COMMENT: Manchester United’s two incoming knights know the value of seizing a moment – an opportunity – when it appears. And for Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford such a chance to strike an instant rapport with fans does loom this coming January…
He wants that celebratory signing. That player to instantly excite the base and get them onside. That’s what we’re hearing about Sir Jim Ratcliffe from down the line. With work being done behind-the-scenes to have his 25 per cent stake rubberstamped before Christmas, there is an expectation from inside Ratcliffe’s camp that the January market will be the first window of this new era.
And as we say, he wants to make a splash. Not so much for ego, but out of concern. Ratcliffe knows the support are frustrated. Just as he knows management feel the same. It was out of the billionaire’s hands, but the confusion and delays over the club’s ownership structure has cost them in the market. We know that the £100m needed to beat Arsenal to Declan Rice was never made available to Erik ten Hag. Just as we know the prospect of outbidding Bayern Munich for Harry Kane was never on the table.
United may have still been outsiders in both battles, but they never even made it to the starting line. With the club’s sale process lurching from one false promise to the next, the money that should’ve been there to compete was withdrawn. Instead of Rice, Ten Hag made do with his old Utrecht protégé Sofyan Amrabat on a straight loan. And those plans around Kane arriving to work and mentor Rasmus Hojlund never made their way off the drawing board. The biggest club in the world. The most popular club in the world. Yet they were reduced to counting their pennies in the final days of the summer market.
Again, Ratcliffe had no say on the mess. But he was involved. And he felt it. He knows there’s frustration. He knows there was a real groundswell of support for Sheikh Jassim. But he also knows there is a way to win over that section of the fanbase so underwhelmed by his arrival.
Needs must. But also opportunity knocks. As much as Ten Hag and his staff are determined to bring in a new No9 in January, Ratcliffe and his team also know nothing excites the Stretford End more than a big name centre-forward. Suddenly. Instantly. Manager and stakeholder are on the same page. And if it can be done, this will be a deal targeted for January – not June.
Of course, the Tribalfootball.com desk brought us news of Mehdi Taremi’s team being tapped during the week. The Porto centre-forward is a favourite of Ten Hag and a deal was explored over the summer. Representatives for Taremi even meeting with United bosses, including John Murtough, at Carrington at the beginning of the summer window.
In the end, a deal couldn’t be done. That ownership saga again having an effect. Instead, Taremi remained with Porto as the window closed and is still available. There is a transfer to be negotiated – should Ten Hag choose to pursue it.
Ivan Toney of Brentford has also been mentioned. But that, for the moment, is a flyer. More the press than any connected intermediary. A move within London is most likely for the Bees man.
Instead, this column would say to United fans, lift your sights. Taremi would be a good addition. Solid. Comparisons with Hulk wouldn’t be out of place. But as talented and well-suited the Iranian is, Taremi isn’t setting the pulse racing. His profile isn’t one Ratcliffe would pin his flag to.
As we say, lift your sights. Kylian Mbappe’s entourage have been contacted. It’s a long shot. They’re well down on the pecking order. But the PSG striker has been informed United are keen to talk. Off contract in June, United will – if invited – submit a pre-contract offer to the World Cup winner. And if encouraged, we’ve been told United will jump in with a January bid to steal a march on Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president. But as we say, that’s a long shot. Instead, it could be Italy and Naples where United and Ratcliffe find that desired No9.
At Napoli, Aurelio de Laurentiis is willing to sell – and Victor Osimhen is prepared to go. The relationship between management and player, while the stress has eased, remains tense. ADL is taking the Nigerian’s attitude towards coach Rudi Garcia personally. The movie mogul has publicly warned his centre-forward of consequences if he throws another on-field strop as he did against Bologna in August. De Laurentiis weeks later would raise the prospect of a January sale.
“I have never not been calm when it comes to Osimhen, but it takes two to tango,” stated the Azzurri owner. “I remain the same; if his mood has changed, then there’s not much I can do about that. If, after a handshake, things change, that is disappointing. We take it into account, but life goes on.
“We have a good rapport with him; the contract runs to 2025, so there is time. Don’t forget, I sold [Kalidou] Koulibaly at the last minute.”
For the right price, ADL will sell in January. Having been burned on the Sergei Milinkovic-Savic deal – by his own admission he lost €100m on the Serb’s sale to Al-Hilal – he doesn’t want that happening again.
There is a deal to be made. For Ratcliffe, a signing to get the fans onside. For Ten Hag, after 18 months of trying, a centre-forward – the right centre-forward – to knit his system together. Financial Fair Play will be raised, but Ratcliffe didn’t get to where he is by allowing convention to dictate terms.
An opportunity is emerging. It’s now down to Ratcliffe to seize it.
