- Tom Keane sheds light on Erik ten Hag's initial transfer window as Manchester United manager.
- The club spent heavily on players like Antony, Casemiro, and Lisandro Martinez.
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Man United The ex-head of football negotiations at the club, Tom Keane, has shed light on their record-breaking summer transfer window in 2022, disclosing that an entire year’s worth of preparation was condensed into merely 16 weeks.
The club invested £225m in acquiring Antony (£86m), Casemiro (£70m), Lisandro Martinez (£57m), Tyrell Malacia (£13m), Christian Eriksen (made available at no cost) and Martin Dubravka (on loan).
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe complained in March that some of the players he inherited when taking partial control of the club last year were 'not good enough' and 'overpaid'.
The 72-year-old individual, who heads up his Ineos firm managing Manchester United’s soccer activities, has addressed the team's fiscal challenges. He has implemented several controversial budget-reducing actions, such as withholding complimentary match-day passes from employees for this month. Europa League final against Tottenham .
And now Keane, who was briefly with Manchester United for just half a year, has shed light on what transpired when the manager was then in charge. Erik ten Hag 's first window at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag did not start work at Old Trafford until the 2021/22 season had finished in late May. That meant Man United were unable to put long-term plans in place for the summer transfer window having been under the temporary stewardship of Ralf Rangnick since November.
'There were a couple of challenges. One of the biggest was everyone was new,' Keane, the brother of former Reds youngsters Michael and Will, told The Overlap .
'I'd just walked through the door, the manager came in in May, John Murtough had been at the club a while but had just become football director, Richard Arnold had just become CEO and there was a new head of data.
'The way it would normally work is the transfer window shuts and in September they start planning for the following summer.
'I believe due to certain conditions, our work began in May that summer.'
'It seemed as though we accomplished a year’s worth of tasks within just 12 to 16 weeks.'
I essentially resided at the training grounds and hardly saw my family, which was okay since I understood what I was stepping into and it was an integral part of the journey.
The financial department handled all aspects related to the budget to make sure the club adhered to its PSR requirements and remained compliant.
When it came to negotiations, the process was indeed very thorough and it needed to be that way.
'Larger amounts of money involved mean the risks are significant, and when signing footballers, remember they are human beings.'
You can't ensure everything, but all the effort aims to reduce risks. The goal is to enhance the likelihood of the signing turning out successfully.
All those involved in that transfer window including Ten Hag, Murtough and Arnold have since left the club.
Sir Jim has assembled his own group which comprises CEO Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox.
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