Manchester United’s transfer business this summer has concluded and despite less signings than would have been ideal, the window had plenty of positives.
It was a summer in which Manchester United were frustrated, missing out on top targets yet somehow Ineos failed upwards and ended up with three strong midfield signings.
This was the first priority, to rebuild a paper thin midfield. Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba have done this for Michael Carrick.
The midfield overhaul was then added to with Cristian Orozco, Tynan Thompson and Karl Darlow also arriving as the six ‘senior’ signings completed this summer.
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The first signing confirmed by United this summer was Andrey Santos, who arrived for £48m from Chelsea, a deal while now looks like excellent value in this market.
Santos excelled in pre-season and after a poor showing against Hull, looked good off the bench against Ipswich in limited minutes.
The Brazilian has a very high ceiling and £48m feels a shrewd addition for United, as he will likely be more of a rotational option initially.
Very good signing, will be key for Carrick this season despite not being in the first choice line-up. If Santos can perform to the level he is clearly capable of, United have got a good one.
The only thing keeping Santos at 7.5 is that he isn’t a nailed on starter, and £48m is a lot for a player who will be on the bench the majority of the season. Might Mamadou Sangare have been better for cheaper in that position?
It would be difficult to judge Karl Darlow’s arrival either way right now, considering he hasn’t played a minute after being injured all pre-season.
But as far as back-ups go, he is a very dependable and solid option, with lots of Premier League experience and has proven quality to step in if required.
Whether he will play much remains to be seen, but as a free, there aren’t any downsides to this deal.
Back to the midfield and Youri Tielemans arrived as the second of the overhaul, adding plenty of experience and pure class on the ball.
Tielemans was impressive against Ipswich Town as he works toward full fitness having missed most of pre-season due to his World Cup involvement.
This is the kind of signing that United will get the best from as the season goes on, with his leadership and class giving Carrick a whole different dimension and quality in depth.
Not to mention that at £35m he is arguably the best value signing of the season.
On to arguably the most underwhelming signing of the summer, Tynan Thompson, but nothing to do with the player he is more due to the circumstances of the deal.
Thompson cost £4m rising to £8m with add-ons, but he has virtually zero first team experience. This makes the fee a big risk and expensive when compared to how much United got for Toby Collyer, who had lots more experience.
Buying other teams academy graduates for more than we are getting for our own. Now, Thompson is sat on the U21 bench, when this £4m may have gotten United a left-back or Louis Page.
Disappointing addition, hopefully he can end up being a good addition, but as of right now, it isn’t a great move. Although it could age very well, as he is clearly a big talent.
Signing of the summer for United is Carlos Baleba, with the Cameroon international arriving late in the window for a fee of £65m, £45m cheaper than Ineos were quoted for him last summer.
Baleba hasn’t kicked a ball yet, but he has the potential to be an absolute game changer for United when he recovers from his ankle issue as he is the missing piece within the midfield, adding the legs and defensive qualities that are lacking right now.
He is the dream partner for Kobbie Mainoo in the long-term and also benefits the slow back-line United favour currently, able to screen the entire line in front of the defence.
Superb signing for United and one which could look even better as time passes, considering he cost half what he should have.
Baleba still has several levels to develop, which is frightening considering how good he already is.
United’s acquisition of Cristian Orozco from Fortaleza went through officially this summer and he has looked stellar so far.
Costing just £750,000 it is high reward for such a low risk, which already looks a good bet with Orozco shining for United’s U21 side in early performances.
There is a real chance he gets first-team opportunities this season. Really strong signing with plenty of potential for him to end up being the next Moises Caicedo.
