HERE WE GO: Kylian Mbappe finally rejects Real Madrid proposal to join Man United on a long term deal, paperwork done last night,player will arrive today for His medical as He is expected to make Man united premier league debut this week
Manchester United are penny-pinching this January, trying to comply with Premier League spending rules after years of unwise investment.
Financial Fair Play is in place for many reasons. Partly to try to ensure fair competition, and also to save clubs from themselves, amid poor ownership and bad short-term investments which can cause long-term havoc.
Manchester United are constrained by spending rules right now, with The Athletic reporting the club is not in a position to afford a permanent striker this month, not even £15 million Serhou Guirassy, unless player sales are completed.
How did the world’s richest club get to this point? Look to the mismanagement of the Glazers, and those they have employed to run the club.
Spending caps do not favour Premier League, argues Martin Samuel
Manchester United will have money to spend in the summer transfer window, but not a bottomless pit. Last summer the club supposedly could not afford Harry Kane.
United actually could have signed Kane, but it would have meant ditching other targets. Some would argue this would have been a better strategy than the one that played out.
But of the money which is available in summer, don’t expect the Red Devils to be in the market for 2018 World Cup winner and 2022 finalist Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking to The Times, writer Martin Samuel argues this is not right, and not good for the Premier League.
He argues: “Are we seriously to believe that Manchester United, arguably the biggest club on the planet, could not afford Kane? And does this mean they could not now afford Mbappé?
“If so, these rules are nonsense. Kane should still be playing in England. Mbappé should be on the radar of our biggest and best. The great advantage of being Manchester United is possessing the financial clout to make bold acquisitions.”
Manchester United should be in the market for the best, but are the best in the market for Manchester United?
Whether the truly elite players want to play for Manchester United, is a question the club must always be trying to answer.
The signing of Casemiro in 2022 was seen as a coup, with the Brazilian leaving Real Madrid as a five-time Champions League winner to take on a new challenge at Old Trafford. But some would argue he knew he was about to begin a downwards trajectory, and had just seen Aurelien Tchouameni arrive as his replacement.
The one United wanted was Jude Bellingham, and the previous summer Erling Haaland, but the club were never really in the running for either.
One of the challenges for Ineos is to turn the club back into a top destination for the game’s elite players, as well as navigating the financial limitations.
Former chief executive Ed Woodward used money to attract top players, as the main selling point, rather than football itself, and this was where the club began to go wrong.
United won’t be in the mix for Mbappe this summer, and that may suit some, who would prefer to see a more sustainable spending approach taken than throwing the chequebook at the world’s best.
Mbappe himself may respect United – but likewise, we would be surprised if he was actually interested in a move to the club in any case, especially if Erik ten Hag‘s side fail to secure Champions League qualification.
