David Sadler column

February 02, 2007

THE transfer window passed without any great fuss at United and that's how it should be because we're not far off full strength.

It showed that we didn't really need anyone. The one piece of activity, bringing in Henrik Larsson, was done and dusted well in advance and everyone who has seen him play will see that for the major coup it was.

I'm not in favour of having a transfer window. It's a very difficult time to bring in players and for them to settle quickly. The only time it really applies to clubs of United's size is when you have more than one key player injured.

United's only reported interest was in Owen Hargreaves of Bayern Munich and Southampton's Gareth Bale.

It's been an open secret for some time that United want Hargreaves, but this wasn't necessarily the right time to bring him in.

The only reason he would be eligible to play in Europe was that he's been injured for so long. He's obviously still a fair way from being fully fit.

That will be one for the summer and I'm sure it will fester along until then before it is resolved.

As for Bale, he's obviously a player for the future. But the left-back position is one we have well covered with the emergence of Patrice Evra and the return to fitness of Gabriel Heinze.

It's interesting that the big four clubs, with the possible exception of Liverpool, have played little part in the transfer window, leaving it to the clubs who are struggling in the Premiership such as Charlton and West Ham or those clubs keen to get out of the Championship.

Either way, it smacks more than a little of desperation.

From the United point of view, it didn't surprise me that we didn't get involved.

When you see the team we put out against Watford, and that Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were hardly involved, it shows the strength in depth Sir Alex has.

Do you think United made the right moves in the January transfer window? Have your say.

| Submit Comments | Comments (27) |

Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

Birdy, Ireland (02/02/2007 at 11:51)

I think we another central midfielder as a priority. Larsson was a great piece of business but that was done a while ago. We've had a long time to line up a new midfielder. Hargreaves would be a good signing but i dont think he's that good that he merits a year long persuit. I've said before, he's not Ronaldinho. Hes a good honest hard working player. He's not the only player in world football of his kind. I wasn't really expecting us to get someone in this window. For me the fault lies with our business in the summer. The Hargreaves thing was handled desperately. The fact that we went for him means that theres a recognition of the need for that sort of player. As such we should have made sure we got a player in. Go for Hargreaves, fair enough, but why let it drag on until the last day of the transfer window? We then missed out not only on him but on Senna, who would have been a good acquisition, but was left dangling. We had a plan B but made such a mess of plan A that we never got to use it. A new player was needed then because to bring in the right player in that position in January is very difficult, as has been shown by the fact we couldnt manage it.

Stephen, London (02/02/2007 at 12:14)

well to me the big coup for me was the bindippers getting mascherano. You doubters will soon see his true class. gutted

TMUF, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 12:18)

Birdy I'm pleased we didnt get senna. from what I've seen of him, he hasnt got the ability of Hargreaves. Looking at how well Carrick and Scholes have played together he would have been on the bench most of the time, Fletcher can do that job! I feel it makes more sense getting the right player then any player as we havent struggled so far. I no injuries will hamper us but I believe a long term injury to any of our 1st 11, barring maybe Evra and Giggs, would make a massive difference to our team. Its not just the same with United but every club out there! I feel Larsson was a great signing. Look at Chelsea and all there injuries yet they STILL didnt bring anyone in! I think the injury to Ashley cole could be a blessing indisguise. He is close to Beckham in terms of being one of the most overrated players ever and I think Wayne Bridge is Englands best LB.

Reason for the Season, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 12:28)

The passing of the transfer window without any great fuss at United doesn't neccessarily prove that we're not far off full strength. Reason being, the term "full strength" is vague and undefined adequately. Does it mean reaching a level whereby there are no means of improving the squad? E.g. replacing Giggs with say the likes of Robben or Ronaldinho? If thats the case, then Man Utd are far from full strength. I would suggest the only reason for David's comments on being close to full strength is because he has been misguided into a false belief that only the likes of Hargreaves can improve the squad. Dream world-class I say. Many others could do wonders for this squad as well. If only not for the tight purse strings of the glazers.

On a separate note, I agree with David's disdain for the transfer window. The window merely seeks to inflate prices as seen in 10m Ashley. If FiFa is so adament on the window, maybe they ought to consider a window for managers as well. Utter rubbish this window.

