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COMMENT: So he is the commitment? Good compromise. Potentially a world class compromise. Still, Jadon Sancho may not be, after all, the overriding goal Manchester United have been pursuing these past 12 months …
Well that’s according to a longtime source connected to this column. And when you consider the actions of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the manager of United, and his executive vice president Ed Woodward, the argument, when presented, is decent.
The 110 million euros that Borussia Dortmund asks for Sancho are enormous. And it would be a record for United. But it is not the 150 million euros that United made clear to agent Jorge Mendes that they would be willing to pay for Joao Félix at Christmas. An offer transmitted to the general manager of Atlético de Madrid, Miguel Ángel Gil Martín, and quickly rejected by the board.
Nor is it the 150 million euros, although with structured payments, presented to Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona, under fire, by Ansu Fati. The offer made before last season’s ‘reboot’ and indeed the third for the teenager in the space of six months. But again Bartomeu, as he explained to other board members in a video conference, rejected the proposal.
And there was another. Before Christmas. Just one query, which didn’t go much further. But united did Ask Real Madrid intermediaries for Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian international enjoyed the best season of his career last season on loan with Real Sociedad. All the potential that saw him traveling and being ‘interviewed’ by the biggest clubs in Europe as a teenager finally came true in San Sebastián. Of course, the link between Solskjaer and Odegaard is obvious. But it was also quickly closed. Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, didn’t even give United a chance to bet on their young prospect. Odegaard was Florentino’s personal gamble and after five years of doubts and criticism, there is almost no chance that the president will miss the opportunity to nail one in the eye of his knockers. Now 21, Odegaard just finished his two-year loan from La Real. He be Be part of the Zinedine Zidane squad this season, and under Florentino.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Joao Felix together in training in Portugal
So what do we know of all this? Well, as our intermediary source said in this column last week, United are looking outside the club for their new No. 7. He’s not a No. 7 Bryan Robson. But more Cristiano Ronaldo. And as in the case of Ronaldo, one that doesn’t come with expectations of making an instant impact. Instead, a player to grow, learn and develop in the best Manchester United traditions. A young player to build the next decade. And as for “profile”, one that would come as a broad player. Scorer and assistant winger. But with the goal of eventually becoming a central attacker. Think back to Ronaldo, “or Luis Figo,” as our well-connected source told us. No prizes for guessing where it came from …
Felix, Fati and Odegaard. All very similar in the field. And with similar personalities and backgrounds. From good families. Soccer families. United they know what they want. They have a plan. And they cling to it.
“It’s definitely about quality,” Solskjaer said last month, “and it’s going to cost money to get players who are better than the ones we already have.
“We work normally and follow a plan.”
This will be a cornerstone. A player to hang a team from. And money will not be a problem. Like Harry Maguire over a year ago. Bruno Fernandes now eight months earlier. United are looking for a player for the next decade. This will be a good investment of seven, eight, maybe ten years. And as such, money is not the problem. Although Woodward, having been burned so frequently in the past, is determined not to play for a cup now.
That is why Borussia Dortmund know they must carefully consider their plans for Sancho. A message that was relayed to the directors last week. His England international is the center of United’s attention, but only for the moment. They have alternatives. And if it is this No7. Or a new striker. Solskjaer is willing to wait for the right one. Their attempts to get Erling Haaland ahead of Dortmund and Timo Werner ahead of Frank Lampard’s Chelsea showed United will remain patient until the correct number 9 is available. Again, this will be a cornerstone signature. As was the motivation behind attempts to reach a deal with Dortmund for Sancho.
But united be move on. It is not just Woodward who has been burned. Solskjaer, through Haaland and his entourage, still bears the scars of last winter’s persecution. And despite all Sancho’s enthusiasm over the phone, the United manager won’t wait forever. Especially if Sancho is not willing -as for now- to force the passage from his end of the table.
United wants to do well. And Sancho is an excellent option. An option that could beat the world. But it is just one of many. United is playing long term. As they have done for the last 12 months.
If it’s not Sancho. It will be someone else. It is not the man or the bust of Dortmund. With the money United is willing to invest, there is scope for compromise. The same quality. Same potential. Even the same personality. United will take their time with this one.
