If there was ever a hiring that left a greater gap between reality and expectations at Manchester United, it would be that of Ralf Rangnick.
Ralf Rangnick came to Man Utd as a firefighting interim coach, but the promise of him leading the club’s recruitment efforts was what kept fans engaged.
However, he was sent on his way soon after, with United effectively exploring the worst of Rangnick, before sending him on his way before he could do what he was best at.
Considering Rangnick’s latest comments on a club’s ideal transfer policy, it’s no wonder it crashed and burned spectacularly at Old Trafford. It was doomed from the start.
Manchester United German Interim head coach Ralf Rangnick (L) embraces Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo
Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images
Ralf Rangnick on a club’s ideal transfer policy
Since Rangnick left United, much has been made of the players the German suggested to the club during his time, only to get ignored.
Someone like Julian Alvarez, just to name one, was among his suggestions, and pretty much each one has aged beautifully, just not at Carrington.
There was a common theme among all his suggestions, and he stressed upon it again in a recent interview with Spanish outlet SPORT.
He said: “If I were the owner/sporting director, I would only try to sign and invest in young players because no matter how you look at it, it only makes sense. Does it make sense to spend a transfer fee of 30/40/50 million for a 30/28 year old?
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“Let’s make that calculation. You sign a 30/28 year old, give him a five-year contract. You spend on average 15m/year on wages, times five, that’s 75m. The total is about 110/120m, then there are the agent fees. The whole deal is about 150m. For what?
“You’ll never get that money back. If you’re unlucky, in the last years of his contract, the player doesn’t even play anymore. The only thing you do if you do that is you invest in a possibly greater amount of success in the first few years. This is like a bet. I would never allow to do that, allow that to happen.”
Man Utd’s transfer strategy before Ineos was antithesis of Rangnick
It perhaps sums up United’s luck that when they came under the decision-making of Ineos, who are leaning into youngsters, the man best placed to know about it is not at the club.
It is easy to see why Rangnick wasn’t kept by the club after reading those comments, especially since the club signed Casemiro on a five-year deal soon after the German left.
The Brazilian is one of the recent examples, but United’s transfer strategy under the Glazers was full of signings that Rangnick would lose his head over.
The likes of Odion Ighalo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Radamel Falcao, and even Cristiano Ronaldo are all players who were stop-gap solutions, mostly expensive, and with no resale value.
United are still struggling to shift Casemiro’s contract despite him playing well recently, and that sums up Rangnick’s point.
On the other hand, United were still able to shift the likes of Hannibal Mejbri and Facundo Pellistri for a profit from a PSR perspective because potential is so much easier to sell on.
The fans can only be relieved that Rangnick’s advice is now being heard at United. If only the man had been heard too when he was at the club.