Manchester United, along with the rest of most global football, are off indefinitely, but there are still plenty of news items, related to the club, circulating on the internet today. There is a plan for the Premier League to potentially return to action in mid June, and play matches behind closed doors.
The first phases of so-called “Project Restart” are underway, but there are of course, lots of obstacles to be overcome, and a whole lot could change between now at the time targeted for starting up again. In the meantime, we also have some transfer talk to do.
So with that in mind, please check out our all United transfer rumor starting XI and our optimal United XI with top transfer targets acquired and key players retained.
For today’s United transfer rumors round-up go here.
United Chief Executive Ed Woodward has said that this upcoming transfer window will be unlike any other that we have previously seen. Woodward believes his club, as well as others, will reign in spending once the window opens. Pointing out how some clubs have been hit very hard financially by the pandemic, he just doesn’t see how any tremendously huge budget deals might be done.
Woodward doubled down on that idea while answering a question about transfers at a United fan forum. He also added that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be fully supported in the market this summer.
“It’s always a top priority for us to strengthen the team and build on what Ole is very clearly achieving in terms of bringing us back to the top,” the former investment banker said.
“But we’ve got to have clarity on what the future holds. What’s the impact on broadcast deals, sponsorship deals? It is not necessarily going to be business-as-usual for clubs this summer.
“Clearly it’s true we are fortunate to be in a strong financial position compared to many clubs, but we are not immune from the financial impact of what this virus is doing.”
“I would say that once we have that visibility of a path through the crisis and coming out of the other side to relative normality, then of course, we aim to remain highly competitive in the market.”
He further added:
“It feels somewhat inappropriate to see speculation about transfers for hundreds of millions in current circumstances.”
“There’s a big disconnect between those stories and the economic realities facing football clubs in general.”
Elsewhere, United announced that they will be installing a standing section at Old Trafford, and that safety and security of the fans will be of the utmost importance. The club consulted with both the Trafford Council and the Manchester United Supporters Trust.
“It should be stated up front that our overwhelming priority is to keep our people safe from the COVID-19 pandemic,” group managing director Richard Arnold said.
“It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background.”
“This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans. We have listened to their feedback, in particular the representations made by MUST, and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal.”
“Our belief is that the introduction of barrier seats will enhance spectator safety in areas of the stadium where — as with other clubs — we have seen examples of persistent standing.”
“It also allows us to future-proof the stadium in the event of any changes to the current all-seater stadium policy.”
“We will now move on to develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial with a view to having the new seats installed for when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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