Is The 2020 Summer Transfer Window The Worst Manchester United Ever Had? - Stretty Rant (original) (raw)
Manchester United have finished their summer transfer window just over a week ago and there are plenty of expectations put on the shoulders of new players. United have spent over €200m on five different players, getting in centre-backs Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, a right-back in Noussair Mazraoui, a defensive midfielder in Manuel Ugarte, and the centre-forward Joshua Zirkzee. These big investments will hopefully do better than some of the previous signings.
But while Man United have been known in this post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to make poor decisions in the market, there is really nothing quite like what the Red Devils did in the summer of 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the season ended later than usual, so the summer transfer window lasted much longer as well. But none of this helped United think through their moves and compared to the last couple of summer windows, it is an undeniable fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not backed properly four years ago.
It was in the summer of 2020 that Man United invested mere €62m on four players. The cheapest of them was Edinson Cavani, who joined as a free agent, aged 33 and clearly past his peak. This was a quick fix for the attacking struggles, and expecting the Uruguayan legend to make huge impact was not realistic and no one really expected that of him. In his first season, though, Cavani did well enough, but he ultimately ended his two-year spell at the club with 19 goals and six assists in 59 appearances. A goal every 162 minutes was not that great, but then again, the club’s thinking behind this deal was shaky as usual.
There was the arrival of another Uruguayan, Facundo Pellistri, who joined from Penarol in a deal worth around €8.5m and the then 18-year-old did not turn out to be the talent who could get his real place at Manchester United. Some 15 days ago, Pellistri moved to Panathinaikos for €6m after four years at the club. He was sent out on loans to Granada and Alaves, and in the end never scored in Man United’s shirt, which put on 25 occasions.
A more expensive signing was Alex Telles from Porto, who joined as a 27-year-old for €15m and it quickly became obvious he is not going to make some huge difference at Old Trafford. After two years of struggles, he moed to Sevilla on a season-long loan, before getting sold last summer to Saudi Arabian Al-Nassr for €4.6m, proving yet again that United’s decision making in the market was far from good. The Brazilian ended up making 50 appearances for United, scoring one goal.
And then, there is the ultimate disappointment – Donny van de Beek. Dutch midfielder joined from Ajax amidst plenty of expectations, particularly as United paid €39m for his services, snapping him as a 23-year-old who shone in the 2018-19 season. That was the season when Ajax just narrowly missed out on a Champions League final. Van de Beek had lots of problems to recapture those performances and was sent out on loans to Everton and Eintracht. It never looked like Donny could do well at United and he left this summer almost on a free transfer to Girona. He made 62 appearances for United, scored two goals, but his spell at Old Trafford was hugely forgettable.
We can just hope a summer transfer window like this one will never happen again to Manchester United.