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Manchester United’s new sporting department are completely reshaping how the club conducts itself in the transfer window.
When the Old Trafford outfit was solely run by the Glazer family and after the retirements of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, many fans despaired at how transfers were carried out by the club for around a decade.
Former CEOs Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold were frequently derided for their lack of experience and apparent weakness in the transfer market as deals would often run on for weeks, only for the club to eventually give in and pay what the opposition team wanted. This was most dramatically seen in the scarcely believable £86m purchase of Antony in the final days of the window in 2022.
According to The Athletic, this has all changed however.
United have had a successful window so far recruiting talents such as Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui and are reportedly not done yet as they search for a defensive midfielder as well.
“There are several voices in the transfer process, with Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Erik Ten Hag, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell, joined by Matt Hargreaves, director of football negotiations, Steve Brown, head of recruitment operations, and Andy O’Boyle, deputy football director.”
Sir Dave Brailsford is also involved “across all conversations, although he does not pass judgement on players. His role on a three-person committee, alongside Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer, executive co-chairman, provides a link to the overall club strategy and broader financial picture.”
“Individuals in the group are collaborating and each has played a different role in the signings so far, from financial talks to building personal relationships with targets. Daily recruitment meetings take place in person and via Microsoft Teams.”
What stands out though is that there are many qualified people in positions of power in regard to transfers and they all seem encouraged to use their specialties to go after ambitious targets.
The captures of Leny Yoro and youth prospect Chido Obi-Martin (subject to confirmation) are strong examples of this ambition in action.
There are still some kinks to work out as “some player agents have reported confusion over who to call regarding a transfer given the various job titles, generally opting to go with the person with whom they have an established relationship.” However, this is normal as most of the team have only been in their jobs for a matter of weeks.
Crucially, “there is no lack of clarity, with Ten Hag embracing the new structure.” Ten Hag and the club’s sporting director Ashworth work closely together, so closely in fact that their offices are right next to each other, giving them the chance to speak daily.
Once again, this contrasts sharply with the Glazer era where the family would be based in America and transfer decisions would often drag due to the laborious nature of communication at the club.
United’s rapid decision to pivot from Jarrad Branthwaite to Yoro earlier this summer is a strong example of the advantages of rapid, direct communication in the market and the organization as a whole.
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