Quote Originally Posted by SWv2 View Post
Now I am not that experienced in transfers (though more than most having negotiated the signing of 3 players in the past 24 months) though i have to say the basic concept of us, being in 5th place in the league, going and asking the club that is in 6th place in the league, thus a club very much in competition with us for a prized top 4 spot, to lend us one of their players in order to help our challenge to finish above them, thus causing them to potentially miss out on said spot, to be admirable.

Indeed it is top top transfer fúckaboutery.
I do hope we at least tried it on though.

There's actually all kinds of reasons why it could happen. I gather he's not playing much anyway. Also there's uncertainty there over the manager's job. And Africans don't tend to do very well playing for them, in any case. Surely he'd be happier in London?

And what of the longer game? What if they simply don't fancy him anymore, maybe they'd like to cut their losses and move him out. That's what we'd want our club to do, isn't it.

And surely the idea that the mighty Manchester United would be petty enough to deny him to us on the basis that their future happiness depends on the services, or otherwise, of one dodgy Ivorian defender is laughable. It would be way beneath their dignity

Perfectly understand them appearing to squash the rumours immediately though, of course, for the reasons you pointed out.