Imagine if this is true and it comes off

[Nicosia Gooner]

Man Utd Make Audacious Move To Hijack Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista Bid

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

It would be an outrage.


p.s TD = MP

[Rich]

[Ashberto]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

I expect this rubbish from less intelligent posters than you.

[Brentwood]

the **** while we are free to sign more obscure teenagers :cloud9:

[Ashberto]

and the interest alerted rival clubs who were able to outbid.

[Luis Anaconda]

Fairly certain these clubs were fully aware of the talent but were prepared to wait, while we were prepared to get 'em young (and not sure Drogba was a particularly good example as he went to Chelsea on the back of getting Marseilles to the Uefa Cup final ( a run that involved knocking out Inter, Liverpool and Newcastle) - hardly an unknown quantity.

It is a bit like when Newcastle bid for Rooney - fairly well known that Ferguson wanted him bit was happy to wait another year but once Newcastle bid his hand was forced

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

He knew him from Sporting Lisbon so the suggestion that they piggy backed on our scouting is ludicrous. Given his background in the game it is feasible to suggest he may even have had a greater knowledge of Ronaldo than we did.

They may or will have known we were in for him, which we were but this suggestion that United or others, clubs with a global stature equal to ours, sit and wait for Arsenal for Arsene’s scouts to identify players is the thoughts of the rabidly paranoid Arsenal supporter.

Not, I suggest, you.

If this was a legitimate argument then why did these bigger fish not swoop in and gazump us for some of the lesser shiny players we have signed over the years.

[Ashberto]

reputation for recognising talent and/or potential may in some cases have influenced other clubs' targets and priorities.

[Luis Anaconda]

Possibly we signed Denilson and Bischoff - put them all off in the future