Frank, Old Trafford (02/02/2007 at 12:44)

Oh deary me, the only thing he didn't say was that Fergie is god. Tow the company line or what! Even though it's a short article I did manage to fall asleep 3 times before I finished it. In Smith, DF, JOS, KR, MS and OGS we have some very highly paid reserves who just aren't good enough. While they're on the payroll it's very difficult to bring anyone in who isn't prepared to play for peanuts. So Sadler expects the opposition on the way to trophies to be on a par with Watford, yes David very convincing! We do have a big squad but it's not balanced and that should have been sorted in Jan, whether you agree with the transfer window or not!

bobbydazzler, lowton (02/02/2007 at 12:46)

tmuf watch villareal against madrid and then tell me he is not a good player he is head and shoulders better than oshea and fletch and would have improved our squad immensley. cast your mind back to last years cl he was not exactly troubled by our midfield in those games either

Taylor-Red, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 12:49)

Reason for the season, every club in world has players that can be replaced with better ones, Barcelona can replace Gudjohnson for Torres Chelsea can Replace Shevchenko for Huntelaar the list would never end for every club in world! You cant have the best 11 players in the world its an impossibilty as for one it would be far too expensive and two their arnt 11 best players in world, you could give me your best 11 and i could equal it with choosing my best 11 not using any off your players! Its a stupid statement to make!

Liam, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 12:53)

Yada yada yada, midfield schmidfield and all that.
We all know we need a CM, what makes me laugh is that most people think we need a world class midfielder to come in but the same people think that Scholes and Carrick are doing a great job. For now we need a squad player. Despite Mick's assertion on another thread that Mascherano and Reo Coker aren't good enough to replace O'Shea or Fletcher (what?) there are plenty of players who could come in as back up and do a job when needed. Everyone just seems to get obsessed with the same crowd of players that they only know about from the gossip columns and have never actually seen play.

Mick, Dublin (02/02/2007 at 12:54)

Hargreaves wasn't eligible for Europe, by the way. He injured his leg AFTER appearing in a CL tie. As I've whaffled on (at length!) in other threads, I think the squad we have right now is good enough to get us through the rest of the season. Hargreaves would have been a bonus. But I do think, looking ahead to next season, we might have missed a trick. We will need, at the very least, a top-class left-winger as a back up for Giggs (who can't go on for ever) +/- another striker. I think Vidic and Evra are much better players this season having had the second half of last season to bed in. If the money was available, maybe we could have looked beyond a certain lame Canadian (lame as in broken leg, no comment on his ability) in the search for new additions to our squad? Mind you, it's so tight at the top (unlike this time last year) maybe we couldn't risk dropping points by blooding new players? And getting decent players in January can be a nightmare, clubs don't want to sell their best players half way through a season and ask for crazy money (18m for Darren Bent? WTF??). So, basically I've no idea whether or not to be worried about our lack of signings!

Dave Keighley, Kent (ex-Cheadle) (02/02/2007 at 12:57)

TMUF, quite right about waiting for the right player and not just buying anyone -- we've been there before. United made it very clear that Hargreaves and Bale are the targets and put in very reasonable bids for both. If Soton and Bayern ain't selling at the moment, there's not a lot else we can do until the summer. At least we haven't wasted money on another Djemba2 or Kleberson.

terry, harrogate (02/02/2007 at 13:16)

It has to be right to be patient, have a clear strategy and not be sucked into paying crazy prices.
Many people in these posts criticised Carrick's signing; some even gave Larsson no chance. Some of us take the long view and give a player and formation a chance to work out. Now how stupid does Carrick look with world class performances at Â£18m with Sheva at Â£31? and Ashley Young at Â£10m?
I believe we will get both Bale and Hargreaves, at Â£8m and Â£18m respectively. With the return of Rossi and only a back-up defensive MF (e.g. Senna, Mavubu or Duscher) at say Â£6m max, I'll stick.
We play the best football (yes I do go), at the best pace and in a way that brought me to being a United supporter pre Munich.
Please be patient guys. Even the duffers are getting experience which will either be of occasional use to rest key players against mediocre opposition or at worst increase their transfer value. MU 3 TH 0. Seeya.

Keane, Keene County (02/02/2007 at 13:35)

Standing still will get us nowhere...it seems there has been a practice over the last 4 -5 years to do as little as possible in the transfer market with the exception of "marquee" player like Roo, Ron, Rio????. The manager seems so gunshy...on many occasions there were oppurtunities to strengthen the team with good young players at reasonable prices (Robben, Van Persie to name a couple). The manager seems to think he can develop them from within...well where are these up and coming stars SAF??? This team is way too thin with talent for the ambitions that are expressed and talking about wanting to win everything and not having the talent is very frustrating for the fans....my expectations have been lowered....and I hope most of you have as well to avoid the inevitable fall.
What is wrong with this front office ...for five years+ we have not kept pace ....yet we have such fantastic talented "superstars" that we bought...not developed! Sadler....try another sport and league your not up to this one.
Spirit of Keano

Demo, Glossop (02/02/2007 at 13:43)

Totally agree this window was created by agents. Sneaky transfers enabling quality players to be snatched up at a low price are a think of the past. Hence the reason for such large transfer fees these days. OH is good but anywhere near 20m?? dont think so! There is a lack of depth in the fact KR gets any time on the pitch is proof enough. I agree as wel no point in bringin in a temporary CM who isnt good enough and needs time to settle

Red Eyes, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 13:49)

I am not really sure there was ever any intention whatsoever from United to sign OH in the transfer window, IF the deal involved a downpayment of any size. The final fee would then have been dependent on appearances. He was ineligible for CL as well. Whilst his injury seemed to be not as severe as that of Alan Smith, it was interesting that BM only started to "talk" as OH's return was delayed. Perhaps they know more about broken legs than we do!! Fergie will be happier when OH has some games under his belt. But he must move in summer for a M/Fdr or two and a replacement for Giggs.

