Youri Tielemans is increasingly looking like the best value deal this summer, but the latest £117m deal shows Man Utd committed daylight robbery last summer.
So far, Man Utd have avoided entering the wild wild west of the transfer market, especially between Premier League clubs.
Four players alone – Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Elliot Anderson, and Morgan Rogers – have cost nearly half a billion pounds.
It really puts into perspective United signing Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans for a combined £85m, but the real value deal happened last summer.
FACT: Youri Tielemans is the best value signing any Premier League club will make all summer!
We challenge you to disagree! How would you rate this deal out of 10?
Morgan Rogers’ transfer puts Bryan Mbeumo into perspective
The insane market with no value reared its latest horrific deal, as Chelsea agreed a deal worth £117m to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.
Just like that, the record set by Elliot Anderson’s transfer has been eclipsed less than a month after it was completed.
That Anderson deal was crazy, but Rogers is somehow worse, because this is a player who blows hot and cold, and finished with 10 goals last season in the league.
At one point, Rogers had a spell of 20 games without a goal or an assist, so he’s a moments player, whose value rises because of how terrific those moments are.
This transfer really puts into perspective what a steal Bryan Mbeumo was last summer, who signed for United for around £70 million.
Mbeumo was coming off a 20-goal season in the Premier League, for Brentford, of all teams, and is a player at the peak of his powers.
Furthermore, Rogers has received 17 yellow cards in the league in the last two seasons, so this is not even a player with the temperament needed by Chelsea, who were too booking-happy themselves last season.
It isn’t beyond thought that Brentford would have quoted north of £110 million for Mbeumo this season, and would be kicking themselves right now for getting “just” £70 million for him.
That deal was a steal last summer. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s daylight robbery by United.
Man Utd need to continue to hunt for value
Except for Benjamin Sesko, United haven’t really “overspent” on any transfer under Ineos, and Sesko has more than repaid that fee by starting to come true on his potential.
How much do you think Man Utd will spend in this window?
It can be revealed that £243m will already be leaving Old Trafford this summer…
In a world where transfer fees have stopped making sense, United have navigated this landscape expertly by finding value where nobody looks.
Tielemans is the latest example of the same, with his release clause not known to many, and United triggering it out of nowhere.
This is not only financially responsible, but it also avoids the scrutiny and pressure that comes with huge fees, which players have no control over.
Maybe the likes of Chelsea and City can afford to spend huge because nobody cares about them when the player flops, but United are the biggest club in England in terms of pressure and scrutiny.
Ineos have found a way to beat the market with no value.
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