Report: Manchester United reluctant to spend in January

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Erik ten Hag spoke after Manchester United’s win over Sheriff Tiraspol to explain how he would be plotting out future spending plans.

He told the club’s official website he planned to use the upcoming international break wisely: “We will also look to the window in January or next summer already to improve our way of playing by making plans.”

However, a report in The Athletic suggests Ten Hag may face an uphill battle to convince the club to spend in the January transfer window.

United reluctant to spend in January

The Athletic report: “Funds are expected to be very tight when the winter market opens. Owner Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough are focused firmly on summer 2023 as the next opportunity to significantly add to Ten Hag’s squad.”

The reluctance to buy in January is credited to an over-spend in the summer transfer window, beyond United’s original projection, with Antony and Casemiro alone costing £140 million combined.

Ten Hag will have to push and make his case, and United can approach the January window in a couple of different ways.

The first would be to focus on player sales, and use income as extra funds to buy signings. Players like Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe are clearly surplus to requirements and United should just cash in for what they can.

The second angle to take is to actively start looking for cheaper bargains. This is not always easy, and yet, the £13 million move for Tyrell Malacia shows high quality is available at reasonable prices.

Brighton’s £4.5 million move for Moises Caicedo came in January 2021, showing cheap, value deals can be done in the winter window. This was a move United erroneously passed up.

United did not buy a single player this past January, a by-product of the club having an interim manager at the time and not a permanent one. Now even though Ten Hag is at the helm, there is a chance a different excuse will be utilised.

It’s encouraging that Ten Hag says these conversations are happening now. He can put forward his case to spend, and the club can begin looking for potential targets, and even planning early for next summer.