‘No compensation? Then I’m not going to West Ham!’ Caleb Maguire declares he will stay at Man Utd after all “I still love Man Utd, will fight for a place”

Harry Maguire, 30, has decided to stay at Manchester United.

‘Maguire’s move to West Ham has ended with his decision to stay at the club and fight for a first-team spot,’ the BBC reported on April 16. A source close to Maguire said, “Maguire respects West Ham and manager David Moyes, but personal terms could not be agreed upon,” adding, “Maguire still loves the club and believes he will get plenty of opportunities to play this season.” “United have also decided to respect Maguire’s wishes and have no plans to release him,” the BBC said.

“He has the ability to be a top-class center back and is one of the best players in England. But he has to prove it,” he said. “He has to fight for his place. If he’s not confident enough to fight, he should leave the team. At the end of the day, the decision is his.”

Maguire was named to the substitutes’ bench for the 2023-2024 English Premier League first leg against Wolverhampton at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday. Baran and Martinez started the game. However, Martinez was substituted at the start of the second half and was replaced by Victor Lindelof. Maguire did not take the field. United held on for a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton.

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Photo: The Sun
Maguire’s move to West Ham fell through on July 15. ‘West Ham’s wait to sign Maguire has come to an end,’ said the Guardian. ‘There is a chance the deal could be revived, but it’s not looking good at the moment. The Hammers have grown frustrated with the delays and are exploring other options.

Maguire was initially expected to join West Ham. On September 9, The Athletic’s Man Utd pundit Rory Whitwell reported that ‘United have agreed a £30m fee with West Ham for Maguire. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue”. ‘Maguire wanted to stay at United, but a move to a (much reduced) starting role proved necessary. He fears it will have an adverse effect on his England international career and is keen to revitalize his career at West Ham.

Fabrizio Romano, one of the most authoritative voices in the European transfer market, also wrote on his social media that ‘West Ham are awaiting official approval to discuss personal terms with Maguire. The Hammers have accepted a £30 million transfer fee and want to clarify details, including payment terms. Romano had earlier said: ‘West Ham have reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United for the transfer of Maguire. The transfer fee is £30 million. Discussions are still ongoing. The structure of the deal is a key issue but the transfer fee has been agreed. Personal terms will also be discussed shortly,” the source said.

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However, the tide has turned. Maguire has agreed personal terms with West Ham. He signed a four-year contract for £120,000 a week. Maguire was earning £190,000 a week at United, but that was slashed when he moved to West Ham. Maguire wants United to compensate him. ‘Maguire is demanding a wage cut of around £14.5 million over the course of his four-year contract at West Ham,’ The Sun reported.

The situation is complicated by the fact that United qualified for the Champions League last season. Maguire took a 25 percent pay cut for the 2022-2023 season. United failed to qualify for the Champions League in 2021-2022. However, the club qualified for the Champions League again last season, which would have restored the 25%, but the move prevented Maguire from receiving that money. Maguire is seeking compensation. “Maguire is understood to be seeking £7 million in compensation,” according to the Guardian. However, the worst thing that could happen is that West Ham could end up walking away from the process.

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At first, it was the transfer fee. ‘West Ham have offered £60 million for Maguire and Scott McTominay,’ The Athletic reported on Aug. 8. Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was more specific. “West Ham have offered £30 million each for McTominay and Maguire,”메이저놀이터 Luckhurst said. United rejected the offer. ‘United have rejected both bids for both players,’ Luckhurst said. Romano also announced on social media that ‘United have rejected an offer for McTominay. Negotiations continue for Maguire, but there is no progress”.

According to the Times, United wanted £35 million for Maguire, but the Hammers accepted West Ham’s initial offer in full.

Maguire also reportedly had a phone conversation with West Ham manager David Moyes. However, Maguire didn’t leave United right away. There was a reason. Only personal terms had not yet been agreed upon. ‘West Ham are in talks (with Maguire) over wages, which could be a stumbling block (to a deal),’ says The Sun. Maguire received a pay rise after United qualified for the Champions League. ‘We need to come to an agreement that is acceptable to all parties, including United,’ he explained. However, British media reported that an agreement would be reached sooner rather than later. But in the end, the issue stalled.

