garcon magnifique]

The timing of the Cabaye bid hitting the news may not have been Arsenal's doing.

The United bid for Baines and Fellaini was actually made before the season started (so last week sometime), I'm guessing it was Everton's decision to make it public by responding today.

[Milo]

Your right milo and he is not in tonight's squad now.

He's gone. End of. The only mystery now is how much for.

I've always admired wenger but the timing of the bid was wrong, very wrong, and he's gone waaaay down in my estimation.

I don't buy into the "manager didn't know" nonsense.

Looking forward to a NE derby with 'Boro next year.

[billy2shots]

Not a great game for Newcastle but you should be happy it was only 4. Negredo's goal should have counted and I think city could have been given 2 of the 4 penalty claims, could have ended 7-0!

Fear for the Toon this season.

[Milo]

City never got out of first gear, thank god. It could and should have been 4-0 after 15 minutes. As I said elsewhere, that was embarrassing. They came out looking like a team and manager defeated and walked off like they'd just been relegated. The Cabaye saga was disgraceful, his omission unsettled the whole team but even with his inclusion, I don't think the result would've been any different.

The crazy thing is, I genuinely feel for Pardew and I never thought I'd say that. If I was him, I'd walk and leave Joe Kinnear and Ashley to sort out the pile of shite they've created.

I hope someone unsettles an Arsenal player and leaks 'bids' to the media 6 hours before every match this season. I look forward to their early exit from Europe and Wenger getting the bullet when van persie puts 5 past them, but not before he has a public breakdown of Keegan proportions. What a cnut.

[NewNiceMrMe]

Pogba has been touted as a star of the future for 2-3 years.

The problem is, as has already been eluded to, his motives for moving from club to club are shrouded by controvesy. Le Harve blame his family, saying they are only interested in making money out of him, and that he is entirely driven by money too. He only made 3 appearances for United and 2 of them were awful. The last one wasn't too bad but nor did it appear that he'd set the world alight. Nonetheless, they wanted to keep him.

Ferguson said he'd signed for Juventus long before leaving United, after showing no interest in a new contract. They guaranteed him first team football and increased his wages by 50%.

From what I read at the time he wasn't very popular at United. The coaches said he was the last to turn up and the first to leave in the reserve team training. I don't think we'll know how much of a loss he is for a few years yet, but I'm not really bothered if he turns out to be the next Zidane - if he's going to sulk when he's not selected, and is motivated by money alone then he's welcome to play anywhere else in my book.

Same applies to Rooney. Just get rid.

I think City had a very easy ride from what I saw yesterday. As Milo says, Newcastle didn't seem remotely interested and the Cabaye bid is interesting. As I understand it, Ashley wants £25m+ for him; I don't see that happening.

[m4ttm4son]

I've heard Arsenal tabled the bid on Friday. But listen to Pardew if you like

Anyway, it's the transfer season, what do you expect? You don't HAVE to tell the player there's been a bid for him if you flatly refuse it anyway. Look at Everton. His omission, just confirms to me that that Newcastle are prepared to sell him. Why else pull him from the game? Arsenal have been after Cabaye for years, any media rumours could've been batted away easily.

And Arsenal have never had a player unsettled during silly season, have they?

[garcon magnifique]

The beginning of the end of Arsenal's season - and Wenger's reign - could happen as early as tomorrow night.

On the Cabaye thing, if Arsenal panic enough Ashley might get something close to his £25M. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if United join in.

I fear for Newcastle this season, and not in any kind of gloating way. I honestly don't understand what has gone on at the club, I don't get how Pardew can lead a team from Euro qualification form to relegation form in half a season, you couldn't make up the whole Kinnear saga, and Ashley has got to be the richest idiot in the country. Newcastle fans deserve better than this.

Interesting stuff about Pogba - I'd heard snippets but didn't really know the full story. Just shows a player needs a great deal more than just talent to be successful.

Rooney just strikes me as one of those people who needs to move every 5 years to rekindle the spark. It's the same in any walk of life - some people just need that change of scenery now and then. If he does go, I just hope it's abroad. If it's to another Premiership club then United have psychologically lost the title before it's really started.

[Milo]

The funny thing is, most of the fans weren't blaming Pardew for last season's near disaster, nor last night's capitulation.

In the 2011/12 season, we were incredibly lucky and over-performed. A few risky signings paid off and to qualify for Europe was an unexpected bonus. However they didn't build on that in the close season and started 2012/13 with a weaker squad. Which then found its natural level as many players under-performed and we got a load of injuries. The result was panic buying more risky signings which back-fired this time. They were simply not good enough.

Now, having just avoided relegation, one would have thought the club would then realised where it went wrong and have an aggressive close season in the transfer market. Only they haven't. All they've done is let squad players leave, employ Kinnear and sign Remy on loan. Who snubbed us 8 month ago chasing the money, who is injured and who is facing a potential rape charge.

