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One of the biggest problems of the post Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United has been a lack of clear strategy in the transfer market.
To be fair to John Murtough, this chaotic thinking is a hallmark of Ed Woodward’s time as CEO.
However, the 53 year old has hardly done enough to change the workings of the club in this particular respect.
The Athletic have explained that “an issue over several seasons has been a lack of link from one market to the next. There has been no overarching recruitment concept that has survived managerial changes”.
According to reporter Laurie Whitwell, “critics” say United – by implication, Murtough – have/has been unsuccessful in building “established industry relationships” that would allow the club to get “better value” in the market. Whitwell also says United don’t “proactively cultivate the type of information-gathering that could give them an edge”. One major reason for this is the constant chopping and changing of personnel.
An example of this was seen when United were to offer Tom Keane a role as part of a transfer dealings department owing to the rapport he had cultivated with club staff but the appointment was cancelled due to financial concerns raised in a strategic financial review. Subsequently, Matt Hargreaves stepped into the role as head of football negotiations, despite never having had any experience executing transfers. Classic Murtough.
Another clear case of United’s muddled thinking is the 2023 summer transfer window.
The Athletic assert that “during the summer, for instance, United went first for Mason Mount because they feared Chelsea would otherwise sell different players to alleviate their FFP concerns, and Arsenal and Liverpool were in for him too. Observers regarded that as a jumbled strategy when a new striker was the priority”.
The extent of this problem can be seen by the fact that young summer recruit, Rasmus Hojlund, is yet to score a goal in the Premier League and Erik ten Hag’s first choice target, Harry Kane, is lighting up the Bundesliga with 21 goals to his name before Christmas.
Many believe that incoming part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will task Dave Brailsford with solving this mess by investigating processes and recommending improvements.
“Industry sources say Brailsford is aiming to appoint a sporting director to oversee operations as well as a transfer specialist to refine recruitment. This has been interpreted by some as terminal for Murtough, and some people at the club anticipate his departure eventually, but sources insist no decision has yet been made”.
United have been linked to a plethora of potential sporting directors but Murtough has not gone down the Richard Arnold route of jumping ship before he is most likely pushed.
However, Murtough fancies his chances of surviving and adapting to another role in an INEOS led United. “He has made clear his openness to staying and working with INEOS as part of a revised structure that could see his authority reduced, which former and current colleagues say is characteristic of a shrewd political operator”.
In fact, The Athletic claim that Murtough is seen by those who have worked with him as a “great survivor”.
Time will soon tell how great those said survival skills are.
