This summer transfer window saw Jose Mourinho become the first manager to ever top £1 billion spent on adding new players during his career. Mourinho however, did not obtain every player that he wanted this summer though. He was very transparent all summer long about the four players, at the four different positions that he coveted.
He spent £150 million on striker Romelu Lukaku, defender Victor Lindelof and holding midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Mourinho wanted a fourth player, an attacking midfielder, but it just never came through. It was widely well known that United were interested in Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic and Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.
There had been some rumors floating out there that United were pursuing Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier and Danny Rose as well. In an extremely interesting interview with The Times yesterday, Mourinho admits that the club still needs more signings.
Having completed two summer transfer windows with the club, he said a third is required in order to close the gap with the elites.
“I have said three [summer] transfer windows is what I need to have the team I want to have — the team [that] I think can bring Manchester United to the top of English football and to close the gap to the top of European football again — and I still think we need that third transfer window, but I’m not going to wait for the third transfer window to try to reach it,” Mourinho said.
Also in this interview, Mourinho said that Lukaku, who cost £75 million in early July, would have cost £150 million on deadline day. Mourinho said that Neymar changed everything and had they waited the Belgian striker would have doubled in price.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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