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Maguire was a revelation for United, joining from Leicester City in 2019 for £80 million, a record fee for a defender. He played at the highest level. He was outstanding as the nucleus of United’s defense.

However, Maguire’s run was short-lived. Suddenly, his form plummeted and he fell to the bottom of the table. He went on a terrible run of form and was quickly dropped. The arrival of Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez ahead of the 2022-2023 season further diminished his position. Ten Haag favored the experienced duo of Varane and his former Ajax protégé Martinez. Even when they were knocked out with injuries, Maguire was not given a chance. Ten Haag opted to play Viktor Lindelof at third choice, or even left-back Luke Shaw at center back. Maguire made just 16 appearances in the English Premier League in the 2022-2023 season. Of those, only eight were starts.

To make matters worse, there were rumors of discord off the field. At one point, there were rumors of a faction within the squad over the captain’s armband with Cristiano Ronaldo. Neither his performances nor his leadership have proven to be effective.

Ultimately, United stripped Maguire of his captaincy last month. The club said on its official website, “We would like to thank Maguire for all his dedication as captain over the past three and a half years. The manager will inform the players and announce a new captain in due course.

Maguire expressed his disappointment, writing on the club’s website, “After speaking with the manager today, he informed me that he will be changing the captaincy. He explained the reasons to me and while I am personally very disappointed, I will continue to do my utmost to pull on the Manchester United shirt,” he said on the club’s website. “I would like to thank the United fans for their tremendous support while I have worn the captain’s armband,” he added. “It has been a great honor to lead United from the day I took over as captain three and a half years ago. It has been one of the proudest moments of my career so far. I consider it one of the greatest honors in club football. “I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for entrusting me with the captaincy and I wish whoever takes over the captaincy now every success, and I will support them wholeheartedly.”

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United’s decision effectively means they are parting ways with Maguire. United had wanted to get rid of Maguire early on. Instead, they wanted to sign Kim Min-jae, but they were unable to do so due to Maguire’s unresolved situation and the club’s takeover. In the end, Kim opted to join Bayern Munich.

Maguire is still competitive for the England national team. However, his high price tag has deterred teams from making offers. Maguire’s weekly wages were in the region of $400 million. While he’s strong in the air, he struggles to penetrate quickly, which is why few teams are willing to spend big on him. West Ham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Tottenham are among those interested, with West Ham being particularly active. The Hammers sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for a whopping £105 million this summer, so they have some ammunition. Moyes wanted Maguire. After winning the Europa League last season and qualifying for Europe once again, the Hammers were looking for a leader to replace Rice at the back, and they identified Maguire. With Moyes’ emphasis on height, Maguire could have a resurgence. That’s because Maguire is still a useful player under Gareth Southgate. According to the Daily Mail, Moyes has reportedly told Maguire that he plans to give him the captaincy, a role that was previously held by Rice.

Maguire’s moniker left United with a fire under their feet. United have found a new center back. They even have a candidate. The main contenders are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Bayern), Jean-Claude Todivo (Nice), and Edmond Topsova (Leverkusen). Pavard was pushed aside in favor of ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae. Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel has Kim Min-jae-Matthijs de Ligt in mind as his starting center back combination for the new season. Pavard and Dayo Upamecano are considered backups. However, Pavard is considered the first-choice center back for the French national team. Raphael Varane, who also plays center back with the French national team, is also at United and could adapt quickly if he were to make the move.

Todibo spent the 2018-2019 season in a Barcelona shirt, and has been out on loan since the following season. Schalke in Germany, Benfica in Portugal, and Nice in France. At Nice, he was the perfect first-choice center back. He played more than 40 games in two consecutive seasons. Last season, he played 46 games. Topsova is a resource that Tottenham are currently targeting. After signing center back Mickey van der Vaart from Wolfsburg in Germany, Spurs are looking to add Topsova, who has insane physicality at 1.94 meters. Topsoba is known for his aerial competitiveness, ball handling skills, and long passes.

It was assumed that whoever came in would be better than Maguire. However, it was not to be. Although Maguire has declared his intention to stay, a move to another club cannot be ruled out. There are still two weeks left in the transfer window.

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