So now our squad is considerably weaker than even last season and we're facing the loss of Cabaye. And I'd be amazed in Ben Arfa is still a Newcastle player in 6 months time.

And I don't think Pardew is to blame for what's happened. The blame lies squarely with Ashley and his 'team'.

I genuinely don't know why Ashley still wants the club. He's a brilliant businessman, his personal fortune is testament to that. But he has zero interest in growing the club and refuses to invest in it. Initially he did and probably saved them from doing a Leeds. But now he wants his money back. And some.

It's crazy. With the Sky *and* BT money swilling around this year, £60M invested now would probably come back to you simply by avoiding relegation. Yet we have one the country's richest businessmen as a chairman who won't spend a penny. He's trying to run the club like he does his shops, cheap and nasty with old stock. It might work on the high street but as far as football goes, it's more suited to the Championship which is where they're heading if they don't get a grip of things.

Long rambling rant over.

[garcon magnifique]

I've heard Arsenal tabled the bid on Friday. But listen to Pardew if you like

BBC seems to think it was tabled on Sunday, but it's a moot point.

While the transfer window continues into the season it is just one of those uncontrollable things that can happen, no different to losing a key player through injury the day before a game.

Pardew is just using it as a public excuse for the performance. If it genuinely had "a significant effect on their performance" then the problems at Newcastle are even greater than I thought.

In private one would hope he had a quiet congratulatory word with the kid who came on for Gutiérrez, a positive word for Ben Arfa (who's probably also on his way....) and then got the rest of those who 'played' together and gave them the biggest almighty bollocking of their lives.

P.S. Agree with much of that post, Milo. I thought the appointment of Pardew was laughable - it had little basis beyond him being a gambling buddy of Ashley's (and if you believe the rumours helped clear a gambling debt) - but the responsibility for the club's problems lies squarely at Ashley's door not Pardew's. I think Pardew has done as well as he could in the circumstances.

Edited August 20, 2013 by garcon

[NewNiceMrMe]

It is funny though.

[billy2shots]

As an outsider I saw the Utd - pogba relationship differently. His contract was in the last year and he wasn't happy with the lack of first team action (none) or the fact no new offer was coming. With 6 months left on his contract Juve become interested and Utd then start to make an effort to keep him. They offer a new contract and include him in a few match squads.

In the end he accepts the Juve offer.

Suddenly he is a mercenary. Where have we heard that before? Oh yeah Tevez. Utd did not make an offer (show him they wanted him) until other clubs starting negotiating with his agent. They are shocked the player chose to go else where and suddenly he is a merc.

Without turning this into more of an anti Utd post, Man U do need to adjust the way they do business. Long gone are the days where a player will join simply because the are Utd.

10-15 years ago Utd would have made this stupid offer to Everton and sat back and watched the fallout of Baines and Felliani demanding to move to the biggest team on the planet.

[garcon magnifique]

The difference there being, Tevez actually is a mercenary (as you surely must realise by now). Always despised him, never wanted him at United and always thought he was over-rated.

You have a point on United's transfer policy though. Funnily enough, I think what we're seeing is more down to the change of chief exec than change of manager. David Gill must be looking on with horror.

[NewNiceMrMe]

As an outsider I saw the Utd - pogba relationship differently. His contract was in the last year and he wasn't happy with the lack of first team action (none) or the fact no new offer was coming. With 6 months left on his contract Juve become interested and Utd then start to make an effort to keep him. They offer a new contract and include him in a few match squads.

In the end he accepts the Juve offer.

Suddenly he is a mercenary. Where have we heard that before? Oh yeah Tevez. Utd did not make an offer (show him they wanted him) until other clubs starting negotiating with his agent. They are shocked the player chose to go else where and suddenly he is a merc.

Without turning this into more of an anti Utd post, Man U do need to adjust the way they do business. Long gone are the days where a player will join simply because the are Utd.

10-15 years ago Utd would have made this stupid offer to Everton and sat back and watched the fallout of Baines and Felliani demanding to move to the biggest team on the planet.

I've not read any reports on Pogba to the contrary, and as has been said Tevez was very different and I'm astonished any City fan would even try to defend him.

Let's see how vocal City fans are at the end of the season, because they went remarkably quiet again last year.....

One win against a team destined to struggle this year and it's all football talk again!

[Milo]

In private one would hope he had a quiet congratulatory word with the kid who came on for Gutiérrez,.

Ah, the same lad who wasn't good enough for the reserves last season and who was lucky not to be let go in June apparently.

I think there are massive problems behind the scenes and something will give shortly. Pardew isn't an evens bet for the sack for nothing. If I was him though, I'd hold my head up high and walk and leave them to it.

[Milo]

And for the record, I think Chelsea and City will be battling for 1st and 2nd this season, with Man U finishing 3rd. Which will be given a positive spin by the club, what with it being Ginger Nut's first season.

[NewNiceMrMe]

Keep hoping, keep hoping.