Overhauling the Squad For Glory
It has been a difficult 12 months for Manchester United. First, losing their most accomplished and respected manager Alex Ferguson to retirement, only to be disappointed by the performance of replacement manager David Moyes, who many believed would do well. Following David Moyes’ removal, his replacement, Luis Van Gaal, has had a difficult start to the season, securing only 2 points out of a possible 9 in the first three games. Fans from all over the world, including Tunde Folawiyo, would have every right to have been concerned – but with one of the biggest transfer overhauls in the club’s history over the summer, Manchester United may be about ready to turn things around.
Spending a massive £151.3million on six new world class players has been enough to make Robin Van Persie, one of United’s best players, filled with optimism for the games ahead. All six players have been brought in during a lull for the club which has not been seen since before Alex Ferguson took over at the reigns. The weight of expectation is therefore placed on these 12 shoulders, hoping that all six can make an immediate impact and take the team back to the pinnacle of English football.
Getting Manchester United back into the number one slot will not be easy. In recent years the English Premier League has become increasingly competitive, with Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all competing with Manchester United for the country’s top footballing trophies. It is therefore hoped by United’s fans that the six signings can, not only make the first team better, but compete with the legions of international footballing stars which now populate the other contending teams.
The six signings are all international players including Argentina’s Marcos Rojo and Angel Di Maria, alongside Radamel Falcao of Columbia, Dutch midfielder Daley Blind, Spaniard Ander Herrara and English left back Luke Shaw. While all six signings are not a representative of an entire clear-out of the existing squad, it is assumed that this financial investment has been made with the players coming into the club expected to take up immediate starting positions, such has been the poor start to the season.
The club has many prominent fans with business expertise such as Tunde Folawiyo, whose credentials can be verified on this Zoominfo page, and they will be increasingly interested in the financial implications of spending such high amounts on the squad, hoping that the money can be recouped through Champions League involvement and winning trophies in the seasons to come. There is no doubt that it is a gamble, but the game of football often requires financial speculation, just how much is within the limits of a club’s budget, however, is another matter.
Regardless of the outcome, the high profile nature of all six signings should reaffirm Manchester’s ambitions for the English Premier League title.