MUFC BASE

Make sense? 🤔

This summer transfer window just became a lot more complicated for INEOS, especially given their reported interest in Mateus Fernandes.

Only a few days ago, Mateus Fernandes was valued at around €35m. Now, after the latest update on Transfermarkt, his market value has jumped to €50m.

Whether people agree with those valuations or not, clubs often use them as part of the negotiation process.

And if we follow the usual trend where buying clubs end up paying 20–30% above a player’s assessed value, then suddenly you’re looking at a fee in the region of €60m–€65m.

INEOS would probably need to offer minimum €65m to have a serious chance of getting West Ham to negotiate.

For United, the question now becomes simple: how highly do they rate Mateus Fernandes compared to the other midfield targets on the list?

Because €65m is a lot of money.

We’ve signed a player, but there’s no real excitement in the fanbase lol. I actually like the lack of hype around the Ederson signing. Every time a potential United signing is met with little excitement from the fanbase, it somehow ends up working out better than expected. Dorgu and Lammens got the same reaction.

I also understand where the frustration comes from.

A lot of fans expected INEOS to kick off the window with a statement signing, the kind of £100m arrival that instantly changes the mood around the club.

But there’s a strategic reason why that hasn't happened.

The moment you spend huge money on your first deal, every club you negotiate with afterwards starts using that fee as a reference point. Suddenly every target becomes more expensive because the market assumes you're desperate and overflowing with cash.

By getting deals like Éderson done first, United can still operate from a position of relative flexibility before moving for bigger targets later in the window.

So I don't think the reaction is really about Ederson.

I think fans are comparing him to the dream signings they've created in their heads rather than judging him on his own merits.

And that's not the fairest way to evaluate a new player.

Unpopular opinion: You don’t have to think Dalot is the best right-back in the league, but I honestly don’t see how he gets left out of the top-three conversation.

I think Diogo Dalot was comfortably one of the top three right-backs in the Premier League last season.