On the brink of the commencement of the winter transfer window, Jose Mourinho played his cards and said that Manchester United’s spending was not enough to win the Premier League title. His opinion was that there is no limit to Manchester City’s spending power and hence United would have to flex their muscles, get back to the drawing board and churn out a marquee transfer to help their manager. Jose did not like the way United pulled out of their pursuit of Ivan Perisic in the summer, so, albeit indirectly, he made the board aware that to win the title they need to dig deeper and back the manager completely.
A clever move by the gaffer, indeed…
Ins:
We start with the best and so here it is:
Alexis Sanchez
Probably the biggest surprise of the transfer window and Manchester United were the focal point of all that happened around it. For a long time now, it was an unwritten agreement between Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City that the Chilean would play for them once the Gunners find a replacement. However, Ed Woodward had other plans and hence Manchester united hijacked the deal and swapped Alexis Sanchez with the disappointing Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Sanchez is exactly the kind of forward that Jose Mourinho loves to have on his team. With his determination, willingness to win the ball back, impeccable skills and the vision to open up any defence and never-say-die attitude, Sanchez and Mourinho can form a threatening partnership.
The former Arsenal man(ooh, it hurts Gooners, doesn’t it?) was handed a lucrative deal, the coveted number 7 shirt, and the chance to light up the Theatre of Dreams in the prime of his career. And, the deal was almost as good as a free transfer, considering Mkhitaryan’s standing in the club.
Smartest deal of the season, eh?
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
The 20-year old had shown bags of potential when he got an opportunity to play under Louis Van Gaal. However, his career has fallen apart ever since as the lad now finds himself with two unsuccessful loan spells in the Championship.
Initially expected to stay with Leeds for the remainder of the season, the Championship team cut short his contract and have sent him back to United. He managed to nail just six appearances in all competitions and the team was disappointed with his attitude and approach. Whether Jose accepts him into the first team fold is to be seen in the future.
Matej Kovar
Manchester United have signed a young, talented (as they say) goalkeeper from FC Slovacko. The 17-year old Matej Kovar has represented Czech Republic’s U-18 team twice and will ply his trade now under the tutelage of Kieran McKenna in the U-18 team of the Red Devils.
Devonte Redmond
Another relatively unknown name, Devonte Redmond is a 21-year old youngster who plays as a midfielder. Quite early in January, the lad was recalled from his loan spell at Scunthorpe United. He managed to play seven times for Scunthorpe but was largely on the sidelines. At United, he will play for the youth setup for now.
Outs:
Undoubtedly, the departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the swap deal involving Alexis Sanchez made all the headlines midway through the transfer window. The Armenian was lacklustre this season, though he had made a brilliant start in August. Thereafter, he spent most of the time on the bench, as Jose preferred to play Jesse Lingard in the number 10 role for the big games. Mkhitaryan will be more suited to the playing style of the Gunners rather than the reactive approach of Jose Mourinho.
Others who left in January were the likes of James Wilson, who moved to Sheffield United to get some playing time. The striker has failed to win a starting spot, or it must be said that manager did not trust him like the way Ryan Giggs did in his one-month interim spell following the sacking of David Moyes.
Axel Tuanzebe has also joined Sam Johnstone at Aston Villa for the rest of the season. This move raised a lot of eyebrows as United lack a backup for Antonio Valencia in the right back position. In the games that the Ecuadorian was injured in, Jose started Victor Lindelof in that position. Tuanzebe will get some valuable minutes at Aston Villa and that might help his growth as a footballer.
Overall, Jose did not look to change the first team too much and was satisfied with Sanchez bolstering his attack and in terms of efficiency, United seem to have had a pretty successful window.
