The comings and goings at Old Trafford this summer transfer window have been subjected to heavy scrutiny.
Sure that happens every summer transfer window, but the 2015 edition saw more media critique and protracted drama than usual.
Overall, Manchester United’s transfer business produced mixed results and conveyed an overall direction that was difficult to visualize.
Many people referred to the £36 million Anthony Martial signing as a “panic buy.”
Given his less than overwhelming statistics, the context and timing of the deal, as well as the price tag, it’s an easy assumption to make. Martial, somewhat obscure a week ago, is now the owner of the third richest contract in club history, and the priciest ever for a teenager in football.
Over time, if Martial lives up to his potential, then this acquisition could look brilliant down the road. The Martial acquisition is probably not one that snap judgments should be made about.
What’s undeniable is that Man United have been spending heavily. Research published yesterday shows that Man United are the third biggest spenders in all of Europe.
Unfortunately, a lot of those signings haven’t worked out; see Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria (the richest deal in Premier League history). Also, United don’t currently look like Premier League title contenders, nor the type of side that can go far in UEFA Champions League. This inspired former Manchester United Manager Carlos Queiroz to make some extremely critical remarks.
Queiroz is quoted in the Guardian: “A club like Manchester, with its financial capabilities, the results must be there immediately.
“But we also want to see the players shining. Great players like [George] Best, [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs, [Roy] Keane, [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy — where are they? Where are the stars of Manchester United?
“It was always about creating players. Now it is the opposite. And even some of the players that arrived in the team like [Radamel] Falcao and [Angel] Di Maria were on the bench. I saw Di Maria in some games, and he looked like he has never played football.
“There is panic buying. You have to prepare and then make the decisions together. You can still make wrong decisions, but we never made panic decisions when buying players.”
Wow that’s a scathing critique there. These remarks come at a time when a handful of ex-United players are taking parting shots at Manager Louis van Gaal. So this is more piling on. For what it’s worth here are a couple Man United transfer window grades from mainstream media:
ESPN FC D
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times,currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition.He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
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