Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff were present at Manchester United’s last game of the previous season against Crystal Palace, which they ended up losing. That gave them an idea of ​​the size of the task at hand.
The Dutch coach wasted no time and even cut his vacation short to get going. And he handed over his list of transfer targets to the club hierarchy and started with the players who had returned early from vacation.
As usual, the Red Devils started their foray into the market slowly and by the time the new season began only three players had entered.
ETH wants 3 additions
The first two games saw United humiliated by Brighton and Brentford with the manager furious at the lack of support he received. That led the club to go out and spend a lot of money on Casemiro and Antony.
Athletic has already revealed that the initial budget was approximately half of what was spent and they had to review their initial projections after the defeats.
????????| Erik ten Hag recently spoke about planning for the January window, however owner Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough are firmly focused on the summer of 2023.
[@lauriewhitwell] #MUFC #GlazersOut
— RatcliffeEra (@SirRatcliffeEra) September 18, 2022
Ten Hag, unlike his predecessor, will speak when necessary and has already suggested that he attend meetings including the January draft.
“Manchester United don’t have a game until they take on Manchester City on October 2 and Erik ten Hag will use the break to assess his squad and plan possible additions,” Laurie Whitwell mentioned in her most recent Athletic article.
“We have a lot of meetings, we have to improve the structures in and around the club,” Ten Hag said. “And we will also look out the window in January or next summer already,” Ten Hag had said recently.
But because the summer budget was stretched beyond £200m, “funds are expected to be very tight when the winter market opens.”
Glazers unlikely to back ETH
Owner Joel Glazer, CEO Richard Arnold and Director of Football John Murtough are firmly focused on the summer of 2023 as the next opportunity to significantly grow the Ten Hag team.
Ten Hag clearly feels that his team is slowly adapting to his methods and the revival of the league is proof of that. Recent reports have suggested how confident the Dutch boss is that his team can challenge for the title.
Even if a title charge isn’t possible so early in his tenure, the top 4 is on the line and the former Ajax manager feels the next step in his rebuilding project may start as early as January.
United under the Glazers are not known for their January splurge. Bruno Fernandes’ big-money acquisition was the only exception of late.
If significant spending does end up occurring, funds may be available, but United’s next spending spree is likely to be next summer rather than January.
Ten Hag will have to deal with the way the Glazers like to operate, just as fans have been doing for so many years.
