It’s time for the Dutch strategist to have his transfer power cut at Old Trafford.
“I set requirements in advance about how I want to work,” Erik ten Hag said after accepting the job as Manchester United coach in the spring of 2022. “If people do not meet (those requirements – PV ) then I won’t do it”.
Ten Hag affirmed that “holding transfer rights is one of the prerequisites” for him to agree to come to Old Trafford.
The Glazer family did not go back on their word with the former Ajax coach. Ten Hag signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Casemiro in his first summer in charge. Of these, only Casemiro is considered a player who has no previous contact or acquaintance with Ten Hag.
Failures
In the summer of 2023, Ten Hag signed contracts with Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat (on loan). All of the above deals have the bold imprint of the Dutch coach. Most of the deals Ten Hag requested to bring to Old Trafford were disappointing.
Antony is almost the most wasteful contract in the Premier League in the past two years. Mount is injured often, but even when healthy, the former Chelsea star’s mark is quite faint. He is considered a failed deal of the Premier League this season.
Malacia, Onana and Amrabat did not play too badly but they cannot be considered successful businesses. Many people believe that Ten Hag only studied under Louis van Gaal, but there is a big difference between these two coaches.
When he first came to MU, Van Gaal also brought back familiar players who had played in the Eredivisie (Dutch national championship), but his transfer policy did not depend too much on that. When needed, the former Netherlands coach is ready to accept deals proposed by MU’s scouting team such as Angel Di Maria, Darmian or Martial.
The success or failure of these transfers depends on many factors, but it is clear that Van Gaal is not extreme and transfers in a “one-way” style like Ten Hag.
MU under Ten Hag operates a transfer system revolving around the Dutch coach and the relationships he knows. Amrabat was loaned back to MU just because of his short time working with Ten Hag in Utrecht. The Moroccan midfielder created very little influence at MU and the “Red Devils” could have added another better quality star.
Time for a change
Like Ten Hag, one of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first requests when taking over MU was to have full authority over sporting decisions. Even though on paper, the British businessman has not yet been recognized by the Premier League as his ownership of MU (possibly until February), he soon made a power deal with the Glazer family.