MANCHESTER UNITED’S SUMMER: WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

by Oji Okechi

Manchester United have had a season of many ups and downs both on and off the pitch from winning the Carabao cup to end their 5 and a half year trophy drought to losing 7-0 to rivals Liverpool at Anfield as well as the announcement of a potential sale of the club which has now stalled to the annoyance of numerous fans.

But all in all Erik Ten Hag’s first season at the red side of Manchester has been a success so far, with the team currently in the hunt for a top 4 place and a trophy already secured and an FA cup final in the horizon, but a lot of improvement is still required in terms of results and personnel as the club looks forward to its most important summer window in a very long time.

In this article I’ll highlight the problems the club has faced in previous windows and how to overcome them as well as the player profiles the club should be after.

UNITED’S PROBLEM WITH SALES

It’s no secret that Manchester United struggle with offloading players, be it because of their outrageous wage demands or the fact that they’re not good enough for decent clubs anymore. The club has made a total of 20 million on profit from sales (sold players for more than they bought them) in the past 10 years, that’s just one of the many indications of United’s bad sense of business when it comes to sales.

But that has to change this summer with FFP restrictions looming ahead of the club, a lot of players will have to be shown the door and the club might make more losses but it’ll be for the greater good. Fringe players like Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Alex Telles and even first team regulars like Harry Maguire, Anthony Elanga and McTominay have to be sold in order to free up the wage bill and get rid of players that frankly aren’t good enough for Manchester United.

WHO SHOULD UNITED SIGN IN THE SUMMER

Manchester United have important holes to fill in their squad, from the starting XI to rotation options. However due to the financial uncertainty at the club the spending in the summer has to be smart and address the most important positions.

CENTER FORWARD (ST)

United’s goal scoring problems have been evident with Marcus Rashford being the clubs highest goalscorer this season with 29 goals, 11 more than the next person in Bruno Fernandes and with none of the recognized center forwards(Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst) hitting the 10 goal mark yet an elite goalscorer is needed in the team.

Erik Ten Hag has been vocal in his admiration for Martial and it is obvious why he likes him, Martial’s excellent close control and ability to drop deep to link play allows the team to play more fluidly but his season has been plagued by injuries which has made the Frenchman very unreliable. It is obvious that if we are to sign a striker he has to have those qualities that Martial has (dropping deep and linking play) as well as being an elite finisher, which brings us to our transfer targets.

United have been linked with numerous strikers over the past few months, names like Harry Kane, Goncalo Ramos, Victor Osimhen, Evan Ferguson and Rasmus Hojlund. All these strikers are exceptional, however United need a level raiser in their frontline as well as a player that fits into the current setup which narrows down my list to two, Harry Kane and Goncalo Ramos.

The Harry Kane signing needs no explaining, he’s been the best striker in the Premier League for 4-5 years prior to the arrival of the lad in Manchester City. He ticks all the boxes required to play in the current United set-up, excellent hold up play, ability to drop deep and link play + create and an excellent finisher. Only problem will be his price tag, for a player turning 30 in July you can argue the money will be better spent on someone younger but all those other younger options will cost the same and aren’t as good as Kane is yet, only thing you’ll be getting is guaranteed longevity at the club. All that being said I feel 80 million should be enough to price Kane away from Spurs. Ideally signing Kane this summer and signing a younger striker like Ferguson or Hojlund next summer should be the plan.

If that doesn’t do the trick Goncalo Ramos is my second option. He is young, very excellent technically and a good finisher as well, only con is his role at Benfica doesn’t allow him to get involved in the passing game, he attempts an average of 18 passes per 90 compared to Martial’s 28 passes p90 and Kane’s 24 passes p90. I’m not fully sold on his hold up play but he certainly has the tools to improve that part of his game. With his release clause rumored to be around 105 million pounds and uncertainty around United’s summer budget it may be worth the risk paying for Harry Kane instead.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Manchester United have lacked a midfield enforcer for years, a player who can dictate the tempo of games and help in the 1st and 2nd phase of the buildup. With the signing of Christian Eriksen, he has tried to fill that role but he is more of a creator than enforcer/conductor so the #8 position is another that needs urgent attention.

With uncertainty around funds available and potential FFP troubles I feel United will not spend as big on this position like they will on the center forward, and with Erik Ten Hag’s preferred candidate Frenkie De Jong reiterating his interest of staying at Barcelona, United will have to go for cheaper alternatives. Orkun Kokcu, Ryan Gravenberch, Khephren Thuram and Alexis Mac Allister are some of the few names linked with United. While all these players are no Frenkie De jong and they all have their clear weaknesses and limitations, I have identified two of these players that I believe will fit the system better and improve the team.

Ryan Gravenberch at Bayern Munich hasn’t had the best of starts there, with the Dutch midfielder yet to play a full 90 minutes in the league an exit might be a possibility for him and with the player having worked with ETH before at Ajax it could be a good fit. Gravenberch ticks almost all the boxes for the profile required at Old Trafford next season and with his price tag significantly less than what De Jong would cost it looks like a no brainer deal, but with clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool circling it would be a difficult transfer to pull off.

The other player is Khepren Thuram. The young French midfielder has been very impressive for Nice despite their mediocre season so far. He’s a very good progressive midfielder and quite combative too, and with his price tag rumored to be around 35-40 million euros it looks a very good deal. Signing him won’t be easy though, Liverpool are also interested in him but he will fit the profile that United needs.

Another player I like is Alexis Mac Allister, he has had a very impressive season with Brighton who are punching above their weight. He is expected to leave this summer and he won’t cost much either but the defensive side of his game is where I have question marks which is why Thuram and Gravenberch are ahead for me.

CENTER BACK

With one of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof expected to leave and with Raphael Varane’s injury problems since joining United I believe another center back should be signed.

Jurien Timber and Kim Min Jae are names that have been thrown around, I believe one of them should be signed. KMJ has a 40 million pound release clause which is a bargain for a player of his caliber and I believe Timber will cost around the same and with Timber being more versatile (can play cb and rb) that could be the deciding factor. However I prefer the KMJ deal as it’ll be smoother and easier.

Another center back that has caught my eye is Antonio Silva of Benfica. He has produced excellent performances both for club and country this season. He is excellent on the ball as well as physical and good aerially, as much as I admire him he has 4 years left on his contract at Benfica so he’s not going to go for cheap but he’s a player worth keeping an eye on.

GOALKEEPER

I saved this for last because of how much of a sensitive topic it is for United fans, as much as David De Gea is revered and loved at the club his shortcomings have become a serious hindrance to the club and the football they want to play. Despite the Spaniard being frontrunner for the Premier League golden glove, his lack of ability in claiming crosses, sweeping and passing has left United with problems with keeping a high line and playing out from the back. With his contract up in a few months now would be the perfect opportunity to get rid and replace him with a modern goalkeeper.

Diogo Costa at Porto and Giorgi Mamardashvili of Valencia. Costa would be my first choice to replace DDG, he has put up very good performances for club and country this season and is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at the moment. His deal would be an easy one to do with the player having a release clause rumored to be around 65 million pounds, it’ll be a straight and easy deal.

Mamardashvilli on the other hand has a contract that runs till 2027 and a rumored release clause of 100 million pounds per football espana, it won’t be easy to get him in.

Another option is to give De Gea a new contract, which is most likely to happen with news of a new contract on reduced wages being reported and the signing of a much younger keeper to be his “understudy”, If this is the case United should look to get a Casemiro back up option, Amrabat and Palhinha are good rotation options that could be added to the team.

All that being said, this summer is very key and United must get it right else they risk falling behind again.

Stats are from : fbref.com and transfermarkt.com