The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Tuesday 28th September) - Manchester Utd plotting £60m Phillips capture

[Leeds1000]

Manchester Utd plotting £60m Phillips capture

There are not many top players who stay loyal. Le Tis & Shearer spring to mind but that was probably back when pay scale wasn't so great. Its a short career and he's approaching his peak, depending if their is a bid and the club who make it, it will test both his & Leeds resolve in the summer no doubt.

It will all depend where we are in January. With have had rotten luck with injuries if that continues then we will have to act quickly. We were good against WH but we still got carved open on numerous occasions and i can't see a remedy to that at present. The young goalie is goliath we just need to find David.

[mentalcase]

Orta needs to be working with Bielsa now to find someone for January, we have a PL Loan spot available usually some decent fringe players available in jan from the top teams.

Thats the issue though, they ought to be working together everyday, maybe they are, but it clearly isn't working, either Orta likes a player and Bielsa don't or vice versa, not good in my book.
Hopefully non of the top talent are going anywhere this season, if they do, it has to be for top dollar, if teams want our talent they have to pay a heavy price.
Thing is, if, we lose the top players, what message does that put out to future players we want to recruit ??

[weasel]

For all our fans who go on about how consolidation is the aim etc etc 17th place is all we need.

In the summer when KP, Raph and Mes leave because they are disappointed at the club going backwards will you feel the same?

Its all very well saying we will aim for Europe in 3, 4 years but those players wont wait.

Players expect year on year progress, the second that stops with their new found fame and famous mates at other clubs higher up the pecking order then heads get turned and KP is no different.

Sadly with football the way it is players will leave. Leicester is sort of the model we have to base ourselves on but they lost Kante and Mahrez despite winning the league - so qualifying for the Champions League and winning the title wasn't enough for them. So even if we replicated that there would be no guarantee.

I think we have to accept the fact that at some point it is likely that Raphinha and Messlier will leave, others will too. KP might stay longer with him being a homegrown lad etc but we have seen with Grealish that money talks. The key really is re-investing the money wisely and whilst Orta's record is very hit and miss I would suggest he has done better since he has been given more to spend and as such the gambling element of transfers has lessened. Every transfer though is a gamble which is why the Citys, Utds etc spend the £50m+ on players that are far more proven whilst we take the gamble on players like Raphinha - the Citys and Utd can watch us take the gamble knowing they can then buy that player from us if he does do really well.

The key to our success will also depend on our youth players and for me, and presumably Bielsa too, it is better that we don't simply buy players to be back-ups to the first team and put further obstacles in the way of our young players. The youngsters will still be well down the pecking order but at least it gives them a hope, as shown with Cresswell and before him Struykk, and they then have to grab that opportunity.

[Scoobychief]

a couple of things we are also overlooking is, all very well saying if we loose phillips and raph then they should fetch plenty of money, i personally dont think we will get over £110m for both, but anyway my point is that we will find out somewhere down the line that allready its been said our wage bill alone is now 100m and that is with a small squad so that will be a thing to consider too, were never going to pay 60 70m for a player and offer them 60k a week say we just dont do that sort of thing and any player worth 60/70m are going to be comanding aroud 100k a week wages. secondly i woudnt be at all suprised that when the annual turnover is announced that we will be at a pretty hefty loss. so we are never going to be splashing all that cash we get from phillips and ralph. thats just my opinion and concerns thats all. i hope im dead wrong and we go on a winning streak and win our next 6 7 8 games and play everybody outside say the top 6 off the park.

[BobHirst]

Everyone needs to be honest. If a bigger company came to you and offered you a new job, doing the same as you are already doing, and offered to double your wage what would you do?

[Ellandback1]

One of the last times we played Watford!

[1964white]

One of the last times we played Watford!

I would love to have Berardi & Taylor in our squad off that list.

[Leeds1000]

I was a big fan of Antenucci. He may not have had the work rate to please marcelo, but he would have been added that touch of class and skill to this current team.