It would have been pretty fitting really if the final Glazer-era signing at Manchester United had been an experienced free-agent snapped up in a panic.
You could almost make an entire starting XI out of the short-term, stop-gap solutions sought in the market by a Red Devils side who were responsible for signing Odion Ighalo, Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer and more on sticking plaster deals.
And when the Jadon Sancho saga left Manchester United short in the wide areas at the start of 2023/24 – the Englishman dumped from the first-team picture after a very unseemly row with Erik ten Hag – a potential deal for free-agent Anwar El Ghazi was briefly pursued.
El Ghazi, another former Eredivisie ace under consideration at Old Trafford, had recently become available after his contract with PSV Eindhoven was terminated.
The one-time Aston Villa, Ajax and Everton forward would later confirm, via BBC Sport, that a move to Man United was indeed ‘close’.
Anwar El Ghazi disappointed by Manchester United miss
“It was true we were in talks,” El Ghazi said. “I was a free agent after leaving PSV and (Man United) were struggling to find wingers,
“They were exploring the market. It was close but unfortunately it didn’t go through.”
Nearly a year on, El Ghazi is still without a club.
A short-lived spell at Mainz in Germany quickly went sour after his vocal support for Palestine led to a very early removal from the first-team picture.
The lack of offers since then, however, is certainly surprising when you consider that El Ghazi scored 11 goals in the Premier League as recently as the 2020/21 season. He even won the division’s Player of the Month award midway through that campaign.
Sky Sports now saw that EL Ghazi’s contract with Mainz is expected to be ripped up.
A return to British football appears to be on the cards, too, even if the Manchester United ship has most certainly sailed. With Ineos now calling the shots and putting elite-level footballing operators in key positions behind the scenes, the days of Glazer-esque panic signings like Ighalo are hopefully a thing ot the past.
Second-tier move looms for ex-Aston Villa ace
El Ghazi could join Cardiff City in the Championship.
Despite finishing 12th last season, this is an ambitious Cardiff side not afraid to make marquee signings. After bringing back Welsh legend Aaron Ramsey in 2023, The Bluebirds have also snapped up former Celtic playmaker David Turnbull and Calum Chambers following his departure from Aston Villa.
As for the aforementioned Sancho, a surprise thawing of relations with Ten Hag appears to have swung open the doors for an unexpected revival of his Manchester United career even if those Paris Saint-Germain links continue to swirl.
“We need good players, and he is a very good player,” Ten Hag said briefly during Man United’s pre-season tour of the USA, via ESPN.
Sancho scored the winning penalty against Arsenal over the weekend too, the Red Devils eking some measure of revenge after losing 2-1 in normal time.
“Yeah, as we said, we’ve drawn the line,” Ten Hag would add, per The Athletic. “Manchester United need good players and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line and we move on.”
“We’ve drawn the line. We move on.”
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