Why did Manchester United FC miss out on a left-back during the transfer window? Rob Dowson explains the recruitment strategy of Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.

Manchester United FC spent the entire summer trying to avoid repeating past mistakes while building a team for the future.

Transfer market mistakes have dictated most of the club's strategy in this window. The primary goal is to move the team forward without repeating the errors that caused them to fall back previously.

Some fans might argue that Manchester United FC's reluctance to spend big in the summer—when Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur each spent over £100 million on a single player—shows a lack of ambition. However, CEO Omar Berrada and Football Director Jason Wilcox would argue that caution is necessary given what has happened before.

Why? Because Manchester United FC finds it harder than most clubs to escape the fallout from transfer mistakes.

Casemiro is one such example. The Uruguayan midfielder joined Old Trafford in 2024 for a fee exceeding £50 million. After two disappointing seasons, he was ready to leave in this window. The club knew they would need an offer of around £20 million to balance the books, but this was unrealistic given his recent form and wage demands.

The best they could hope for was to find a club willing to pay Casemiro's wages and loan him out. Ultimately, a serious knee injury during World Cup qualifying ended any transfer hopes entirely. Manchester United FC will recoup Casemiro's wages through FIFA's player protection program, which applies when players are injured while on international duty.

However, this injury merely delays the problem. Casemiro's contract does not expire until June 2029, meaning Manchester United FC will still need to find a solution for him next summer or beyond. This problem could drag on for another three years—a situation Berrada and Wilcox genuinely want to avoid.

Strengthening midfield

After rebuilding the attack last year, Manchester United FC's priority this summer was reinforcing midfield.

Ultimately, Manchester United FC signed three Premier League-experienced players—Santos, Tilemans, and Baleba—for a combined £155 million. ESPN sources indicate that given the continuously rising prices for midfielders, signing these three players represented good value and low risk. In contrast, Elliott Anderson's move to Manchester City, Tonali's move to Tottenham Hotspur, and Enzo Fernández's move to Manchester City had a combined value of £341 million.

Manchester United FC was interested in Anderson but accepted Nottingham Forest's initial valuation of only £70 million. They also monitored Tonali but considered it too risky to invest heavily in a player who had just served a lengthy ban for betting violations.

Budget was a crucial factor, especially with few players needing to leave the club. Manchester City recouped nearly £350 million this summer, while Manchester United FC's player sales generated less than £50 million.

Barcelona was initially expected to activate Rashford's buyout clause, and those funds would have been used for Ciraldo. However, Barcelona instead chose to sign Antony Gordon to fill their winger position. Although Manchester United FC contacted Fiorentina and Juventus about the Dutch striker, nothing materialized. When Everton called on the final day of the transfer window, it was too late.

The club's financial situation is that they cannot spend £300 million or £400 million in a single window. Manchester United FC had sufficient funds to match Tottenham Hotspur's £85 million offer for Matheus Fernandes, a midfielder on their radar. However, the club ultimately did not proceed, partly because Fernandes never indicated during negotiations that he wanted to move to Old Trafford. Manchester United FC saw this as a warning sign not to ignore.

Berrada and Wilcox have consistently emphasized that they want to sign players who clearly demonstrate their desire to play for Manchester United FC, similar to Kunla and Mbeumo. Although they landed their target signings last summer, this time they needed to be more flexible.

After the deal for Adersson, Atalanta's midfielder, fell through due to health issues, Manchester United FC accelerated negotiations with Chelsea to secure Santos. After deciding against Fernandes, Tilemans' £35 million release clause was activated quickly.

The day after Tilemans' arrival, Manchester United FC continued pursuing Scally's deal, but after Arsenal decided to keep him at Emirates, Manchester United FC turned their attention to Baleba. Brighton initially valued him at £120 million, which eventually came down to £70 million through negotiation.

Manchester United FC faced other obstacles as well.

Mamadou Sangaré was a player the club closely monitored, with data analytics showing his statistics at Lens last season resembled Matheus Fernandes' performance at West Ham United. However, Manchester United FC noted a recent trend where agents preferred moving players to mid-table Premier League clubs first to give them more playing time, and when they eventually move to a top-six club, the fee and wages increase. Guéhi followed this path. He joined Chelsea for £115 million after a full season at Brighton & Hove Albion. Sangaré and his team chose to move to Brentford this summer for approximately £40 million. If he has a good season at Brentford, his value—both transfer fee and expected wages—will increase significantly by 2027.

No need to "win the transfer window"

ESPN sources indicate that Manchester United FC's priority next summer will be the defense.

Berrada and Wilcox were satisfied with the signings of Kunla, Mbeumo, Sesco, and Lammens. Avoiding mistakes in this transfer window allowed the club to proceed with their plan to strengthen midfield. Avoiding errors this time will free up funds to bring in a center-back and full-back before the 2027-28 season.

A common phrase at the club is "building the foundation"—gradually improving the team over time while avoiding having to go back and fix problems that should have been resolved.

ESPN sources indicate that Manchester United FC acknowledged they could not address their left-back shortage when the transfer window closed on Tuesday (CEST). They could have signed Raum from RB Leipzig, as the club had been informed all summer that he could leave. However, Manchester United FC believed signing the 28-year-old for approximately £30 million with a 4-5 year contract could disrupt their plans for the next phase of transfers.

Luis Hall was Manchester United FC's primary target for this position, but Newcastle United ultimately rejected negotiations, making any deal impossible until next year. If Hall becomes available this summer, funding for Baleba might not materialize.

Manchester United FC also considered short-term solutions to fill this gap. In the final week of the transfer window, Fit-Nuri's agent pitched him to Manchester United FC. On the final day, Manchester City informed Manchester United FC that any deal would require a mandatory purchase obligation. Manchester United FC withdrew interest after learning that a long-term commitment was necessary to complete the deal.

The club knows this is not perfect, but their plan is not simply to "win the transfer window." The goal is to position the team to sign their top targets next summer.

Manchester United FC hopes this long-term approach will eventually pay dividends.

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