Manchester United’s transfer record after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement can probably be used as a business manual on how to not run football clubs.
The first transfer window under Ineos, however, looks to have aged nicely, with four out of five signings proving to be a hit and Joshua Zirkzee ever-improving.
It has led to a renewed trust in the fanbase when it comes to transfers, a trust that has been severely tested this January due to a lack of activity.
Ruben Amorim sent the club a warning after the team’s win against Fulham and United’s first January transfer looks like a step in the right direction.
Ruben Amorim’s warning to Man Utd
Amorim took over a team in the middle of the season and has effectively been trying to coach the players in a new system on the job.
The players are not even “his” in a tactical sense so he would be well within his rights to get frustrated at United’s lack of transfer activity.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
However, far from being frustrated, he sent United a warning after the Fulham game when asked about what the remaining days in January hold for the club.
He had a scathing of United’s work in the market in the previous transfer windows and urged the club that they’re no longer in a position to repeat it.
He said at the time: “We have to be cautious. We have to follow the [PSR] rules. We made mistakes in the past, but we can’t do it now. We are focused on improving the team…let’s see.”
Since then, the player who had effectively become the poster boy of United’s incompetency in the transfer market, Antony has left for Real Betis.
Now, an incoming hammers home the fact that Ineos have heard Amorim loud and clear.
Ayden Heaven’s Man Utd transfer a step towards correction
Man Utd are in talks to sign Patrick Dorgu but their first January transfer is set to be Ayden Heaven from Arsenal for a “modest fee”.
At 18 and joining at the end of his scholarship terms with Arsenal, he would generally be considered an academy signing but it’s been reported that he’s arriving as a “first-team signing” who will provide cover for Lisandro Martinez.
Read More: Who is Ayden Heaven, wonderkid swapping Arsenal for Man Utd?
There is a dearth of left-footed centre-backs at Old Trafford and Heaven’s signing is a departure from somebody like Jarrad Branthwaite, on whom Everton had slapped an asking price north of £70 million last summer.
By signing Heaven as a first-team player and trusting Godwill Kukonki to become an important member of the squad, there’s no need to splash crazy money on Branthwaite.
Amorim’s project is a long one and signing players like Heaven fits into that template.
If he succeeds, United probably save £50-60 million on signing a left-footed defender. If he doesn’t, then United can easily flip him for a profit after a loan spell or two.
They won’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Amorim’s message has been heard loud and clear.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
