Van Gaal v Mourinho: Master v Apprentice (feat. Feliks)

@walkinshaw: Don't think he's gotten better, he's just insanely good value with that £8.5m release clause.

@Griffo: Your banter is relentless.

Sergio Ramos to leave Real after 10 years of service?

---

An unfamiliar situation for Real Madrid; a player refusing to resign and looking for a way out, usually it’s Real who capitalise on such situations. Real’s vice-captain, Sergio Ramos, is looking for a move away from Madrid after contract talks between him and his club have stalled for several months. Insiders close to Ramos’ camp have stated that the player has requested a sizeable pay rise to be on par with other stars of the team, despite currently earning £165K per week until his contract ends in June of 2017. He has a point though, despite being regarded as one of the best central defenders of his generation, and giving the club 10 years of service, Ramos’s £165K looks rather small when compared to the reported wages paid to the attacking stars of James Rodríguez (£175K), Karim Benzema (£235K), Gareth Bale (£350K), and Cristiano Ronaldo (£475K). Manchester United’s offer is believed to have been immediately refused by Real Madrid, however, unlike their usual response, United were not told to match the players £127m release clause. So is their room to negotiate? With Real’s interest in United keeper David De Gea now public knowledge, perhaps a player exchange is approaching.

Wish I was unhappy being paid 165K a week, I barely make that in 2 years! :,(

CJ Lippo And there's me, the 16 year old, getting $5 an hour working at Maccas!

Just kidding I actually get paid $25 an hour #ballin B-)

From the bench at West Ham to the field for Chelsea Under-21s

---

Reece Oxford has become the fourth player to cross London to Chelsea, with the Blues paying just over £1 million for the services of the 16 year old centre back. John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole have all previously made very successful moves across the city and Chelsea will hope Oxford can do the same.

Oxford is built similar to John Terry on his arrival, being a tall, slim centre back; however, unlike Terry, Oxford can also play behind the midfield in a holding position. His mental reading of the game is exemplary for his age as well as his leadership, having on occasion been captain of the West Ham Under-21s at the age of 15. His standing within West Ham was evident last season as he regularly trained with the first team and made a number of appearances on the bench as an unused substitute. He was awarded the 'Dylan Tombides Academy Player of the Year' for his performances at Under-21 level.


However, it is unlikely that Oxford will see any gametime this season, with Chelsea boasting an extremely strong centre back department including the aforementioned Terry, Gary Cahill, Kurt Zouma and Marc Bartra. However, Jose Mourinho says that the 16 year old will in fact benefit from having such stern competition.

"Reece will be unlikely to play many games this season but the experience ahead of him in the team will be very important for him. John [Terry] can take him under his wing and he'll be playing every game he can in the Under-21s. Reece is a player I can see becoming like John some day." - Jose Mourinho

West Ham fans are understandably upset with the move, citing the low fee as evidence of a lack of backbone at the club as present. 'The Academy of Football', as they are known, has just 2 self-developed players in the first team squad with the majority of the rest spread across the Premier League. Oxford would have been in line to make a senior debut this season and will hope the move to Chelsea pays off like his predecessors' have.

The build up is amazing and the concept behind this story is simple and really interesting. Got to be supporting Maximus though because he's with the mighty United! Wonder if De Gea will actually stay, and hopefully you got that big Ramos signing. Good luck to Feliks as well Reece Oxford is solid.

Manchester United capture Felipe Anderson

---

Manchester United are thrilled to announce the arrival of Brazilian playmaker Felipe Anderson on a four year deal with the option of a one year extension. Anderson joins from Lazio for a fee of £25m which could rise to £28m after add-ons. He made 61 league appearances in two seasons following his move from Brazilian giants, Santos in 2013. For those unfamiliar with Serie A, the 22 year old is capable of playing on both wings and is best known for his electric pace, exceptional ability on the ball, and crossing ability. The young Brazilian sat down with MUTV to speak about his arrival:

“I am absolutely delighted to be here at Manchester United. Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, show anyone anywhere the club’s crest and everyone knows which club it belongs to. I am thrilled to be here, I feel like I can contribute a lot to the club. The thing I am most excited about is the chance to test myself in the English Premier League, the best league in the world. Many Brazilians have come here, but not many have succeeded. That’s my goal, to represent Brazil to the best of my ability in the most challenging league. I know I can do well.” - Felipe Anderson

United finally get their man! Cheaper then had been reported as well.

Nani’s hot and cold United career has finally fizzled out

---

Portuguese winger Nani has signed for Turkish Süper Lig runners up, Fenerbahçe, for a fee of £4.25m. The 28 year old signed a 3 year deal following his impressive loan spell at his childhood club of Sporting CP. Nani spent 8 roller-coaster years at Old Trafford, where he won Manchester United’s Players’ Player of the Year in 2010/11, yet barely managed to break into the team in others. Inconsistent is the first word that comes to mind when looking back through his United career; on his day the flashy wingers tricks, flicks, and chips were unplayable, not on his day, well less so…The player always seemed to be in the shadows of his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo. They are both Portuguese, they came from the same club for a similar price, they played the same position, and they played that position a similar way. Yet something about Nani never reflected Ronaldo’s threat running down the wing, whether it was his inconsistency, his final ball, or making the wrong decision at the final moment, Nani never looked a world class player on a regular basis. It is hard to say whether United fans got their £17m worth for Nani, during that 2010/11 season he easily looked worth every pound, but what is for certain is that if Nani recaptures his form, Fenerbahçe have got themselves a brilliant bargain.

