Sugar Daddies and United (A Transfer Market 'Tragedy')

Throughout much of this transfer window, much has been made of United's inability to bring in the top players. On Twitter, there seems to be this growing notion about the need to outspend everyone again to show our dominance. I find this quite interesting. Namely because the market was not what it was 7-10 years ago let alone 5.  Despite some of the buys we have made over the past 5 years, messages from some United fans suggest it's still not good enough and it seems to be growing. 

Alright, so let's look at the assertion that United is not the force it used to be and look at why some may think this is the case.

Sugar daddies

Up until about 8 years ago, sugar daddies weren't much of a problem and were basically nonexistent.  Although there have been some examples of huge cash injection into a club, I'm not sure we've seen it to such an extent and potentially becoming more prevalent. From United's view, it's not something we've really had to contend with until, Roman Abramovich came along and provided Mourinho all the ammunition he needed for what it looked like to some, an era of Chelsea dominance (we all know how that turned out). They've been involved in title races ever since (except last season) and have now spunked out more cash as they look to re-invigorate an aging squad.  Beating us to Hazard (one of our top targets) recently due to their long-awaited Champions League triumph was the start for them. A player numerous United fans wanted to see grace Old Trafford.

We also have the takeover at Manchester City.  At first glance, it wasn't taken seriously even with some of the talent they had brought in. Over the past couple of years, that's all changed. Seeing that "Welcome to Manchester" poster with Tevez (once a favored player at United) followed with acquisitions such as Silva, Tevez, Yaya Toure, Balotelli, Aguero, etc. City were no longer a side to be taken lightly and were certainly getting 'noisy'. Sadly, that turned out to be the case this past season by capping off their PL triumph in dramatic fashion.  

From that long list of signings, one particular Manchester City player I would like to pick out is Samir Nasri. A player we were certain of getting at one point but was turned on its head when City intervened. That's right. Manchester City.  With all their millions, crowing about a new 'project' and offering top wages. Quite unbelievable for a side not too long ago that wasn't even close to achieving any sort of success.  Now, they've stolen a player right under our noses. Another "big-name" signing missed. Ouch.

Just recently, we heard from Bob Cass, Fergie's mouthpiece, United were in pole position to sign Lucas Moura from Sao Paulo. Word was starting to spread that a deal had been 'struck' between the two clubs and excitement started to build as fans began to believe United could buy big again.  Then came along PSG. And guess what? They have also, like Chelsea and Manchester City, have benefited from a huge influx of cash.  Buying Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, 2 players who didn't even want to leave Milan as well as acquiring the services of Lavezzi and some other good players. Nonetheless, they came in with a whopping €43m offer to Sao Paulo which was the nail in coffin.  Days later, both sides officially state an agreement for the player leaving some United fans in utter shock as our club was once again gazumped by a sugar daddy.

United

So where does this leave United? I didn't even touch on agents and our desire to get the cheapest deal possible makes negotiation that much more difficult. As I mentioned earlier, some supporters think the Glazers are the problem as we should have been able to sign some of these top-class players and show that .  Some mentioned how, in the past, we were breaking transfer records and players wanted to join United.  Sir Alex (in public) thinks the market has "gone mad" also suggesting United competing against clubs with such resources is becoming increasingly difficult in today's market.

That's not good enough for some fans though. Citing, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy as some of the top buys we've made and have mentioned the cost would be even higher now.  Let's not forget though, the overall fee for Rooney (£27m) was based on success on the pitch not upfront (BIG difference). Furthermore, by this time in the Premier League era, we had already obtained 7 titles, 3 FA Cups, 1 Champions League title and were benefiting quite well from the TV money thanks to Sky.  With the over-inflation of the market today and despite maintaining our dominance in the Premier League, things have changed. Very few players want to come to United just for the sake of our history and the success we've had. The emergence of agents hasn't quite helped in this regard as they try and offer their clients to any club that's listening.  Trying to make a direct relation from those earlier PL years to now just doesn't work and there a few things United fans should realize.

1. We bemoan City's spending but the way some of us talk, I get the impression we want to do a similar type of thing but just on a slightly smaller scale. Why? To make a statement? We've paid big fees before but we've never really blown anyone out of the water with the money we earned or even while breaking transfer records. Plus, we cant get all the top players that we target. You win some, you lose some.

2. Half of the time, we barely even know the players we're after which suggests, when we hear of a talented player that we're linked with, we get excited even if it's a player we don't particularly need.  In addition, I think we like the notion of beating other clubs just to show we're better.

3. Transfers are more complicated than we think. It doesn't take much for a club to be confident about a deal and then for that to quickly change because of another club entering the fray. Moura saga is the epitome of this. So when you want to criticize Bob Cass for saying the deal was done, also understand that at the time, the deal was basically done. As has been confirmed by Moura's agent, we agreed a deal with Sao Paulo and simply needed to put pen to paper. How was Cass to know PSG would come in like that? I'm not defending the man or his antics, but making transfers out to be black and white and not considering the chain of events just isn't helpful for anyone. It's worse when we choose to throw out baseless insults which can be corrected with the click of a button. It's that simple. Strive for accuracy rather than ignorance.

4.  The status of the club is not inherently linked with beating other clubs to a top player, let alone any player we are interested in. Whether we lose out to another club isn't the main issue. The main issue is if we get the business done on the pitch. We can talk about the need to show our dominance in the transfer market and buying world-class players, but if our trophy cabinet doesn't reflect the money we've invested, then it really doesn't mean anything. I get it. We want United to be a dominant force again. As I've stated before, that dominance comes by showing it on the pitch and our trophy cabinet being a reflection of that. Not just by bringing in top players.

5. I question the belief in youth from some of our fans. I'm not saying we should be like Arsenal. Having that balance of youth and experience has always been vital for us. However, I find it a bid odd that we try and distance ourselves from other clubs by claiming how we believe in youth, but then we'd rather bring in a world class player even if it stunts the development of one of the younger ones.  It wasn't too long ago when we, as fans were making montages and constructing pictures about our wonderful youth.  


We're at a point in our squad where major investment isn't necessarily needed but the right signing to complement the squad and ensure we are more or less well-stocked to compete on all fronts. It's important to realize in such situations, a big name signing doesn't equate to the right signing for the squad. So while it may seem like we are experiencing a transfer market 'tragedy', know we aren't far from greatness and we can be dominant again.