Man United are aiming to overhaul their squad. But fans should see through their reported plans.
Manchester United have appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager. The Dutch coach will leave Ajax in the summer and take over at Old Trafford to become the Red Devils’ fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
According to reports, the club have already given him a transfer budget for next season and identified their main transfer targets. They also reportedly have a shortlist of players they want to sell.
However, there are several flaws in their reported transfer plans, which look a lot like a smokescreen to deflect attention from the current state of the club.
Man United’s plans for next season after appointing Ten Hag.
Ten Hag, 52, is highly-rated due to his work with the Dutch champions. He leaves Ajax to take over a club in disarray.
Man United are experiencing their worst season for over 30 years and face a significant rebuild to be competitive again. According to reports, the club will give Ten Hag £200m for new players and the final say on transfers in an attempt to resemble their underperforming squad.
Man United want to sign a new striker, two ‘high energy’ midfielders, a right-back and a wide forward this summer, according to The Telegraph. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice are understood to be the club’s main transfer targets.
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves are also said to be on their transfer shortlist. And Man United have reportedly scouted Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma, who played for Bournemouth between 2019 and 2021.
Ten Hag will have a veto on any new signings, and he wants the club to avoid the mistakes of the past in the transfer market.
The 12 Man United players that could leave Old Trafford this summer.
Before he can even enact his plans to overhaul the Man United squad, six players will leave the club on free transfers. Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata and Lee Grant are all out of contract at the end of the season and will exit the club. Man United will receive nothing in return for players that cost them over £160m in transfer fees.
According to The Mirror, there are six others who could follow them out the Old Trafford exit door – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
So, on the surface, it appears that Man United are gearing up for their biggest, busiest and most challenging summer transfer market ever.
This all sounds positive for United fans, as they are seemingly prepared to make some difficult decisions and take a proactive approach. However, they are several questionable aspects of this plan.
The problems with Man United’s transfer plan.
Firstly, given Man United’s poor record in the transfer market, it appears to be delusional to believe that the club could sell six first-team players this summer. In addition to poor recruitment, Man United have been terrible at selling players in recent years. They constantly miss open goals, and ideal opportunities to move players on.
Pogba appeared to be angling for a transfer on several occasions over the last few seasons, yet the French midfielder will leave on a free transfer. West Ham wanted to sign Lingard last summer and were prepared to pay £20m, yet he will leave the Red Devils on a free transfer.
Man United’s record in the transfer market is even more pitiful beyond these examples. Since the 2011/12 season, no team who have competed in the Premier League have had fewer player exits (174). Chelsea have generated over €1b in transfer fees since the 2011/12 season. Since 2013, Man United have received €403m in transfer fees, which is less than Everton (€413m).
“Ten Hag shouldn't listen to Man United's empty promises… The Dutchman just needs to look at their record in the transfer market."
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 12, 2022
The arrival of Ten Hag is unlikely to change this poor transfer record. He can identify who he does and doesn’t want to work with, but the act of moving them on is a completely different story. Will United suddenly learn how to sell players for a profit just because they have a new manager? At Ajax, Ten Hag coached the team and left the transfer business to others.
He also has to win over a squad who have given up on several managers and coach an underperforming team to play how he wants. His first summer will be taken up mostly with leading United on a pre-season tour of Asia and getting used to the scrutiny that comes with the job.
The new Premier League season starts on August 6, five weeks after he officially starts in the role. It would be impossible, even for a functional football club, to undertake the level of turnover that United have reportedly planned in such a short space of time.
Some may argue that they hope to learn from their mistakes and amend their ways. However, if the club were serious about their transfer plans, why would they leak the information, thus increasing the asking price for targets and lowering the value of current players?
The players Man United reportedly want to sign.
The second part of United’s ambitious plan is signing the players that Ten Hag needs to implement his high-pressing style.
Players such as Kane, Rice and Neves are obvious upgrades on those currently in the team. However, the chance of all three arriving at Old Trafford is extremely remote.
Man United have a reported transfer budget of £200m. How will they sign Rice and Kane, two players valued at over £100m, and have funds for their other targets? To increase their budget, they would have to sell players currently in their squad, something, as stated above, they have found difficult to do in recent seasons.
Man United are also likely to be operating from a position of weakness, out of the Champions League and with little chance of making a profit on most of the players they are looking to sell. Clubs will also sense their desperation.
How much will West Ham demand to sell Rice? Tottenham wouldn’t entertain any bids under £150m for Kane last summer. And how will United fund these transfers without selling players?
Man United’s transfer plans are a smokescreen.
However, these reports, on the morning Ten Hag was announced as the new manager, serve a useful purpose for the club’s owners. A few days after protests against the Glazers and the 4-0 loss to Liverpool, this all appears to be a smokescreen.
Man United are unlikely to come close to signing any of the aforementioned players, or selling half of those that need to be moved. The club’s owners know that and United fans know that. However, seemingly Ten Hag doesn’t, and that’s a concern for the club’s supporters.
Ten Hag should also be worried, not excited, by these reported plans. They look to be merely a deflection tactic, rather than a blueprint for the club’s revival.
