It’s a little depressing to see Manchester United fans celebrating a draw over Arsenal, a team that they’ve had a hex over for the last couple of seasons. It’s a sign of how far the club has sunk, that a lifeless, insipid bore draw could ever be seen as a good thing.
Apart from Robin Van Persie clipping the post with a header (after a fine Wojciech Szczesny save), United fans had very little to cheer about. In fact, that has been the case all season long. The Red Devils are ponderous, ineffectual and lack teeth. They’re a far cry from the teams that Sir Alex Ferguson used to cultivate.
That’s why David Moyes drafted in Juan Mata in the January transfer window. Whilst the former Chelsea man has been slow to make his mark, he’s sure to make an impact sooner rather than latter. He’s too good not too.
This move has led to fans hoping that Moyes repeats the feat during the summer, when he’ll have more chances to pluck up further ready made talent. As it happens, Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has already been speaking about his club’s summer plans. If that isn’t a sign of the times, then I’m not sure what is?
Check out these quotes: “It’s fair to say we are focused on strengthening the squad,” said Woodward. “We are looking at some players in the squad as well, as players that perhaps may be sold this summer.”
“We wouldn’t necessarily be looking to churn [offload] a huge number of players, because that can have a destabilising effect, but we aren’t afraid of moving in the market in a way we perhaps haven’t seen in recent years.”
As The Mirror notes, these quotes come at the same time as Manchester United have just announced a record second-quarter revenue of £122.9m. The source then goes onto suggest that David Moyes could have as much as £150m to spend on players this summer. That’s a whole heap of cash!
Of course, United need to guard against instituting too much change too quickly, but bringing in some real top quality players will only improve the squad, increase competition and help get the club back to its best.
If The Red Devils can bring in two or three more players of Juan Mata-level quality, then who knows? Maybe they can compete for the Premier League title again next season.
What’s your take? How many players should United look to bring in when the summer transfer window reopens?
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