Tottenham went big in the summer transfer window while Manchester United held back, but both are struggling. Two clubs with very different strategies in the summer now find themselves facing a remarkably similar problem after underwhelming starts to the season as the pair meet at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Spurs spent £334m, including £100m on Sandro Tonali, as Roberto De Zerbi was handed significant backing to reshape his squad.
United, by contrast, were more frugal with their spending, with £163m committed to their rebuild. Yet ahead of this weekend's crunch game, Spurs sit bottom of the Premier League and are still waiting for their first win, while Michael Carrick is already feeling the pressure at Old Trafford. The scrutiny, then, cannot simply be confined to the two managers.
At both clubs, the contrasting decisions made above them this summer are beginning to demand examination. Manchester United have refused to follow the modern Premier League trend of putting £100m-plus into one statement signing, but that is not understood to reflect a reluctance to spend. Instead, it reflects the club's approach to rebuilding the squad.
As Sky Sports News' Dan Khan explains, the £100m figure itself can be misleading. "I actually think it's redundant to use that figure of £100m. If you look at appreciation, Paul Pogba, if you were to sign him now from Juventus, like United did, that would probably be well over £100m.
"The question is, can Man Utd spend money on Elliot Anderson? Not necessarily to do with the figure but more whether they are in the market for these top midfielders. United's priority this summer was midfield, with three additions needed rather than one marquee arrival.
Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba have therefore accounted for much of the spending. A left-back was also considered, with United monitoring Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall, but neither was realistically available. Instead, the club doubled down on midfield, with the expectation that left-back will be addressed next summer.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
