Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have taken a dig at rivals Chelsea with a comment that rival teams are attempting a ‘quick fix’ in the transfer market this summer.
United’s transfer activity has been slow so far. The club have signed just one player, although will surely add more before the transfer deadline.
Chelsea by comparison have been prolific, signing Timo Werner, Malang Sarr, Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell, and they are not done yet either, reported by Goal to be trying to sign Edouard Mendy.
Solskjaer told BBC Sport: “It is never easy to have too many new players in the team, it takes time for players to gel into a unit. We have seen some clubs go for the quick fix and some have trust in the process.
“We have to improve and get results but adding players with different qualities than we have.”
Both approaches have risks
It is too early to judge both clubs’ transfer business at this stage, because United’s could look very different in both Jadon Sancho and Sergio Reguilon sign, in addition to Donny van de Beek.
These three signings would be steps in the right direction for United, but landing just one player would leave the club badly short-handed.
Chelsea have been active, and have shown critics who lament ‘it’s not FIFA’ that it is possible to be prolific in the transfer market, despite the complexities of getting deals done.
The Blues have bought quality too, with Havertz, Werner and Ziyech each players who would have added hugely to United’s team.
The addition of Thiago Silva may be a short-term fix, but considering Chelsea’s defensive problems, he could be just what they need.
Individually then, each of the signings look good, but that is not the point Solskjaer is making.
Solskjaer is pointing to how long it may take manager Frank Lampard to find his best team, to appease players currently in the squad unsettled by the new arrivals, and to foster a team spirit.
There is pressure on Lampard to both get results, while maintaining the faith in youth he showed in his first season, and playing his new signings. Finding the balance won’t be easy.
It is good to see Solskjaer come out fighting, despite his likely frustration at United’s slow progress in the window so far. United have plenty to do still.
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