THE RELIEF HAS been palpable.
Marcos Rojo, a 24 year-old defender with Sporting Lisbon, is joining Manchester United. With just 12days to go before the transfer window shuts, the storied club, has made a relatively tepid acquisition.
Apparently, it’s been a difficult deal to complete. We’ve heard stories of how Rojo’s third-party ownership complicated the process, how it placed a strain on getting it done quickly and efficiently. So much effort, so much huff and puff. It really shouldn’t be this hard. And the stories are wearing thin.
How a sports organisation as big, commanding and imposing as Manchester United can be so ill-prepared for legal issues like third-party ownership — such a common element in any transfer arrangement involving a Portuguese-based player, says much. It’s certainly not the truth. It’s a convenient excuse for poor business practice. Something that’s come to define the club’s last 12 months.
Last weekend, David Moyes gave his first interview since being sacked by United. He spoke of the transfer targets the club had last summer.
It’s been well documented that we wanted Fabregas, Bale and Ronaldo. There was talk of Ronaldo when I first arrived. We were close to getting a couple of major names. Things just didn’t materialise.”
From three targets, United landed none. But dig deeper. Look at the targets. In a recent interview, Chelsea’s former Director of Football Operations, Mike Forde, who oversaw the recruitment of some of the world’s biggest players to the Premier League, spoke of what’s needed to land a high-profile name.
You’re always evaluating the economics. If you’re a big team and you’re signing big players, you’re doing your work six, nine or sometimes 12 months out so there’s a lot of preparation from data and various reports. It’s a long, drawn-out process and the bigger the player, the more time you have to spend to make sure it’s the right option.”
United’s transfer strategy last summer amounted to writing names on a piece of paper and excitedly proclaiming they could land them all. ‘The best player in the world? No problem! The best player in the Premier League? Absolutely! In the same window? We’re Manchester United!’ Instead of isolating Fabregas as the most-gettable of the three and ensuring that deal was tied up, they dallied. They submitted two bids. But never returned with a third, tired of the silly games. They ignored Fabregas at season’s end, when Barcelona wanted rid. Everyone presumed United had other plans. But they had half-plans.
Knowing a World Cup and the appointment of a new manager would delay any recruitment, they ploughed ahead with the signings of two of Moyes’ targets — Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera. And nothing else has materialised. They missed out on Toni Kroos, despite laying substantial groundwork (Moyes worked tirelessly to make in-roads). Are we expected to believe that Louis van Gaal didn’t want a Champions League and World Cup winner but did want Herrera? Of course not. Again, it’s convenient spin by the club after failing to land a target.
What’s most baffling is that in the Fabregas and Kroos examples, United spent a large amount of time and effort trying to bring both players to the club but were reluctant to dig deep and complete either deal, appearing to hint that other A-grade targets were close to being secured.
There was the saga involving Arturo Vidal. It may have clouded United’s decision-making regarding other midfielders at various intervals but the Chilean remains at Juventus. United have again failed to land a player they wanted. But the club were well-armed for such a result. Naturally, they had a pre-prepared excuse: they were worried about Vidal’s injury problems. No one failed to mention that in six years, Vidal’s injuries have forced him to miss a total of 13 games.
In the last few days, word has embarrassingly filtered through that United allegedly offered huge money for Thomas Mueller and Marco Reus. Both great players, certainly, but it points to a lack of planning, a lack of any clear, cohesive strategy, a lack of awareness on United’s behalf. It seems that the club are picking any coveted player and making overtures, and from Mueller’s description of United’s seduction technique, it needs some fine-tuning.
For someone who prides himself on organisation and preparation, Louis van Gaal must be wondering what’s going on at Old Trafford. The chaos and confusion were supposed to be because of David Moyes’ influence. But the lack of control continues in his absence.
Van Gaal has said that a player can be purchased within 24 hours and that’s true. If there’s been data work, reports compiled and preliminary talks. Otherwise, it’s a panic buy. That’s what Marouane Fellaini was last August and, to a certain extent, what Juan Mata was in January.
And it appears that Manchester United are panicking all over again. Rojo may very well be an astute signing and a good bit of business. But he hasn’t been a target for very long. It’s been an incredible effort to get him. A £16m player. But the reaction to United merely having signed someone is the most damning indictment. It’s the same reaction that followed Fellaini’s arrival 12 months ago. And there’s no longer David Moyes to blame.
This was supposed to be a new era for the club, a time when an experienced, ruthless hand comes in and pushes United towards the top again. Louis van Gaal is a decisive, purposeful man who knows what he wants.
Perhaps what he wants most is a new CEO.
United are a joke!
It’s brilliant!
Did u even read the article?
In what way? This should be interesting.
Lol United are so bad now, hype themselves up all summer and will be fighting Spurs and Everton for 5th place come May.
United fans myself included were patient last year. That patience is going to wear thin very quickly if something decisive doesn’t happen in the next 2 weeks. Not to win the league but to make us competitive for a top 4 spot. Somewhere between Woodward and the glazers is the truth in all this and the focus is going to mount day by day now on both.
What’s going to happen when your patience runs out if you don’t mind me asking??
