Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward is the latest executive to tell fans that this will be a quiet transfer window saying “It may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market.”
We have heard the same from Barcelona and Inter Milan, but United have been strongly linked with a €100m+ deal for Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho as well as a €200m deal for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
But Woodward seemingly has thrown cold water on these deal saying on a videoconference call with Manchester United fans.
“Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of challenge facing everyone in football”
“It may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer.
“As ever, our priority is the success of the team, but we need visibility of the impact across the whole industry, including timings of the transfer window, and the wider financial picture, before we can talk about a return to normality.
“On this basis, I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport.
“It’s also important to acknowledge the part played by our successful business in allowing us to fulfil our social responsibilities.
“We have always believed that our commercial model gives us greater resilience than most clubs and we are grateful for the enduring support of our commercial partners in helping us achieve that.”
It’s logical that huge transfer fees and wages will be lower this summer. But will United for example sell Paul Pogba for half of what they were looking for last season? And will agents like Mino Raiola be willing to negotiate contracts for their clients that are worth less than their current deals?