The transfer market is always a game of relative expectations, and Man Utd’s one deal has aged like wine after Anthony Gordon’s move.
The first big deal of this transfer window is all set to be Anthony Gordon’s move to Barcelona for a fee of around £70m.
That has multiple negative repercussions for Man Utd, from Marcus Rashford in serious limbo to making a Lewis Hall deal difficult.
However, it also has a positive implication for the club’s own £65m deal that looks like a pure masterstroke now.
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Man Utd got a steal in Bryan Mbeumo
Just when it looks like the transfer market can’t get any crazier, a deal like Gordon comes along and resets the bar of expectations.
This time, the bar has been reset in a way that makes United’s deal for Bryan Mbeumo last summer look like an absolute steal.
When Mbeumo arrived at Old Trafford, he did so as a player who had scored 20 goals in a Premier League season, playing multiple positions, at the peak of his career.
When Gordon moves to Barcelona, he will do so as a player who scored three non-penalty goals for Newcastle in the recently concluded season.
It speaks volumes about the deal that Newcastle fans are rejoicing at getting £70m for Gordon, while Mbeumo drove United’s rise from 15th in the table to 3rd.
In the same vein, the deal for Matheus Cunha looks even more remarkable, but he had a release clause, so Wolves can be cut some slack.
Ineos’ transfer market actions are ageing well
Man Utd fans are well within their rights to feel caution about the club’s moves in the market because they have been burnt for more than a decade by the Glazers.
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However, Ineos are starting to earn trust with their moves now, and with the benefit of hindsight, most deals look even better than they did then.
It helps that the players are performing, but even if they weren’t, the finances in the deal certainly merit some praise for the deal-makers.
The likes of Ayden Heaven and Senne Lammens stand head and shoulders above everyone else relative to the fee, but the transfer market going crazy proves that even lavish outlays on Mbeumo and Cunha were a steal.
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