This upcoming season, Manchester United will have an Anthony Martial (as we profiled here) in the final third, but not an Antony. This summer transfer window, with new manager Erik ten Hag in charge, has taken on a very Dutch/Ajax feel. Ten Hag and United have agreed on the acquisition of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax for an initial €57.37 million, an amount that could rise to €67.37m in add-ons and incentives.
Their first signing of the summer, Tyrell Malacia, is a Dutchman who moves over from Eredivisie side Feyenoord. The club’s top target this summer is Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, a Dutchman and former Ajax star. We’re still waiting on that tedious transfer saga to reach conclusion.
While that could go either way, one player who is definitely not coming is Antony, 22. Speaking to ESPN Netherlands today, Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder said it is unlikely he leaves the club this summer.
“I really think he will stay,” Schreuder said. “Of course, we have sold a lot of players now. That has not happened in recent years. We have also bought players. But we have sold so many players that I assume nobody will leave.”
He also wanted to make it known that his team is not a so-called selling club, added the following:
“I assume that no one is leaving. If we sell one more key player, it wouldn’t be good for us.”
Ajax, the ruling oligarchs of the Dutch top flight, did make a Champions League semifinal in 2019 under Ten Hag. The new United boss is expected to tap into the pipeline there quite often as part of his MUFC rebuilding project. Between now and deadline day, Sept. 1, expect plenty more speculation of Ajax and/or Netherlands international transfer targets.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.