The last week of the transfer window could well resemble something akin to Supermarket Sweep for Manchester United.
Because, according to transferleague.co.uk Louis van Gaal has spent around £76m but has also recouped about £55m on sales.
This means a net spend of around only £21m so far.
Manchester United’s summer spend according to transfer league.co.uk
With various media sources suggesting at the start of the summer that the club will spend around £250m again in this window, perhaps we should expect them to make a last minute dash for world stars.
Because this isn’t a squad which needs numbers any more. It needs world class talent up top – one or two players, at most, who can make a difference and exploit the new found solidity in defence and midfield.
Scoring and creating goals is the most difficult part of football and finding players who can break down top defences obviously isn’t easy.
If it was, Manchester United would already have their entire squad in place for the new season.
But, as it is, they are probably two players short in attack and have just over a week to sort it out.
There has been recent speculation about Neymar. But with a week to go of the window it seems like a complete waste of time trying to sign a player from such a big club who can’t replace him until January, when their transfer ban is lifted.
The two players who immediately spring to mind for us are Antoine Griezmann and Marco Reus. They are the only top tier talents that look remotely gettable in the last week of the window and the addition of these two would give Manchester United immeasurably more options going forward.
Reus – Manchester United need a new superstar
All three of Memphis, Griezmann and Reus can play at number 10. But all three are superb, pacy wingers to boot.
With those three buzzing around behind Wayne Rooney the team would once more have the penetration and speed of play required for The Premier League and Europe.
What is for sure is that, even if it ends in disappointment, it’s going to be an exciting week for the Manchester United fans.
