When the summer transfer window began, Manchester United fans were optimistic there would be a clear coherent plan.
The faith in Ineos was fair. United’s recruitment in summer 2025 was excellent, the best in the post-Ferguson era, and it began with early signings.
Midway through this transfer window, the jury is still out.
There is just under a fortnight until Manchester United’s season begins, while the transfer deadline will pass on August 31.
During this transfer window, United have had to constantly re-adjust, and the final few weeks could end up defining it.
Entering the window, fans expected big things. David Ornstein even admitted he misjudged it when he predicted United would be the busiest out of all the Premier League teams.
While United are not resting on their laurels, the third placed finish last season has led to the club approaching the window without a sense of urgency or desperation. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
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Two transfer window resets
United’s initial plan was to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who appeared to be the replacement for Manuel Ugarte, who was in line to be sold.
Ugarte’s injury at the World Cup has now ruled him out for the season, and Ineos backed out of the Ederson deal, with medical reasons unofficially cited.
United had also planned to sign Mateus Fernandes, until Tottenham’s desperation drove the price up and Ineos walked away.
The outcome was two swift deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Fans have high hopes for both, who were signed for the same price as Tottenham’s Fernandes deal.
Ineos could dine out on this one, praised for astute business, or they could live to regret not simply paying up for Fernandes. We will lean towards the former; United also needed volume in midfield and two arrivals is better than one.
But it’s still not enough.
United’s recruitment has been on hold since the Tielemans deal, and it is eerily quiet.
Outgoings are ongoing in the background. Radek Vitek, Altay Bayindir and possibly Joshua Zirkzee are on the move.
It feels like United are resetting to re-evaluate the market, deciding to potentially bring in a striker, another midfielder and a left-back. At least that is what we hope.
There is a risk that this window ends prematurely, just like summer 2018 under Jose Mourinho.
Ineos can still win fans over
Manchester United’s transfer window cannot be judged right now because it is not complete. There will be some fans who are unhappy at the end of it regardless, of course.
It is important to remember that you cannot win the league in the transfer window.
United fans thought the 2021 window of Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane would be a game-changer. It wasn’t.
More recently, Liverpool were lauded for their transfer business last summer, and their season turned into a disaster.
We don’t want splashy signings that don’t fit like Ed Woodward used to make. Ineos’ controlled, measured approach feels far more sensible.
But the window is still clearly incomplete, and if they leave it incomplete, they will deserve the criticism that comes their way.
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