Manchester United’s Transfer Strategy to Suffer from Worst Premier League Season in 50 Years, or Can Rúben Amorim Offer Clean Slate?
Manchester United’s powers of persuasion have long faded, and it appears that the club has now lost its appeal for players searching for their next big move. According to Sky Sports, the club was in pole position to sign sought-after striker Liam Delap from Ipswich in early May, but ultimately lost out to Chelsea.
The 20-year-old English talent, who has connections to Manchester having spent five years at Manchester City, chose to join Chelsea due to their style of play and ambition to win things. As Sky Sports reports, Delap’s release clause is a modest £30m, but it seems that Manchester United’s inability to offer Champions League football was a major deterrent.
This latest blow will hurt Manchester United bosses and serve as a timely reality check. The club’s place in the pecking order has tumbled over the past decade, and they are no longer considered the destination club they once were. Christopher Vivell and Jason Wilcox, the club chiefs shaping the recruitment strategy, are not permitted to fish in the same talent pools their predecessors once were.
As Sky Sports notes, economically and commercially, Manchester United have fallen on much tougher times. The club’s status as a ‘big brand’ is under serious threat, and their financial woes are beginning to take their toll on their transfer dealings.
Gone are the days where Europe’s best players would scramble to sign for Manchester United. To represent one of the biggest, most successful footballing dynasties used to be a statement, a confirmation of elite status. However, modern-day Manchester United, the kind that finishes 15th in the Premier League and loses European finals to Tottenham, previously trophyless for 17 years, does not attract nor retain world-class talent.
Former captain Roy Keane has been bullish in his belief that Manchester United’s pulling power has all but disappeared. “I think the days of everyone wanting to go to Manchester United are gone,” he said in May. “What are the positives with this team? You look at United and go, they’re not really good at anything.”
Bruno Fernandes being approached by Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, whether a deal is struck or not, is symbolic of how far the Premier League’s former leading force have fallen. If Fernandes were to leave, Amorim would not only lose his best player, but his captain too.
As Amorim has acknowledged, “We need more Brunos.” Imagine the impact of fewer? The Portuguese manager has been reluctant to sound the panic alarm, trying to rally with honest and heartfelt rhetoric, but even he looks drained by the monotony of underperformance and the turbulence that carries.
Finding players suitable to the manager’s requirements has got to be the overriding focus this summer. However, such a targeted approach to fit a very precise style brings with it its own risk. As Sky Sports reports, Amorim has been firm in his stance that he is not worried about the money, but surely Manchester United’s status as a ‘big brand’ is under serious threat?
This is a club unrecognisable from its Sir Alex heyday. Only a few weeks ago it was reported that INEOS boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who owns a 29 per cent stake, had seen his personal wealth drop by £6.5bn (a 25 per cent loss) since investing 18 months ago.
Manchester United have signed plenty of young talent in recent windows, all for inflated fees despite having no obvious competition for the player. Jadon Sancho, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund can all be categorised similarly, costing a combined total of £226m. They are worth a fraction of that now.
The signing of 19-year-old defender Leny Yoro, widely considered to be one of the brightest young talents in the game, and pursued by both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, seemed to buck the trend last July. However, that was before another season – their worst since suffering relegation in 1973/74 – unravelled so publicly.
Amorim’s firmness with Marcus Rashford meant United spent the second half of the season without their most experienced Premier League scorer. His 20-year United career looks to be finished. Sancho wants out permanently, and Alejandro Garnacho has used social media to underline his determination to leave too.
Ultimately, the hollowing out of United’s core has been happening for years. There is nothing new about instability on the pitch or off it, nor player-manager spats that have further served to undermine.
However, throughout all the upheaval and unrest, there are glimmers of promise. Manchester United have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves, a good move on paper. There is still time for Yoro, and Manuel Ugarte and even Hojlund to come good.
As Sky Sports notes, Amorim has the unenviable job of knitting the past and present together to create something coherent before Manchester United can hope to make any real progress. A job easier said than done, but the alternative does not bear thinking about.
As Amorim said ahead of the Europa League final loss to Spurs, “I’m not worried about the money, we are a big brand.” However, it seems that Manchester United’s brand is no longer as attractive as it once was, and the club will have to work hard to regain its former glory.
The question is, can Rúben Amorim offer a clean slate at Manchester United, or will the club continue to suffer from its worst Premier League season in 50 years? Only time will tell.
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