Premier League
Bundesliga
Published on Sep, 03 2024
Manchester United navigated their first transfer window under the INEOS-powered football operations team this summer.
Led by sporting director Dan Ashworth, who spent his first two months in the job purely focused on recruitment, the club embarked on a total of 32 transactions.
Supported by CEO Omar Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox, interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell and manager Erik ten Hag, the club have worked hard to finally sell well, address key positions and operate in a sustainable manner.
INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford oversees the process, which is guided by the scouting and analysis departments, before sign-off from the board.
United signed four players in the priority positions of forward, centre-back and defensive midfield and that were identified prior to Ashworth's arrival. Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte were recruited - all aged 25 or under.
Right-back was not considered fundamental, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka's situation - one year on his contract with interested suitors - allowed United to change the dynamic by bringing in Noussair Mazraoui, 26, who can also cover the opposite flank.
None of the new signings have hit their ceiling yet and their character references fed into the desire of a cultural reset for the squad environment.
The tying down of Bruno Fernandes was imperative and there has been a clear focus on bringing in talented development prospects like Sekou Kone.
It has been in the outgoings where the difference really is underlined and bolded. United banked circa £87m in sales, but moreover, have been forceful with buy-back and sell-on clauses.
In a Q&A session that Sky Sports News was active in, Ashworth and Berrada explained the new mechanisms.
In conversation: Ashworth and Berrarda explain strategy
Q: How would you describe the squad you inherited?
Ashworth: "Well first of all, I didn't inherit it. We did at Manchester United, we're a team in all of this, so from the first of July [when he officially joined the club] there had already been some decisions made about key areas of the pitch to strengthen.
"We'd already lost two or three key players: Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Sofyan Amrabat from memory had all gone, so there was a centre back, a central midfielder player/six, and a centre forward were the key and we felt we probably would need another centre back as well. They were the four key positions we really wanted to strengthen in this window and we've done that - by bringing in Zirkzee, Ugarte, Yoro and De Ligt.
"That was fundamentally, as I walked in, the pre-agreed positions, partly because of exits and partly because of the view they were areas we wanted to strengthen our depth and quality.
"Mazraoui and Wan-Bissaka was one where Aaron had a year left on his contract, had an opportunity to move on, so we were able to freshen it up and trade that position.
"And I also go back to the financial rules and regulations that you rightly have to act within. So it's not just as simple as being able to change everybody, nor do we want to, it's just about making good decisions in the next few windows to maximise our resources and the talent we've already put in the squad and the talent that's coming through the system."
Q: Ten Hag had a lot of power in the old recruitment structure, and it seems that has continued with the incomings this summer?
Ashworth: "Again, I can't comment on what's happened previously, I don't know how they've made the decisions on players coming in, and as I've already alluded to, it's a joined-up process: we looked at objective, subjective opinions and come up with the best possible solution we can to fill the positions we have identified.
"It is natural in human nature to work with somebody you've worked with previously in all contexts, in all business contexts. That is a natural sway because you know that person, because you know that player, but also we've signed a number of players this summer that haven't worked with Erik: Yoro, Ugarte. And he'd never worked with Zirkzee - you can't say just because he's Dutch he knows him.
"He's worked with Matthijs and Noussair previously. They were both on our radar and it's a joined-up decision on who comes in and out of this football club."
Q: What happened with Sancho?
Ashworth: "I think with any player, whether it's Jadon, whether it's Scott [McTominay] or whether it's Aaron, if there's a preference that they would like to move and go to a new club and it's right for them and it's right for us, then you have to explore it.
"We felt we had enough depth in that particular position to be able to cover it, we've got four really good wide players, Jadon was a fifth, and it just enabled us to make that decision. If it was good for him and good for us it was something we were willing to consider."
Q: So was the truce not effective? Did Jadon not have a future at the club?
Ashworth: "Nothing to do with that. It was a decision that we made - if it's right for Jadon and it's right for us to move on. He wanted to explore the opportunity at Chelsea, like Scott wanted to explore the opportunity at Napoli, like Aaron wanted to explore the opportunity at West Ham. We're not in a position where we're kicking players out of the club."
Q: Are you confident with the squad?
Ashworth: I like the squad. I would say that after the business we've done in the summer. I've probably done 25 windows now and been doing this for a fair period of time.
"I don't think there's ever been a window where we've gone, 'it's gone absolutely perfectly, we've done every single in, we've done every single out we wanted to do'. There are always bits, 'if only I could have got that over the line.'
"But in the main, the target positions we wanted to strengthen, the players we've brought in, the depth and options when everybody is fully fit that Erik has, and we have as a club, I'm pleased with that, yeah."
