As the takeover saga procrastinates ad infinitum, Manchester United have made the first acquisitions in the summer transfer window of 2023, and as expected, the media is still rife with speculation on further arrivals.
ETH has secured three new signings to date. The first arrival was Mason Mount, who joined from Chelsea for £55m up front, with another £5m as possible add-ons. Mount is considered a versatile midfielder who can play in various roles and formations. He is expected to add creativity and dynamism to United’s midfield, as well as contributing goals and assists. The fact that Mount was handed over the famous number 7 shirt did create a lot of discussions amongst the United faithful. Personally, I would have given that number to Garnacho.
The second, and unexpected, signing, was Jonny Evans, who returned to Old Trafford on a short-term deal after leaving Leicester City on a free. I believe that he was brought in to provide cover for Raphael Varane, Martinez and Victor Lindelof. I have left Maguire out of the equation as I believe his time at OT is up. Personally, I would have preferred a 20 year old promising centre half coming in and learning the trade with Varane and Martinez but Jonny Evans it is!
The third signing was Andre Onana, who completed a £43.9m move from Inter Milan. The Cameroon international keeper will replace David De Gea, who left the club after 12 years of service. Onana will provide a very different type of goalkeeping from DDG, and we have already seen him in action in the pre-season friendlies currently under way. Boring, it’s not going to be!
Latest arrival is Atalanta’s striker Rasmus Hojlund. The 20-year-old Dane scored 9 goals last season in Italy and is considered a player that is still to develop and show his full potential. A complete change of strategy from recent seasons where we were bringing in seasoned strikers who had already given their best years at their previous clubs. United have agreed an initial £64m fee with Atalanta, which could rise to £72m with add-ons. It is of course a huge gamble but in ETH we trust.
The latest player being actively mentioned is Sofyan Amrabat, the Moroccan midfielder who seems keen to make the move and according to Sky Italia, the deal is pretty close. His arrival will most definitely spell the end of either Fred or McTominay as United players.
To conclude, United have already parted ways with a number of players. Alex Telles joined Al-Nassr for an undisclosed fee, while Anthony Elanga, Ethan Galbraith, Bjorn Hardley, Zidane Iqbal, Ethan Laird, Manni Norkett, and Charlie Savage all moved to lower-league clubs on permanent deals.
A big season ahead – Numquam Moribimur.