 THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW: BUSINESS TO BE DONE?

by Silvio Scicluna

Iam writing this article during the November international break and to be honest it is a much needed break, unlike previous ones, due to the poor showings from United prior to this last hiatus of the calendar year. Indeed, the thrashings suffered at the hands of our two fiercest rivals have left Reds all around the world shellshocked and all the talk recently has been about whether it is maybe finally time for Solskjaer’s position as manager of United to come to an end. But for the sake of this article I am going to stay away from that hot topic and will focus rather on the upcoming transfer window which will be upon us in a few weeks’ time.

In normal scenarios, fans and pundits alike would at this time of year be evaluating the team’s possible transfer activity to be done in January although I suspect this time round the attention of many is more on whether there will be a managerial change rather than player transfers. But let’s assume that Solskjaer and his aides will still be around in January. What business can be done by United to fine‑tune our squad? As everyone knows the January transfer window is not one where clubs tend to do the bulk of their transfer activity. This is usually done in the summer after evaluating how the previous season went. January is, by and large, used to do some minor tweaking unless a club is struggling somewhat and then resorts to go for some major upgrades. But more often than not this would be panic buying and is ideally avoided if at all possible.

United had a very good summer transfer window which saw three major incomings in the much sought Jadon Sancho (finally) from Borussia Dortmund, Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, and the unexpected return of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. The first two were sort of anticipated since many were highlighting the fact that United needed a right sided attacking midfielder as well as a top centre back partner for Harry Maguire. But the acquisition of Ronaldo was all very sudden. Although when a superstar who was always revered in his previous time at Old Trafford becomes available, the club just had to bring him back, no question. So when the season started the squad looked to be in great shape and almost complete, one could say. And the initial results seemed to justify that optimism. Now, however, things look somewhat different, and many agree that the squad still lacks some vital quality in particular areas. Let us take each department one by one and try to analyse what could be done. Goalkeepers: No incomings needed here, definitely. David de Gea is back to his best and has been arguably our best player so far. What his top form has done however is block Dean Henderson’s path to the first XI which came as somewhat of a surprise to many who were expecting the Englishman to perhaps establish himself as the no. 1 this season. Could he maybe push for a move elsewhere in January? Unlikely, although a six month loan might not be out of the question. Especially since the club also brought back Tom Heaton in the summer, although he was seen more as a replacement for the departed Sergio Romero and to be the third choice. If Henderson pushes for a move in January, another keeper will have to be brought in. I cannot see anything happening here, more likely next summer. Defence: The only possible transfer activity I can see happening regarding defenders would be at right back where Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been somewhat inconsistent so far. In the summer there were rumours that the club was chasing Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid to offer competition. In the end this transfer did not materialise since the Spanish club’s asking price was seen as a bit too expensive for the player’s age. As a result United kept Diogo Dalot as understudy but in all honesty, I don’t see the Portuguese as a good defender. So in my opinion the Trippier incoming option in conjunction with a possible sale of Dalot may be worth revisiting.

Midfield: Many still believe that United did not address one of their major handicaps last summer i.e. the lack of a specialist holding midfielder and that this is coming back to bite them. Fred, in particular, seems to be struggling and his shortcomings have been cruelly exposed a few times already this season. Case in point being his repeated errors for

Everton’s equaliser at home which saw us dropping more points at home. Many criticise Solskjaer’s overuse of Fred and McTominay (McFred!) as a double pivot, at the expense possibly of a player highly rated by many in Donny Van de Beek. There is also the never ending argument as to where to play Paul Pogba. As one of a double pivot? As one of two no.8’s in front of one holding midfielder? To try and fit him in Ole has tended to play him further upfield on the left of an attacking three, with varying degrees of success it has to be said.

In my opinion I will be surprised if there is any incoming transfer activity regarding midfield come January. Pogba’s situation remains firmly in the balance. Apparently, the club have made him an offer of a new and improved contract, but he will be a free agent in the summer if he does not commit. If I had to second guess the outcome, I would say that his agent Mino Raiola will push to convince him to leave on a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer.

Forwards: I can never remember a time when United have been so well stocked in the attackers’ department than this season. Some might say over stocked, even. So much so that some players are struggling to get game time. The likes of Martial and Mata have hardly been utilised and even, to a lesser extent, has Jesse Lingard. The latter will surely have been expecting to be involved more and pundits believe he may well push to go back to West Ham where he had a superb time on loan last season. In my view this would be a mistake. Jesse Lingard has to stay and play more. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see some outgoings in January here, possibly Amad out on loan (he was on the verge of a loan to Feyenoord in the summer before injury put paid to that). Definitely no incomings though.

So there you have it, the January transfer window. Not really required by most clubs but a lifeline for others. And for Manchester United one suspects, nothing more than a sideshow in their recent travails!

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