How Has Manchester United’s Transfer Window Suddenly Gone From Sublime To Stagnant?

Just a couple of weeks ago all seemed to be going quite well with Manchester United’s transfer window. Not only had Louis Van Gaal brought in a number of astute midfield purchases, a right-back, and one of the most promising young forwards in Europe, he also appeared to have done the impossible and secured David De Gea for one more season too.

But all of that positivity has unravelled recently though. As United have been dogged down by discontent and failed bids that has ruined their good early pre-season work. But before we get to that, let’s look at the positives.

Back in May it looked as though Louis Van Gaal was going to quickly address the faults that he’d spotted during his first season in charge at Old Trafford. After topping the scoring charts in the Dutch league in 2014/2015, Memphis Depay was purchased from PSV for £25 million - a fee that began to look even more impressive once Manchester City splashed £49 million on Raheem Sterling.

Van Gaal wasn’t done there though. The purchase of Matteo Darmain addressed the right back position that he’d found to be an issue last term. But United fans were more impressed with the acquisitions of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Schneiderlin has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent midfield performers during Southampton’s recent re-emergence, while Schweinsteiger is a World Cup winner that has been a mainstay of Bayern Munich’s side over the last decade and a half.

Together, with Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, and Maraoune Fellaini, it gives United an eclectic and vibrant central midfield to select from. The purchases of these four players, coupled with United’s insistence that David De Gea was going nowhere until at least next summer, and the sale of a number of fringe players, suggested that the club were well in control of their transfer window plight.

All they needed was a centre back and a forward, and then United could genuinely be perceived as title contenders. The usual spate of rumours suggested that United were on the cusp of addressing these specific gaps too.

Ramos. Hummels. Otamendi, Benzema. Ronaldo. Bale. All of these names were repeatedly linked to United on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, because of this frequent speculation, the joy of imagining these players on United’s roster soon turned to tedium, as nothing seemed to happen about actually purchasing them.

Then, it became more and more apparent that Angel Di Maria’s future clearly lay away from Old Trafford, as PSG hovered above, waiting to seal his signature like a ravenous hawk. The Argentinian’s departure meant that United would now need a world-class, marquee signing to replace him. As well as a new winger.

Then, after his poor performance against PSG in a friendly, Louis Van Gaal reached the conclusion that David De Gea’s fragile state of mind over his failure to move to Real Madrid could lead to him conceding silly goals. Rumours soon swirled that he had approved his sale to the Bernabeu. It now looked like a new goalkeeper was also needed.

Then, Pep Guardiola confirmed speculation about Bastian Schweinsteiger’s lack of fitness by insisting that he hadn’t been fully fit for three years. Suddenly, United’s new purchases were being questioned too. Plus, the £2.5 million sale of Rafael and the £15 million loss on Di Maria after just one season proved that United’s selling technique also needed to be addressed. While there was still no sign of a new centre-back and forward!

Also it now feels too late for any more new signings; as the comfort of the pre-season has dissipated and anyone who is actually brought in would need to adjust to their new surroundings amongst the rigors of the Premier League. I know that’s not actually the case. I’m just being petty and belligerent. But it speaks volumes that our suddenly stagnant transfer window has now left me acting like a child whose day in the park has been ruined by the rain so won’t enjoy the mountain of toys in front of him.

Even if United don’t acquire anyone else, with just a handful of days until United’s first game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday the club’s proposed starting eleven still looks very impressive. And there’s no denying that Van Gaal’s purchases have made United’s squad immeasurably stronger.

It’s just that the wind has somewhat been sucked out of United’s summer sails. And it will take some impressive late deals for high calibre talent to rejuvenate it.