It's already happening. This summer we had pienaar not wanting to sign and waiting for offers. Arsenal sniffing around jags. Teams sniffing around arteta, all admitted in interviews. These were then tied up on contacts we can't afford.
Then theres unrest in the squad, players mouthing to the press (heitinga), players going out on loan on not great terms (yobo, Vaughan). Then pienaar goes which then gives melt face redknapp the balls to try and buy our captain for **** all.
Now you've got rodwell and baines linked to every top team in the prem even before the season has finished and now a panic to try and keep fellaini.
The squad hasn't been this full of unrest under moyes and it seems a vulnerable team now. We are talking up to 8 or so players that could go. That is bad.
All because we don't have any money.
I admit the situation is pretty precarious from my point of view, but I think it's a tipping point at the moment and that things could still go one way or the other. I think that Jags and Baines are content where they are. Reading between the lines it seems that Leighton was offered the chance to go to Bayern but declined it. Arteta was in two minds, but he was persuaded that we can match his ambitions. I think that the contracts are to protect our assets from walking out the door.
Heitinga would always angle for a move to a bigger club. I wouldn't take that as an indicator of unrest. It must be in Fellaini's career plan to be playing Champions' League football. It will be a question of how long we can keep him and how much we eventually get for him. Hopefully, by then, Rodwell is doing much the same job. Yobo was sent out with a view to a £5m transfer, plus it got him off the wage bill in the meantime. Ditto Yakubu. What actually is Neville's value? If Redknapp was going to bid for Giggs or Scholes would he offer any more?
The stuff about Rodwell and Baines is all paper talk. Jack has only shown glimpses of what he's capable of. With United in a record amount of debt, would they pay such a huge sum for an unproven player, even if they could afford it, especially when they could get Charlie Adam for half the reported price. Not forgetting that they already have Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher, Gibson, Scholes, Giggs and Hargreaves for the midfield berths. Baines would never cross Stanley Park. United have Evra, Chelsea have Cole and Arsenal are grooming Gibbs to take over from French international Clichy, so where would he go?
Players such as Mucha, Heitinga, Yobo, Yakubu and Vaughan should go because they're not in Moyes plans and because it releases funds to invest in the squad. If they were playing I think the only person who might still have a grumble would be Johnny. I've heard the players bemoaning their own performances but nobody complaining about lack of investment. It's been a very mediocre season by our standards in a tight and competitive league and yet we're still seventh. Hopefully we'll replace the players that I've mentioned with hungry, motivated players. Kingson from Blackpool is free and could offer competition for Howard. Obinna is another who is out of contract and could give us another option. Nugent is another one. We could improve without actually spending anything. The glass is half full.
