Manchester United are looking to lure current Wolves Head of Player Recruitment Mathew Hobbs to Old Trafford, and a deal could be agreed upon within weeks.
This is according to Football Insider, who say that the only obstacle in the way is an approach by Chelsea, who are looking to beat United to Hobb’s signature.
Manchester United’s Football Director John Murtough appears to be currently in charge of player recruitment, with manager Erik ten Hag seemingly having a significant say in who the club targets so far.
An approach for another Premier League club’s Head of Scouting and Recruitment would signal a slight restructure in how players are targeted moving forward.
Hobbs has been with Wolves for over seven years, initially starting in the scouting department before taking charge of player recruitment and scouting at the beginning of this year.
Hobbs has been in charge of a busy summer transfer window for Wolves, with several big signings made, including highly sought-after midfielder Matheus Nunes for just over £40million and, more recently, Diego Costa on a free transfer.
Chelsea is the other club after Hobbs, which would make sense considering the backroom upheaval that has taken place since Todd Boehly’s takeover.
Chief Scout Scott McLachlan has recently left his position at the London club, which would give a ready-made position for Hobbs to slot into.
With United’s summer transfer window appearing to outsiders as erratic and rushed by the end, improving the player recruitment at the club is a must.
Current Wolves manager Bruno Lage has stated recently how Matt Hobb’s diligence in recruitment has assisted him in creating a cohesive outfit, something that has been missing from United’s recruitment structure:
“We need to be fair to the work Matt Hobbs did with his department. When I came, they already had him (Yerson Mosquera) in mind. It was the first decision I made, and that’s the way I want to work with everyone in the building. Matt and his department did a very good job finding him for us.”
United appeared to waste a lot of time and resources chasing Frenkie de Jong this summer, only to make a move as time was running out for Casemiro.
If this move comes off, it could change how players are targeted and acquired in future transfer windows.
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