Manchester United's CEO Omar Berrada warned before the summer transfer window that the club needed to be disciplined in the market to obtain value signings. Despite fan impatience over the lack of recent business, the club is sticking to its plan, having already signed two midfielders.
Berrada's pre-window warning
Berrada said: "We have to be really disciplined, it’s simple. We have a plan, we know what we can invest, and we have to stick to that." He added: "In some cases, we may decide to make an investment knowing it’s the right thing for not just the next two or three years, but the next 10 years. But clearly, we need to stay very focused on what we’re trying to achieve. It’s very important that you don’t let the market or the agents dictate what we should be doing."
He also noted the template from last summer would be replicated, with a clear plan and preparedness for any eventuality. "We have to be ready, we have to be agile and flexible. But we have a clear plan. Jason Wilcox and his team are very well set up to execute that plan," Berrada said.
United's summer activity
United's number one target Elliot Anderson signed for Manchester City for £116million, while Mateus Fernandes ended up at Tottenham for £85m. The Reds pivoted to sign Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for the same price as Spurs paid for Fernandes. United received praise for thinking outside the box, but now some fans are getting tetchy due to the lack of recent business.
That impatience has led to some calls for United to spend without thinking to make another signing, essentially to abandon the disciplined philosophy in the market to get a third midfield arrival over the line. Some of the same supporters who praised Berrada for saying the club would be strategic in the market are now suggesting that United should digress from that approach.
The need for consistency
You cannot have it both ways, though. There's no denying that United need to further strengthen the squad before the end of the transfer window, but the club has a vision, and they are sticking to it, for better or worse. Will United's summer plan be looked back on as a success in six months? That remains to be seen, but it's better to have a plan and fall short than to have no plan at all and spend aimlessly, as was done in the past.
