Man Utd chiefs admit to triple switch remorse as £155m spending backfires
Manchester United chiefs have reportedly admitted to major transfer regrets this summer, with senior figures privately accepting that two deals were far from first choices, amid growing squad concerns
Manchester United have summer regrets(Image: Shaun Brooks – CameraSport, CameraSport via Getty Images)
Manchester United bigwigs have already internally admitted to three transfer regrets this summer. Club chiefs have privately conceding that Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans were far from top priorities in their summer plans and there is a degree of disappointment that a new left-back was not secured.
United’s stalemate with Tottenham has resulted in the club recording their worst league start in four decades, having only managed to scrape together six points from their first six matches. Already, there are worries about United’s squad as they contend with Champions League football in addition to domestic action
The club shelled out £155million in the summer transfer window, bringing in Santos, Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to bolster their midfield. However, this figure pales in comparison to the whopping £225.2m they splurged just a year ago to beef up their forward line with Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
Andrey Santos has started just one Premier League game since signing for Manchester United(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United)
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Just weeks after the second stage of their overhaul at Old Trafford, there’s a sense of regret over the choices they made, according to The Sun. Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ederson were reportedly higher on United’s wish list than Santos and Tielemans.
Tielemans has featured in all eight United fixtures this campaign, while Santos, brought in for £50m, has managed just 16 minutes since his opening day start in the Hull City reverse. United are said to be particularly gutted that they were forced to pull out of the Ederson deal after complications arose during the Atalanta midfielder’s medical.
Similarly, there’s frustration that they failed to bolster the left-back position to offer better cover for Luke Shaw, despite being linked with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall.
Lewis Hall is poised to sign a new deal with Newcastle(Image: Serena Taylor/Getty Images)
Following their loss to Spurs, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp claimed Michael Carrick lacked the squad depth needed for success. He was unimpressed by their display, particularly slamming the midfield performance.
“I do not see enough connections in that midfield and they look devoid of any confidence, ideas, or patterns of play, playing out the back and Tottenham were just much better than them in every department, but that is just a theme this season,” Redknapp said.
“Their energy levels are not good enough and they look loose going forward, there was no real structure.
“The squad is not good or strong enough and Michael [Carrick] needs help in that respect.
“In terms of how they played today, they have an issue with Tielemans and Mainoo in midfield,” he added. “I do not see enough energy in there. Baleba will add a lot and will give them a tremendous amount of energy.”
