Having failed to make any significant impact in the transfer market in the last two transfer windows, a host of Manchester United fans have expressed their frustrations with the club’s transfer failures, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Red Devils, as United are fondly called, spent €83.80m in the 2020/21 summer to bring in Donny van de Beek, Amad Diallo, Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri.
They followed that up by spending a whooping €140m the following season to secure the services of Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, who all arrived from Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Juventus respectively.
So far this transfer window, despite being consistently linked with a move for Barcelona’s Frankie De Jong, United have only been able to complete the signing of left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord for €15m.
Free agent Christian Eriksen is also edging towards a move to Old Trafford and the Dane, 30, has verbally agreed a transfer and will sign for the club on a three-year deal.
It’s expected that he will become signing number two.
For a club known to command big signings in the past in the likes of Paul Ince, Andy Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Nemanja Vidic, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, United’s transfer business this season hasn’t gone down well with their supporters that they have only managed one signing so far.
United will not be playing Champions League football next season and have plenty of work to do to close the gap on the Premier League’s Top 4, but their failed transfer policy so far means they may miss out on the biggest club competition again next season.
The slow activity of the club in the market has left some of the club’s faithful frustrated with club legend Cristiano Ronaldo threatening to quit the club if no big signing was made.
Speaking with PUNCH Sports Extra, former Technical Committee chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chris Green, a fan of United, admitted that the Old Trafford giants have been poor with their transfer policy since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Rating the club’s transfer in recent times I will say they’ve been very poor,” Green said.
“I think the owners of the club are actually the problem because their priority is different from what we want. Gone are the days when Sir Alex was there and insisted on signing a player. They gave him what he wanted.
“They gave him millions of pounds to spend and at the end of the day, he delivered. But here we are now, I think all they are thinking of is the economic side of the game, which is the profit and forgetting that winning games, and getting mercurial signings could also help the team.
“So, looking at the club overall, I will say it’s been a very poor transfer period.”
Seasoned journalist, Godwin Enakhena, also a fan, doesn’t believe the Red Devils are ready to challenge for titles.
“I don’t think we are serious at all,” he told PUNCH Sports Extra.
“In all the areas that we had issues the last time, nothing has been done (to correct them). Ronaldo is not going anywhere obviously, but he is only speaking the mind of all the club’s fans. All the things they have been saying he just buttressed it with his outburst.
“The defence is nothing to write home about and we are signing a player who is not better than those we have at the moment, what difference will that make? In midfield, Fred is not a good defensive player and he has said that many times and Bruno (Fernandes) has lost it, we can’t explain what is happening to him. Where is the competition coming from because a lot of players are going?
“We’ve been chasing Dybala since 2015 till now, when are we going to have Dybala? It goes to show that we are not ready because all the serious clubs are done with signings. We are not asking Manchester United to sign 10 players but quality players who can make the difference.
“All the big players have been linked with different clubs while Manchester United’s players are in the BBC column, this is very sad. Give them the whole season they still will not sign.”
Also expressing his frustration is Duro Ikhazuagbe, who also supports the record English champions.
“I’m not satisfied with Manchester United’s transfer policy right now, given what happened last season and the fact that one of our legends, who came in and did some sort of rescue job, is almost on his way out of Old Trafford.
“The new coach Eric Ten Hag has not done well in the transfer window and I won’t say I am excited about it. I have been left frustrated and I am equally not happy with the club’s transfers.”
A Manchester United enthusiast and a viewing centre owner, Olorunjuwon Adekoya, said, “We have only signed Malacia and still hoping to sign Eriksen, but I am not happy and I think the board is responsible for all these. That is why Ronaldo said he wanted to leave the club.
“He wants them to sign good players to make up for their absence in the Champions League and hope that they can return to the tournament.
“Manchester United are getting fond of this attitude when they like to sign so late when most of the good players would have been signed by other clubs. We need to sign early so that they can camp and train together early enough ahead of the new season. If they don’t sign early it will affect their performance, when the season begins and this will be frustrating once more.”