Frank, Old Trafford (02/02/2007 at 13:56)

As to the transfer window I think it's a fair system. Clubs shouldn't be allowed to buy during the season as teams like Real, Chelski or Barcelona would be buying every player that had a half decent game throughout the season. The window, I assume, is there to cover freak injuries to key players but it is usually used by teams that have planned badly during the summer and are desperately trying to make up for their mistakes. If that means inflated prices then serves them right for not planning better in the summer!

COLIN, CANADA (02/02/2007 at 14:08)

The forgotten one in all this is smitty. I think we could have done him a favout and loaned him out to get games. JOS scares me because of his lack of pace and I don't think he fits anymore. Fletcher is a much better mid fielder and is an extrmely hard worker. He can sub for Carrick and not hurt us.
We appear to be covered in all positions but if Scholes goes down. it gets difficult. Maybe OH will not be as much of an obsession in the summer.

Growler, Timperley (02/02/2007 at 14:19)

Is David Sadler saying that Hargreaves is eligible to play in Europe because of a new UEFA sympathy rule? - "The only reason he would be eligible to play in Europe was that he's been injured for so long." - as my understanding was that if you represent a team (hargreaves represented Bayern versus Spartak Moscow), you are cup-tied to them for the rest of the competition.

Birdy, Ireland (02/02/2007 at 14:24)

Mick i agree thats its very difficult to get players in January. Thats why i think it was a poor showing by us not get someone else in the summer. The Hargreaves deal either needed to be sorted out or we should have moved on. Knowing how difficult it is in January we were then relying on going through the season without Scholes or Carrick picking up a bad knock . Touch wood thats been the case so far.

stu, london (02/02/2007 at 14:34)

Frank's right, but the fairest system of all would be to have NO transfers during the season. I'm not surprised we didn't get anyone either - January signings ARE always about desperation, as Macari points out. But he's wrong to proffer that we "don't really need anyone." That's utter nonsense, as any pundit or fan with eyes will tell you. Fergie's extracted wonders from a squad that was rubbish last season and has only had Carrick added to it, plus Scholes returning. But we all know we need one or two more players to replace the dross. So, whilst I'm not surprised we signed nobody, I am annoyed that the club lied again and said we were looking at a number of options this jan. Why bother alerting clubs that we're looking (i.e. that we have money). Very strange way of doing business.

Reason for the Season, Manchester (02/02/2007 at 14:59)

Taylor-red ...if as you said the list of better possible replacements for any player in every club is endless and you could still pick ur best 11 world's best players..then...obviously your logic is flawed to begin with. Anyway, read carefully before you dispense with your rubbish in the future. Not once did I mention anything about acquring the world's best 11 players. All I did was set bounderies for Sadler's comment's on full strength. Is it not true that the likes of Robben and Ronaldinho would add more value than Giggs now? Giggs is merely living on past reputations... If you consider that an "impossibility"...it was not too long ago we were actually in the hunt for these two players..

Alias Smith, over the moon (02/02/2007 at 14:59)

Tell you what, why don't we all cut and paste our comments from the last boring repetitive thread about needing a midfielder and the chase for Hargreaves? That way we'd save ourselves a whole lot of bother and we could concentrate on looking forward to the rest of the season with the squad we have rather than looking back at what might have been.

Paul, Middleton (02/02/2007 at 15:48)

Taylor-Red your spot on, people on here seem to act in desperation wanting players imediatly otherwise we would fail! I remember in January 1999 people said we needed to strenghten and was unhappy when no1 came in, people said if Stam got injured we were knackered, and that we rely to much on Yorke and Cole and that after the midfield 4 the likes of Butt and Blomqvist couldnt help us!!! Well what happened!!!!! We do have positions that we can better but so do all the others! Dont ever doubt fergies capabilities, its like doubting a 30year experienced Joiner!!!"!

bobbydazzler, lowton (02/02/2007 at 16:37)

paul dont you wish this side had butt and blomquist as back ups? we would sleep a little easier

jon, swinton (02/02/2007 at 16:57)

united's inactivity didn't surprise me in the least either David. If Pique, Evans etc. were really good enough, they'd be in the squad now instead of John O'Shea, Mikael Silvestre et al, and not being
constantly farmed out on loan. Never mind, at least we got Dong back from Antwerp!

kevin, leeds (02/02/2007 at 17:22)

One thing that UNited have in coomon with Chelsea is that you can not buy players if the owner will not give you money!

()

Report

Manchester United