The Weekly Take, Issue 69: Paying Through the Nose

There have been many cases in which a footballer is signed for a gaudy transfer fee but subsequently never makes the desired impact at his new club.

Some of the most notorious examples of this include the transfers of James Rodríguez to Real Madrid, Zlatan Ibrahimović to Barcelona, Fernando Torres to Chelsea, and Ángel Di María to Manchester United.

Now, five years after the ill-advised signing of Di María, United again appear to have severely overpaid to sign a player.

Manchester United have just paid ₤50 million to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace.

It’s not that I believe the Londoner will be a complete failure at Old Trafford. There is definitely some degree of potential there, and he should be able to crack the rotation and perhaps establish himself as a starter.

However, the Red Devils have just paid an amount for which one expects a high-quality, starting 11 player. Wan-Bissaka is still just 21 and has not yet shown any signs that he might ascend to that level someday. He has only played 42 league games for Palace and has never been capped by England. This is a player who made his professional debut less than 18 months ago.

This signing appears to be a “panic purchase” by United. After a disappointing season in which United finished sixth in the Premier League, were knocked out earlier than expected in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and were soundly defeated by Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, United knew that major upgrades were needed to set the club back on the path toward its former glories.

This makes their signing of Wan-Bissaka all the more puzzling. What United need right now is a player who will be ready to contribute at a high level straight from his first day at United. Wan-Bissaka does not fit that bill.

Just looking at other full-backs, United could very well have signed one of Lukas Klostermann, Alex Telles, José Gaya, Alex Sandro, or Nélson Semedo. Even if United felt that they ought to sign a promising young prospect, they could easily have gone with Achraf Hakimi. Although the 20-year-old Moroccan has only played 57 career league games, he has already spent time at two major clubs: Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Thus, he already has some of the big-game experience which Wan-Bissaka lacks.

If the reason that United signed Wan-Bissaka was to build for the future, once again, they could have made better signings for a similar or less expensive fee. One of players 23 years old or younger such as Rúben Neves, Nicolò Zaniolo, Hirving Lozano, Jonathan Tah, or Youri Tielemans could have been signed. All of them have established themselves to a greater degree, and most seem to have higher ceilings, than Wan-Bissaka has.

Many of Europe’s leading clubs have already made notable signings. Barcelona have signed Frenkie de Jong and Neto. Real Madrid have brought in Eden Hazard, Luka Jović, and Ferland Mendy. Bayern Munich have added French full-backs Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez to their roster. Juventus have signed Adrien Rabiot; Borussia Dortmund, Mats Hummels.

This is the level of player required to be signed by a club that is to return to or remain among world football’s best. The fact that United committed so much money to sign someone who has not shown anything of note thus far proves how far the club has fallen and clearly displays their general lack of ambition.

There is still plenty of time in this transfer window to turn things around, but given United’s recent track record in this department, the signs do not appear to be promising. Over the last three years, the only two truly impactful signings made by United were those of Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba. Furthermore, Ibrahimović left United after two seasons which included an ACL tear, while Pogba was signed for what was then an all-time record fee.

If United go on to strike out in this off-season’s transfer window or again overpay for most or all of their signings, their fans can expect to endure another difficult season in what has now proven to be their worst multi-year stretch in almost 30 years.

Certainly, Manchester is no longer red.