With Mikel Arteta busy arranging for his players to be pickpocketed and turning on light bulbs for inspiration and Pep not committing past this season as Man City stare down the barrel of 115 charges, Manchester United fans have enjoyed a decent transfer window.
INEOS continues to navigate a complex and delicate financial position, owing to the mistakes of the Glazers and Woodward administration of past seasons. They have shown that they can bring in shrewd signings while avoiding the “United tax” we have all become so accustomed to, while also conducting smart outgoing business.
However, the uncertainty around Scott McTominay is one of two flies in the ointment and a glaring reflection of our past transfer and salary negligence. Selling McTominay would be a disappointing move for most of the fan base as he represents a player of the Darren Fletcher/John O’Shea utility mould offering so much throughout a long season. What’s more disappointing is that United are considering such a move owing to the FFP benefits it represents, with Ten Hag being very clear in the media that he wants him to stay.
The other problem and this window has also further highlighted, is the terrible mistake United made in buying Jadon Sancho from Borrusia Dortmund for €85m in 2021. He is firmly up there with the mentality and output of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria – and he has consistently shown he doesn’t have the temperament to play at a club like Manchester United.
Sancho’s market value couldn’t be much lower this window and there’s only whispers PSG may be interested. Borussia Dortmund’s silence is deafening despite being very vocal about recognising the players’ talents during their run to the Champions League final last season. You would be forgiven for thinking such reservations and noise around Sancho might spur him on to change and prove the doubters wrong. Instead, Sancho seems happy to produce very little when he crosses the white lines and much of this comes down to the £350,000 he earns each week and the people around him.
The genuine United fans are disappointed he’s wearing the shirt again, while the fanboys continue to pump him up to superstar level who in reality has contributed nothing meaningful to the club by way of performance. His penalty miss in the Community Shield and involvement in our pre-season tour may not put him on the radar of many clubs, but you would imagine his wages are going to be an impossible hurdle to overcome in attempting to offload him, leaving us stuck with this problem child until summer 2026.
As the transfer window winds down, the Glazer/Woodward calamity remains a huge limitation to the new regime. The perfect ending would see an Ugarte/Sancho swap and McTominey staying to follow on from his brilliant performances last season. Here’s hoping!
Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
