Premier League rivals reportedly believe Manchester United overpaid by £25 million for midfielder Andrey Santos, with the club's director of football Jason Wilcox under scrutiny over the summer's transfer business.
United agreed a £50 million deal with Chelsea for the Brazilian, one of three midfield arrivals alongside Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, taking total spending to just over £150 million. The trio were praised for adding depth, but all three have had challenging starts to the season.
Santos fee questioned by rivals
According to The Athletic, some close to Chelsea believe Santos was only worth half of the £50 million they received. The 22-year-old joined Chelsea in January 2023 but made just 47 senior appearances before moving to United in July.
The report adds that for United, the fee was accurate for an inflated market, and the signings were key to adding depth. There is also an argument that Santos and Baleba are at an age where they can still develop.
Baleba joined from Brighton with an ankle injury and appeared to suffer a hamstring problem in the Champions League win over AS Roma. Tielemans' weaknesses, which Aston Villa managed to avoid exposing, have been evident at his new club.
Midfield alternatives and selection
Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were other Premier League midfielders linked to United who joined other clubs. Tonali and Fernandes both headed to Tottenham for a combined £185 million, while Anderson's move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City set a new transfer record for an English player, at £116 million, until Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea.
United did not have the finances to commit such funds to one player, with a return to the Champions League likely part of the thinking to go for quantity over quality.
Kobbie Mainoo has remained as Michael Carrick's first-choice option in midfield and is likely to be paired with Santos against Aston Villa on Sunday. Baleba is likely to miss out through injury.
Speaking after Baleba was helped off earlier this week, Carrick said: "I haven’t got any more news on Carlos at this stage, but it’s his hamstring. We’ll have to assess what that looks like, but initially, it doesn’t look great."
Carrick could still select Tielemans, having deployed him in a more attacking midfield role to combat his lack of pace and mobility in deeper areas. That has seen Bruno Fernandes shunted out to the right before being dropped entirely.
Fernandes has since started recent games against Chelsea and Roma, scoring his first goal since early September against the latter. He also put the cross in for Matheus Cunha's first goal, while Shea Lacey played the pass for his winner.
Following a bright cameo off the bench, there are calls for United youngster Shea Lacey to start in place of Amad, who has managed just one assist since returning from injury last month.
