The 2021 summer transfer window has now closed and Manchester United have come out of it as a much stronger squad following some convincing business over the summer.
The 2021 summer transfer window has now closed and Manchester United have come out of it as a much stronger squad following some convincing business over the summer.
It was clear coming into the window that there were gaps that needed to be filled if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his squad wanted to start challenging for trophies this season. This is not something that has been unfamiliar for the club, as most transfer windows following the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson, have had very notable areas where the United squad were weak.
There were four arrivals at Old Trafford this summer, each one significantly improving different areas of the pitch. The first of four was concluded early into the window, seeing Tom Heaton join Manchester United on a free transfer.
The 35-year-old keeper returned to Manchester United following the departure of Sergio Romero, replacing him as a backup goalkeeper. A great signing considering he joined after some successful time playing Premier League football, and he has shown that he is not going to settle as a backup, after some impressive performances in pre season.
Heaton is a great keeper for depth in the squad but also provides more competition for both David De Gea and Dean Henderson who will be eager to improve.
The second signing was one that everyone around the club was waiting for very impatiently. Jadon Sancho finally became a Red Devil this summer, ensuing one of the longest transfer sagas in recent windows. The young English international joined from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £73 million, which can be seen as a fantastic piece of business bearing in mind Dortmund were asking for around £120 million in the summer prior.
The arrival of Sancho allowed United to finally anchor the right side of the attack, which could arguably have been the final piece to the jigsaw of United’s front-four. The talented winger adds a lot of strength to the current team, with his pace, ability on the ball and goalscoring capacity. A blockbuster signing which was inevitable this summer, knowing how much Solskjaer wanted this player.
For numerous seasons, the centre-half position has spawned countless problems for United, with almost every transfer window generating an untold amount of rumours for the position. This season, United are hoping to have solved that problem, with a solution in the form of Raphael Varane.
United captured the World Cup winner’s signature for only £36 million, and with Varane only at the age of 28, United have secured a bargain. A world class centre-half who has proven himself with numerous trophies and a great partner for Harry Maguire.
The final signing for United was one which shook the footballing world. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo. A fascinating transfer saga full of twists and turns, ending in the only way it should have. One of the greatest of all time returning to where it all began.
A price tag of only £13 million for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still so capable of scoring goals at a high level of competition. The five-time Ballon D’or winner has promised United fans that he will once again write history at United.
On top of bringing the opportunity of success, Ronaldo signing will certainly boost the morale of the whole squad and provide an incredible learning experience for the talented youth around the club.
It is undeniable that United have orchestrated an outstanding window, yet it leaves the question, is this the best transfer window Manchester United have ever had? Have there been better windows? If so, what was missing from this summer that could have put it above the rest?
When we look back to successful windows to compare this summer, the most recent one that can compete is the season of 2019/20. The first transfer window which was at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s disposal. Moving into his first full season as the manager at United, Solskjaer knew exactly where he wanted to improve and signed two significant defensive upgrades compared to the previous season.
Harry Maguire joined the club in this window from Leicester City for £80 million, who has since been nothing short of spectacular, missing very few games in his time at the club and quickly earning the role of club captain. Then, to further bolster the defence in this window, United brought in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50 million.
Since joining the Reds, Wan-Bissaka’s defensive ability has been unmatched, with his incredible tackling capability being some of the best in the league. The fullback also has recently looked to be improving the attacking aspect of his game, and from the results we have seen, he has proved to be a fairly successful signing and great addition as part of the 19/20 summer window.
This window also saw the welcoming of Daniel James from Swansea City for £16 million, and despite James now having left the club to join Leeds United, he had a healthy run as a squad rotation player and had a promising start to his first season with the club.
If you also look ahead to the January of this season, we also saw one of United’s most influential signings, perhaps of all time, if not, definitely the most influential since the retirement of Sir Alex. Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon for a fee of £56 million and the Portuguese man has been a marquee player for the club. Fernandes transformed United with his impact, and is still doing so today.
Looking back at the window of 2016/17, we are able to compare this summer to another great set of additions in a transfer window. The first window that Jose Mourinho was in charge of at United, which was also the window which saw United make their current record signing, Paul Pogba.
Pogba returned in this window for £94 million and since 2016, he has been a significant part of the United squad, winning an EFL Cup and a Europa League so far. The other superstar signing of 2016 was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who joined on a free transfer.
The Swedish man took the Premier League by storm with 29 goals in 53 appearances at the club. As well as the arrival of Ibrahimovic, Manchester United also made two other substantial signings with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly joining the club. With all things considered, this window was a very healthy competitor for best transfer window in the ‘post-Fergie’ era.
So if we look to define the best transfer window of the three mentioned here, it must be considered that we are yet to see the impact of the players signed this summer. On paper, this summer has been an unbelievable window, signing three players who are all worthy to be considered world class, one of which being the best footballer of all time, arguably.
Therefore, it feels hard to say that much compared to this window, although it could be said that United were missing a piece of the puzzle as the window is now concluded. A weaker position of the squad is in the defensive midfield position, and United have not invested in this position this summer, missing out on targets such as Saul Niguez and Eduardo Camavinga. Not only this, but United chose not to take up the opportunity of signing Ruben Neves.
At the moment, I think it can be said that on paper, this window has been one of the best in recent times, especially when you think about the quality that has been brought in for a considerably low net spend. Although, 2019/20’s transfer windows are evidently more successful due to the impact that Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have had improving the squad.
What do you think has been United’s most successful window? Has Solskjaer brought in some of the best signings United have ever made this summer or is it still too early to judge? Let us know @UnitedStandMUFC and @NewsUnitedStand on Twitter!
Originally published for The United Stand.
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