It was clear that Man Utd would need to invest heavily in the transfer market this summer after finishing sixth in the league last season. They have shelled out £110 million on Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof, but seem destined to be outspent by their key rivals this summer. Noisy neighbours Man City have broken the record for the largest spend in a single transfer window after snapping up five players. Chelsea are tipped to eclipse that by taking their summer spend to £250 million as they target four additional players to join new arrivals Alvaro Morata and Timoue Bakayoko. So it may surprise fans to hear Jose Mourinho say that he expects the club to complete just one or two more signings before the transfer window slams shut. Have Man Utd really invested enough to climb up from sixth last season to the summit of the Premiership table once more?
Lukaku is undoubtedly a fine centre forward and he has proven his pedigree year in, year out at Goodison Park. He will guarantee goals and bring muscularity to Utd’s attacking play next season. But the club will be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, last season’s top scorer, who has suffered a long-term injury and was released by the club. Lukaku will bring more of a physical presence and is quicker, but it is hard to argue that he is a better finisher than Ibrahimovic. The Swede scored 28 goals for Man Utd last season, while Lukaku netted 25. Lukaku had a slightly better goals per minutes ratio and you could argue that he will benefit from better service at Old Trafford, but Everton actually outscored Man Utd last season so that is not a given. Either way you look at it, Utd have lost an excellent striker and gained one.
Then to Lindelof, who looks to be a strong centre-half and a much needed addition to the squad. Utd fans will hope he can form a strong partnership with Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence. But he has made a poor start in pre-season friendlies and the jury is still out on the Swede. Man Utd were strong defensively anyway last season, conceding just 29 goals in 38 games to finish as the league’s second meanest defence. The real improvement needs to be in attacking areas.
Man Utd drew too many games last season and lacked that magical spark to unlock a stubborn defence in tight games and turn one point into three. It is therefore no surprise to hear Mourinho say that he is hoping for more creativity. “Ed Woodward is in control,” said the Portuguese. “He did Lindelof and Lukaku. He knows that I would like two more players but he also knows that I have balance, I understand the situation, I understand the market and if my club is not able to do two players and just one then I will accept that as a consequence of the market now. I am happy with my squad but I would like to have two more players. One player would be a midfield player that would give me more options and more balance to the team. Another one would be an attacking player – especially that can play through the wings to give me more attacking options.”
If they only sign a midfielder (Nemanja Matic is the man being touted) and miss out on that creative talent Mourinho could struggle to finish above Chelsea and City, while the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and even Everton are all in the mix. Ivan Perisic is the attacking midfielder heavily linked, but he has not exactly set the world alight at Inter, and fans will be hoping for a more exciting arrival after the club was initially linked with James Rodriguez, Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale.
Right now Man City and Chelsea are slightly ahead of Man Utd in the odds to win the Premiership next season and given their ambition you have to say that sounds about right. If you like a bet then you might be better off backing Utd to win a cup competition as Mourinho excels at knockout competition, as he proved twice last season, and Man Utd may lack the flair of yore but they are extremely difficult to beat in 90 minutes. Check a review of the best betting sites, find one you like and back Man Utd to win the FA Cup at 7/1 and the EFL Cup at 7/1. Mourinho always seizes silverware and right now they look like his best opportunities to do so.