Youri Tielemans is not a quintessential Ineos transfer, and a key detail shows he’s actually exactly what Sir Jim Ratcliffe hated about Man Utd under the Glazers.
The midfield rebuild at Man Utd picked up steam all of a sudden recently, with the announcement of Andrey Santos quickly followed by Youri Tielemans.
The latter is immense value for money as Man Utd have paid his release clause worth £35m, which left Aston Villa blindsided.
However, beyond the transfer fee, Ineos have made a risky play for him that is reminiscent of a transfer which annoyed Sir Jim Ratcliffe to no end.
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Youri Tielemans’ five-year contract goes against Ineos policy
The number of players Ineos have agreed to release on a free transfer just over two years in charge at Old Trafford is staggering.
A key theme in those releases is the age of the departing player, as Ineos seek to control the wage bill.
Even those who have stayed, like Harry Maguire or Tom Heaton, have done so on short-term contract extensions.
Therefore, it is interesting to note that United have just given a 29-year-old Tielemans a five-year contract that ties him to the club until he’s 34.
For a player who turned 29 in May this year, that is quite an investment, and could leave United with dead wage on the books in three years’ time.
That is exactly the kind of scenario Ineos have tried to avoid, either by giving short extensions or by lowering the wage bill.
Giving Tielemans this contract is against their policy, and while it shows ambition to compete for titles immediately, it can backfire as well, especially if Tielemans’ injury record gets worse.
The transfer fee is a huge bargain, but the contract makes it exactly like the one Ratcliffe held up as an example of poor management under the Glazers.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe hated the Casemiro deal
Tielemans costs less and won’t earn anywhere close to what Casemiro did, but the Ineos chief has largely replicated the deal he hated for the Brazilian.
Gary Neville says Man Utd’s combined fee and wages spend on Casemiro was bad business – Do you agree?
He is upset there is no resale value and he will leave for free
Ratcliffe held up Casemiro as an example of a panic play. In his mind, it was a deal that tied up a huge wage to an ageing player for the worst years of his career.
It’s why no amount of resurgence last season was ever going to be enough for Casemiro to stay, because Ineos just couldn’t justify any return on the investment.
It is completely possible that Tielemans’ game ages better than Casemiro, and United recruit in a way that he isn’t stretched in a way Casemiro was, but this is still quite a gamble with the Belgian.
The hope is that Ineos aren’t holding this deal up as a sign of their own unwise investment in three years’ time. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Ineos spoke like they had learned from history. Tielemans’ contract better not repeat it!
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