Man Utd are incompetent, bumbling and re-writing book on how NOT to do transfer business
FOR over two decades Manchester United was the club which never ceased to amaze.
So maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised that they continue to do so.
Yet in the past — for over two decades — the reason for the dropping of jaws was brilliance and standard setting in every area.
Now the reason for those open mouths is the opposite . . . it’s for incompetence, bumbling and generally re-writing the text book on how NOT to go about your business.
When United’s summer spending was first mentioned, executive vice chairman Ed Woodward and Co were at pains to claim the days of paying over the odds had gone.
No longer would they be forking out eye-watering amounts for guys whose only taste of Old Trafford should have been on an organised tour.
Nothing like sticking to your guns, eh? Barely a month after the end of the season and Crystal Palace were this summer’s transfer lottery winners.
When they quoted £50million for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, it wasn’t intended to necessarily scare off United, but plenty at Selhurst Park thought it would do just that.
But fast-forward a fortnight, the 21-year-old right-back was on the Old Trafford payroll and Palace weren’t so much laughing all the way to the bank, as guffawing uncontrollably.
That isn’t to dig out Wan-Bissaka. He is clearly a kid of some potential but no more than that at this stage.
Less than 50 league games to his name, a guy who will struggle to be England’s first choice right-back as long as Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, 20, doesn’t implode.
In time, he may prove to be a decent asset. But that isn’t the point here.
What is, though, is how Woodward and Matt Judge, the club’s ‘deal-sealer’ have reshaped the transfer outlook.
There is a generation of players out there now for whom playing for United is no longer the ultimate.
Phil Thomas
And not in a good way, either. Not for the would-be buyers. Not if those would-be buyers are from the Stretford side of Manchester.
We saw that when, with Wan-Bissaka done, United turned their attentions to a midfielder, and asked about Aston Villa’s John McGinn, a £3m buy from Hibs a year ago.
Now, though, they rated him at over SIXTEEN times that figure, because £50m has become a starting point for most inquiries from United. It’s why the Harry Maguire asking price — already sky-high — went through the roof up to £85m.
And Leicester are fully justified in doing so, too.
As for what a replacement for Romelu Lukaku will cost as and when he joins Inter Milan? That really will make your eyes water.
Filling the right back-slot — as they did with Wan-Bissaka — was just one requirement this summer but fourth priority at best behind a centre-back, midfielder and striker. That’s before you throw in the prospect of a new keeper as well if David De Gea doesn’t sign a new contract and they sell, rather than lose him for nowt in a year.
If that wasn’t bad enough, there is a generation of players out there now for whom playing for United is no longer the ultimate.
They are no longer the dream, no longer holding the ‘walk over broken glass’ pull they once did. Not without Champions League and facing a battle to get back there any time soon.
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Not with Woodward and Judge dangling the carrots, as opposed to Sir Alex, David Gill and the chance of joining a cast of stars.
Financial wizards and sponsorship clinchers they may be in the business world.
In the sporting one, they are still being run ragged.
And until that changes and a proper footballing man is running the transfer policy, they won’t be seeing any cups at Old Trafford. Only mugs.
WILF BID JUD-DERS TO A HALT
APPARENTLY Crystal Palace thought the £40million bid from Arsenal for Wilfried Zaha was “embarrassing,” and they were outraged at the suggestion they’d let him go for such a pittance.
They may be living in a parallel universe in south London, but the Gunners can offer anything they choose.
Just like Palace can reject any offer for a player whose previous experience at a genuinely big club was hardly one to write home about.
The Eagles rate their winger at £120m, so good luck with that.
With Chelsea unable to buy, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs not in the running, and City not needing Zaha there is only one other obvious destination.
But Tottenham are unlikely to be busting a gut after his brother Judicael insisted it had always been Wilf’s dream to play for Arsenal.
REAL STORM IN A TEACUP
It was hardly the most offensive gesture ever by America’s poster girl, in fact it brought a smile to everyone I was watching the game with — and no, none of them were Scottish, either.
But way too many were claiming everything from disrespect to disrepute. Talk about the snowflake generation being replaced by the tea leaf one.
You would be better off waiting for the chance for revenge and then coming up with something which sums up and mocks the Yanks . . . maybe an impression of an obese child would be a start.
RAF DEAL FOR PZAZZ TAKER
SURE, Nick Kyrgios maybe took his attempt to knock out Rafa Nadal a little too literally — but in whacking the ball at him, he didn’t break any rules.
It did not stop those who like their sportsmen to be squeaky clean — stiff upper lip types — from kicking up a stink about how you cannot do that at the All England Club.
Personally, the ones who got me interested back in the day were the likes of Jimmy Connors, IIie Nastase or, especially, John McEnroe. People with personality as well as pzazz.
There’s some great talents in today’s tennis but they couldn’t half do with a few characters. Of the modern-day lot, they don’t come bigger than Kyrgios.