Q: How long will it take Man Utd to get to Manchester City's comfort position of just slightly tweaking the squad?
Berrada: "I think anybody who has worked in football for a long time could tell you that it's almost impossible to put a timescale to answer that question.
"What I can say is, it has been demonstrated when you look at the teams who have been successful consistently for many years, it's because they have the right coach, they have signed the right players, they have the right structure around the coach and the players and you need to take good decisions consistently for many years, to get into a position where you are a financially sustainable club that is competing to win every single competition. Which is where we want to be.
"As Dan referenced earlier, we don't want to just win one Premier League and then be satisfied. We want to create a team that is capable of competing for the Champions League, for the Premier League and for domestic cups on a consistent basis.
"So to build that, we need to be doing more of what we have done in this window. We have addressed priority positions that were identified very early on, and we were able to do it in a financially sustainable way.
"We were quite disciplined about the valuations we were giving to the players who were going to come in. We stuck to those valuations. I think Dan and the team did a fantastic job in the negotiation process. And the reason I mention that is if you make a mistake and if you overspend or get a player who can cost you too much, it can set you back. Which is why you need to be able to take those decisions and make the right ones consistently over time to be in a position to win consistently. There will be some mistakes, it's normal there are certain factors we can't control. But all of the controllables, we are going to put our best foot forward to get it right."
Q: Was selling a critical area to improve?
Berrada: "Where we stand today, you see lots of turnover in the squads and in order to be able to stay within the financial regulations, to make the investments we want to make, and strengthen the key positions, you have to sell.
"And the process for selling is very similar to the process for buying. You have a framework, you know what you are trying to achieve, it has to make sense for the club, it has to make sense obviously for the player who is leaving and if you stay within those parameters and if you are decisive, then generally you get it right."
Q: The club seemed more aggressive with clauses and more willing to soften on valuations, so outgoings could get done?
Berrada: "For the ins and outs we had a very clear idea for what we wanted to achieve, both in terms of the positions of the players but also from a financial point of view.
"It is true that we have been more open to structuring the contracts in a way that can deliver value for us in the short-term, but also in the future, introducing higher sell-ons, more realistic contingents, we have done that with practically all of the players who have gone out, from the young ones to the more senior players.
"We have also tried to put in place certain policies to protect us in the future. So we have the ability to buy back a player - Willy Kambwala - if he does really well, then we have the ability to bring him back. And we have done that again with lots of other young players."
Ashworth: "From my point of view, sometimes you have to be quite brave and make decisions that maybe you don't want to make, but you can't have a bloated squad, and you're also dealing with players that ultimately want to play football.
"So you want to make sure that the squad is lean, but you have enough depth. The schedule, especially with the new Europa League format, is pretty punishing. So we want to make sure we've got enough depth that we don't carry a bloated squad and we're able to keep the players with the motivation and thought that they've got a chance of playing. If you run with too big a squad, it can cause problems.
"And the second thing, and the reason you have to make brave decisions, is because of the changes in the rules and regulations. You have to generate some money to be able to spend that money back, from a player trading point of view as well as from a commercial perspective.
"The number of players that will be one-club players for a long, long period of time, I think it's probably changing within the game and that's an unintended consequence of the rules and regulations."
Q: Do you want rules to be reviewed in terms of academy players being banked as pure profit?
Ashworth: "One thing we're forgetting in all these rules and regulations is the player's wishes as well. I don't know if I've talked about it before, but if a player has an opportunity, and Scott's been fairly open, that maybe he needed a change. He's been at Manchester United for 22 years… he's been a brilliant, brilliant servant. But sometimes in life you fancy a change and do something different.
"So we have to respect those human beings, what they want for their career and their life as well. And if all three are right, it's right for us, it's right for them, it's right for the club they're joining, then you have to look at it.
"I don't want to sit here and say no player is going to be a one-club person again. But the rules have, as an unintended consequence, made it slightly more attractive to sell players with a zero-book value, which is consequently either players you sign on a free or players that come through your system."
Berrada: "Just to add to that, the fundamental principle of the rules, we are in favour of, which is that we need to operate sustainably. And in order to do that, it's obviously taking good football decisions ins and outs, developing academy players that can contribute to the first team. It's also managing a good business. Growing your revenues, managing your costs properly. So all of that plays into it. And we're all fundamentally in favour of that."
Q: Are you excited over the future?
Berrada: "I can sense it, and I can also speak for myself, which is I'm very excited and very optimistic at what we have in front of us. I think we're starting to put the right pieces in place and I'm absolutely convinced that we're going to be successful."
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