Were Ed Woodward’s Transfer Market Comments A Strategical Bluff?

The coronavirus pandemic has done little to halt the relentless swirling of transfer speculation that comes at this time of year, with the summer window in sight, but Ed Woodward had some words of warning for those who expect soccer’s marketplace to be unaffected by the total shutdown of the sport across Europe and the world.

Asked what business his club will conduct, the Manchester United executive vice chairman said speculation about transfers worth “hundreds of millions of pounds this summer” ignores the “realities that face the sport.” This seemingly poured cold water on the notion that a number of big name, big money additions could pitch up at Old Trafford before the start of next season.

“Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of challenge facing everyone in football and it may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer,” Woodward added, forecasting what might be a relatively quiet summer in terms of player sales.

A depression in the sport’s worldwide transfer market is indeed expected with some clubs merely concerned with their survival for the time being. Even clubs at the elite level have had to take drastic measures to ensure they can get through these unprecedented times – see the wage cuts Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have imposed on their players. 

Manchester United, however, are somewhat better equipped to cope. While the club’s cash reserves have declined in the last 12 months, largely due to the £80 million transfer fee paid up front to Leicester City for Harry Maguire, they still have €274 million in the bank (according to Soccerex’s last estimates). That in itself could give them a significant advantage in the signing of players this summer.

Before taking Woodward’s remarks at face value it’s worth noting that Manchester United have previously been guilty of bullishly highlighting their financial strength only to find that rival clubs use their as leverage when it comes to the negotiations for players. It’s why the Old Trafford outfit routinely have to pay over the odds to secure targets, the signing of Maguire being a prime example of this.

With this in mind, it’s possible that Woodward may have grasped an opportunity to press the reset button, to prevent rival clubs from seeing Manchester United as a cash cow to be milked as has been the case in recent years. It might have been the start of a strategy to ensure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets the players he needs, but for below what previously would have been market value.

Jadon Sancho, for one, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for the best part of a year with Manchester United unsuccessful in their attempt to lure the England international from Borussia Dortmund last summer. With Bundesliga clubs particularly vulnerable to the impact of the coronavirus shutdown Woodward might succeed in sealing a deal for a knockdown price.

The same could be true in their efforts to sign Jack Grealish, with Aston Villa’s place in next season’s Premier League
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far from certain. Manchester United could find that far from being limited by a depressed transfer market they are emboldened by it, capable of picking off players for lower prices.

Woodward has attempted to improve his public image of late, hiring a former journalist as a PR advisor, and so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that his recent remarks on Manchester United’s transfer plans have been filtered in this way. Far from ending hope of any impending blockbuster signings Woodward might just have fired the starting pistol on their summer negotiations.