Manchester United have made the decision to stop their bid to sign a new director of football, according to Laurie Whitwell of the Athletic. Here are the details and what it could mean for current transfer targets.
Manchester United Stop Bid for New Director of Football and What It Means for Current Targets
The U-Turn
United fans will be familiar with their lack of a technical director and their search for one, but reports have arisen that they are no longer in the market for a director of football.
The prospect of hiring someone for the position first surfaced nearly two years ago after a turbulent summer under Jose Mourinho where it was abundantly clear that the manager and club bosses were not on the same page in terms of what transfers needed to be done.
Now, 20 months later, no appointment has occurred despite numerous people being linked with the job. Names of much loved former players like Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra, Darren Fletcher, and Rio Ferdinand were thrown around by the media, while others with more experience in the job at other clubs such as Paul Mitchell, Ralph Rangnick and Antero Henrique were also in the mix.
The speculation has recently subsided, with reports now suggesting that the search has stopped altogether, and it seems as though manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could assume the role, being the man to make the decisions about transfer targets and how they approach them. This may work well for the Manchester side, with all of Solskjaer’s previous signings having turned out incredibly, all of them exceeding expectations.
What Does it Mean for Current Targets?
This decision will not mean to much change in the way of prioritised targets. Solskjaer is a big admirer of players like Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, and Jude Bellingham, all of whom are heavily linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams, so will continue in his pursuit of their signatures.
Despite this, players for whom the rumours of a Manchester-bound move are not as strong may see the United’s outlook on them change. This would mean that people such as Philippe Coutinho, someone who the Glazer family want at the club, is now far more unlikely to join with Solskjaer in charge.
As a former player and manager of the cub, the Norwegian knows what is best for the squad, and based on his transfers to date, giving him full control doesn’t seem a bad idea at all.
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