He’ll start supporting Liverpool
Ask your advice obviously
Hahaha. Well played!
Fair play sir. I doff my cap to you
Yeah a much better team why wouldn’t he?
Have a look at how the Glazers run their sports teams in the US, such as the Tampa Bay Buc’s. They are very happy to have an average team turning over a profit with the option to sell that club in a very lucrative markets (NFL & Premiership). Made their money nickel and diming poor people in trailer home parks ! Bit like they are doing at OT.
You can’t really compare a small/medium market team like the Buccaneers to United though can you? For Tamba Bay to be competitive is half the battle! Now if the Glaziers owned the Patriots, Steelers, etc and acted the same way it would be the same thing.
Teams go in cycles, and right now United are going through a rough one. It’s just about remaining competitive while the team rebuilds. As an Arsenal fan that can be very frustrating though!
My thoughts were not related to market share or size but their view and management style. I think they are lacking that connection to their club. Man U might as well be Dunnes Stores for all they really care. Compare the Red Sox owners of Liverpool, they are IMHO more intune with sports side of the business which can be clearly seen in their desire to build a connection between Fenway and Anfield.
Can you really say it’s the Glazers not investing? As Gary Neville pointed out in the last 5 transfer windows only PSG in Europe have a higher net spend on players than Man United. Now they’re looking at the team thinking ‘we spent all that money but don’t appear to have very much to show for it,’ how can you expect them to pump even more money in? Something is wrong with the way United are investing in the squad. RVP was nothing more than a plaster which temporarily covered over a poor squad, successfully albeit. Fellaini was the definition of a panic buy, paying £28m for a player you didn’t really want when you could have got him £6m cheaper the previous week. Mata was an attempt at making a statement, a superstar became available so United grabbed him to show everyone they can still sign big players even though Kagawa was already surplus to requirements and Mata was there for the same job. Shaw we were told is one for the long term and now we’re told an 18 year old professional athlete is struggling to keep in shape. Zaha has barely been seen in a United shirt since he was bought a year and half ago for £15m. The managers and Woodward have been grossly mis-using the money the Glazers having been giving them, the money is there it’s just not being spent wisely.
They’re spending huge money at Man Utd though, just on poor targets. In the past 12 months I think they’ve spent something close to £150m so you can hardly accuse them of being stingy.
if I were united I’d let Ed Woodward handle the finances he’s done a good job getn sponsers on board and strengthening the clubs position in a marketing sense and is hire ferguson to b d chief negotiator in d market
Ferguson didn’t do that job even when he was manager…Gill did. But I agree with the concept, Woodward is a good CEO but isn’t a cute enough wh0re at transfers.
exactly Woodward has done such an amazing job with the money he has brought to the club in the past 3-4 years but the transfer negotiations should be handled by someone else but definitely not Sir Alex
United!
Only for the letter d..edward woodward would be ewar woowar….drop the w and he is the donkey in winnie the pooh…
Apart from chelsea no other team in the epl has made any decent signings … says a lot about the leauge nowadays
Lukaku to everton?
Sanchez to arsenal?
I think I’ll give them a ring and tell them I’m available.
I was a centre forward 30 years ago. Also a utility centre half.
Got a few goals too.
What’s their number?
Trolling aside what if Woodward is actually doing everything any other person would but the target isn’t interested bigger clubs and champions league are a big factor as well a lot of stick he’s getting when Fergie left the club with a very average squad
City were able to build a title winning squad from humble beginnings and without the promise of Champions League football in the early days. Ditto Liverpool as title contenders.
Why is Cesc Fabregas wearing a blue jersey when he would surely be the best possible successor to Paul Scholes? The answer is hard for Utd fans to accept but the reality is that he turned down the move. This kind of rejection from big name players appears to be coming as a surprise to the Utd management and they need to understand that football is fickle and things can change very quickly.
I wonder if Utd followers now have a greater understanding of what Liverpool went through after the golden era of 70s and 80s ended. When the ‘boot room’ era finished with Daglish, no one foresaw the hardship of the next 25 years. While it’s only the second year United are without Ferguson I wonder are a few starting to sweat over the fact that fighting for a Champions League place is the pinnacle of their goals for a few years. Whilst Rodgers has taken Liverpool to second it’s still a case of wait and see if he brings that or better on a year after year basis. Not much patience in the game these days. The premier league needs both Utd and Liverpool up there fighting year after year with the ‘new money’
#glazersout
This article shows just how much woodward is out of his depht. If only david gill could be reinstated. Also disappointing as a united fan to see the team we could be lining out with.
Good God you would swear nobody ever turned United down before last year , Fergie has for ever talked about targets that were missed out on during his years and that was at a time when if you wanted to play in the PL there were only two teams you went to UTD and Arsenal now you’ve got Chelsea City With Liverpool and Spurs also coming back into the lime light , so there’s a lot more on offer now to players
There’s some amount of panic buttons being pressed lately. One bad season and its curtains for united! ! Preseason we were back to business as usual and now they lost first game of the EPL and everybody thinks were up shitcreek. Wake up boys and girls its early yet. Some fans are just ridiculous, thinking we can win something every season. Its IMPOSSIBLE! CMON UNITED! !