After years of panic-buying and overpaying, Manchester United have finally had a successful transfer window where players have been recruited keeping the club’s values in mind.
Stars like Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Tom Heaton have been signed for a combined fee of less than £125 million – a shrewd piece of business by the board, especially when you take into account the level of experience they have brought to the club.
Keeping various factors in mind, let’s take a look at how each arrival has been rated.
Tom Heaton
After Sergio Romero’s departure on a free transfer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Tom Heaton as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Dean Henderson and David de Gea.
Besides, the 35-year-old shot-stopper will be fulfilling the role of a coach at the club, where he’d be guiding the goalkeepers coming through the ranks.
Heaton made 20 appearances for Aston Villa in the 2019/20 season before picking up an unfortunate ligament injury; however, he has failed to feature in a single competitive match since his recovery.
The fans might not get to see him between the sticks too often, but his level of experience has strengthened the squad in more than one way.
Rating – 7/10
Jadon Sancho
Manchester United broke the bank to secure his signature in the early days of the transfer window, and given the fact that Solskjaer was chasing him for the past three seasons, £73 million seems like a fair price for the former Bundesliga superstar.
It sounds even sweeter when you realise that United saved nearly £47 million by delaying the deal for a year (as the previous asking price was almost £120 million).
Aged 21, Sancho is far from a finished product, but with the wide range of qualities that he possesses under his belt, the deal can be deemed an exemplary bit of business by the United board.
Rating – 8.5/10
Raphael Varane
Raphael Varane has spent a decade at Real Madrid, bagging 359 appearances across all competitions, winning 18 trophies over the course of his stay. So, it would be an understatement to say that the France international has brought plenty of experience to the English side, which might, in turn, help them build a winning mentality.
A quality centre-back was the board’s first priority ahead of the transfer window, as it’s beyond any doubt that Varane has been a colossal upgrade to their existing options.
£42 million for a 4-time Champions League winner doesn’t sound too bad either.
Rating – 9/10
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s arrival at Old Trafford will provide Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a short-term luxury option in the striker’s department as there’s no denying that even at the age of 36, he is one of the deadliest strikers in the world.
The Portuguese international put up phenomenal numbers in the Serie A consistently over the past three seasons, and if he manages to produce anything even close to that in the Premier League this term, his €15m fee might turn out to be the bargain of the century.
Rating – 8/10
