“Elite” PL monster will turn United into title contenders, INEOS prepare record-breaking offer to seal the deal – opinion

Manchester United are prioritising an overhaul of the midfield this summer as INEOS prepare to finally fix the stalling engine room at Old Trafford.

Since taking the helm in 2024, the club’s rulers have spent just over half a billion on transfers, yet signed only one midfielder. The fact that this was Manuel Ugarte, captured from Paris Saint-Germain for £50.5 million, only compounds this ill-advised frugality.

The 24-year-old Uruguayan has comfortably been United’s worst signing in the INEOS era, failing to adapt to the rigours of English football despite his reputation as a midfield enforcer, while offering virtually zero quality in possession. The fact that he was linked with a move to Galatasaray in January, with the Turkish champions set to revisit this prospect come the summer, tells its own story.

Man United’s signings under INEOS

While Ugarte’s future at the Theatre of Dreams looks far from certain, Casemiro has absolute clarity over his. The Brazilian behemoth’s contract – the most expensive at the club – expires at the end of the season, and United’s hierarchy have no interest in renewing a deal for a player who turned 34 this week.

However, the former Real Madrid star has enjoyed a resurgent campaign, particularly after the arrival of Michael Carrick as caretaker coach last month to replace Ruben Amorim.

While it is the right decision not to offer an extension, Casemiro’s loss will be a significant one due to his unique blend of defensive prowess and ball-progression skills. There are few options, inside or outside the Premier League, capable of filling this void who are not already playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

And this is why it is absolutely essential United sign Elliot Anderson this summer, regardless of what it takes to secure his signature. If INEOS have to break the British transfer record in the process, it’s a price worth paying.

Premier League Powerhouse

Nottingham Forest’s deal to sign Anderson from Newcastle for £35 million, due to PSR concerns at St James’s Park, has proven to be one of the best bits of business in recent history.

Since arriving at the City Ground in the summer of 2023, the 23-year-old has established himself as one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League. He is undoubtedly the best outside the ‘big six’, at least.

In a long line of impressive attributes, it’s perhaps Anderson’s “completeness” which makes him stand out from his peers. He is simply capable of playing every role required in midfield, be it as a defensive enforcer, a deep-lying playmaker, a box-to-box dynamo, or in a more advanced position.

His quality on the ball is only surpassed by his relentless work-rate without it, ranking off the charts for out-of-possession metrics, while still placing highly for passing and progression statistics. At a time when there is a dearth of high-level midfielders across European football, it’s little wonder why the continent’s heavyweights, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, have all joined United in the hunt for the Forest talisman.

Anderson’s meteoric rise has even won him a starting berth in the England national side, with Thomas Tuchel describing him as an “elite” talent. He is a lock-in to start alongside Declan Rice for the Three Lions at the World Cup in the summer, despite having only made his international debut this season.

On Tyneside, every all-action display from the Whitley Bay native, be it for club or country, will trigger a violent reaction in Eddie Howe’s office, with Newcastle having already been muscled out of a deal to bring him back north.

Etihad or Old Trafford?

In an increasingly red-hot race, City are understood to be United’s main competitor for Anderson this summer. Chelsea and Liverpool already have excellent No.6s in their ranks, while Bayern Munich do not have the resources to compete with the financial might of the Premier League.

And in a major blow, the Englishman is believed to be leaning towards the Etihad over Old Trafford, with the chance to work under Pep Guardiola in the Champions League on big wages an enticing offer.

United are likely to return to Europe’s elite competition next season as the team’s transformation under Carrick has positioned them excellently for a top-four finish. The continued uncertainty over who will be in charge come the summer does not help their cause, however.

Similarly, INEOS have sought to implement a stricter wage bill at Old Trafford, eschewing the more exorbitant contracts – such as Casemiro and Marcus Rashford – in favour of deals in line with clubs elsewhere in the league. By contrast, City are happy to go above and beyond to secure their targets, as evidenced by Marc Guehi’s wage packet, worth in excess of £300,000 a week.

So how should United vanquish their rivals to secure one of the land’s most esteemed talents? By focusing on an agreement with the club, rather than the player.

Pay Up To Shut Them Up

There is reluctant acceptance at Forest that their prized asset will leave this summer – which is mirrored by the player, who will be a Premier League player next season, regardless of whether his current side survive the drop or not.

The Tricky Trees will simply be hoping a bidding war erupts between England’s elite to win the race for England’s elite midfielder. An asking price as high as £100m has been mooted, though some reports indicate this could drop to £85m, depending on Forest’s relegation status.

This is where United should strike, agreeing a record-breaking deal with the East Midlands side to not even give City the chance to hold talks with Anderson’s representatives in the first place.

The £89.3m capture of Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016 is the Red Devils’ biggest signing ever, while the record fee for a midfielder in England is the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo, followed closely by Arsenal’s £105m raid on West Ham for Declan Rice.

INEOS must be willing to go beyond the Caicedo threshold if that is what it will take to fend off their neighbours. There is no other midfielder in the Premier League who will slot into United’s side with the ease that Anderson will – and basic economics tells us that scarcity drives demand, and demand drives price.

Final Thoughts

It may seem hyperbolic to suggest a prospective £120m outlay will prove a bargain in the long run, but that is what Anderson will prove if he arrives on the red half of Manchester this summer.

When you consider the other targets on United’s radar, such as Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton, neither option offers the well-rounded skillset the Forest man does. Baleba is outstanding without the ball, while Wharton is a maestro on it; Anderson is both, wrapped up in one.

Furthermore, the demands Brighton and Crystal Palace are expected to make for their respective stars will not be cheap, with suggestions the prices could reach as high as £100m, though the final fee is likely be lower.

However, on rare occasions, when a player is simply that good, in a position a club is that desperate in, a mammoth outlay that goes beyond their objective value is worth it. Just ask executives at the Emirates or Stamford Bridge whether there is any regret over their big-money moves for defensive midfielders.

Arsenal and Chelsea signed the best available option to bolster their engine rooms from the talents available in England – and they endured the dreaded Premier League tax to do so. This summer, it’s Manchester United’s turn.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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