---

Off to cement his place

---

Also announcing his departure from Old Trafford today is 21 year old striker Ángelo Henríquez, who has permanently joined Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb for an undisclosed fee. The Chilean spent 2014/15 on loan at the club, in which he managed to score an impressive 20 goals in 25 league appearances for the club.

The unknown quantity - can Mayke surprise?

---

23 year old full back Mayke is on his way to Stamford Bridge after Chelsea and Cruzeiro agreed on a £5.75 million deal to bring the exciting full back to England. Relatively unknown to most football fans, Mayke has developed a sterling reputation over 50 games for Cruzeiro and is thought to be able to bring a bit of excitement to the Chelsea XI, supporting the ever reliable Branislav Ivanovic.

The 23 year old signed a 3 year contract, pinning him down for his peak years and Jose Mourinho is happy to land such a great prospect for a small fee.

"Mayke is a player that has a lot to show, he's not very well known but I feel he can prove himself to be a great player. He brings a bit of spark and liveliness to our wide areas of the pitch whereas Branislav is very good defensively... it makes for a nice contrast." - Jose Mourinho

Mourinho also mentioned the upside of the Brazilian culture at Chelsea, with plenty of Mayke's countrymen already at the club. Willian, Oscar, Filipe Luis, Ramires, Wallace and Lucas Piazon are all contracted by Chelsea as well as Brazilian-born Diego Costa and Mayke says it's a welcome relief to have so many of his fellow Brazilians around.

"Ele vai certamente ajudar a ter tantos de meus compatriotas no clube, porque me faz descansar mais rápido. Não é um lugar tão estranho quando eu tenho pessoas como Willian e Oscar para me ajudar. (It will definitely help to have so many of my countrymen at the club, because it makes me settle in quicker. It's not such a foreign place when i have people like Willian and Oscar to help me out)." - Mayke

Iñigo Martínez: the latest arrival at Old Trafford

---

Manchester United are thrilled to announce the arrival of Spanish centreback, Iñigo Martínez, on a 4 year deal with the option for a 1 year extension. United activated his £21.5m release clause at Real Sociedad, allowing them to immediately entire contract talks with the 24 year old. Iñigo comes to England with the reputation of a tough tackling defender, but with exceptional passing ability for his position. The Spaniard burst onto the La Liga scene as a 19 year old, earning a place in the extremely competitive Spanish under 21 squad. Iñigo has chosen to wear the vacant number 6 and spoke of his delight of joining:

“I still can’t quite believe it, I look around and it doesn’t seem real! My new teammates, the coaches, the facilities, everything is just on that next level. I’m delighted Manchester United has picked me out of all the other options they have access to, and for them putting their faith in me. I’m delighted to be working under Louis van Gaal, his style of football is how I like to play. I know I will get to be able to influence the play from the back every time we build an attack, that really attracted me to the club.” - Iñigo Martínez

“The coaching and scouting staff, and I have spent a lot of time deciding on our centreback choice. We knew we needed a new centreback, so it was just a matter of who to choose. Iñigo fits the mould of what we were looking for perfectly. I like my left sided centrebacks to be left footed, which was a major reason why we picked Iñigo. Secondly, because of our build up from the goalkeeper, we need centrebacks that are strong on the ball, Iñigo is exceptional at that. These two factors narrowed down the options significantly. On paper and based on footage, we’re confident Iñigo is the perfect choice. - Louis van Gaal

A CB? Don't tell me Van Gaal doesn't believe Daley Blind isn't the solution!?

Loving this btw guys, keep it coming!

Manchester United confirm the signing of Matteo Darmian

---

Manchester United have confirmed that Italian right-back Matteo Darmian has joined the club from Torino for a fee believed to be between £12-13m which could rise to £15m after add-ons. The deal will keep Darmian at Old Trafford for 4 years, with the option to to extend his £30K per week deal by an additional season. The full-back, who is naturally a right-back is also capable of playing at left-back, and can fill in at centre back, fulfilling one of van Gaal’s primary criteria, versatility. While the name may be unknown to those who are not regular viewers of Serie A, Darmian was ever-present for Italy during the 2014 World Cup, starting in all three of Italy’s matches in the group stage. The signing of a defensively sound right-back fills the void many United fans felt they required most last season, as Antonio Valencia looked impressive going forward, but not always convincing when forced to defend, and Rafael fell out of favour following injury. Following the signing of his contract, Darmian said this to MUTV:

“It is a dream come true to be joining Manchester United. I have loved the time that I have spent at Torino and I would like to thank the club and the fans for everything they have done for me. I am sure they can understand when the opportunity to join the biggest club in world came along it was something I had to do - to work with Louis van Gaal, a manager that has achieved so much in football is such an exciting prospect." - Matteo Darmian

I hope this hasn't come to an end...

CJ Lippo: Don't worry Lippo, it hasn't mate, I've just been a bit absent recently.