After finishing 15th last season, Manchester United required a major squad overhaul which they got, well in two specific areas of the team anyway.
On deadline day, the Red Devils signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for a reported fee of £22m including add-ons, certainly a big fee for a 23-year-old who has made just 64 senior appearances for the Belgian club.
senne-lammens-royal-antwerp
Senne Lammens for Royal Antwerp.
Nevertheless, goalkeeper was certainly a position of need, given André Onana's calamitous performance at Grimsby last Wednesday, as they were dumped out of the EFL Cup by fourth-tier opposition for the first time ever, while Altay Bayındır has not covered himself in glory during his three Premier League appearances either.
This late move aside, the only other new additions to Rúben Amorim's squad have all been attackers, splurging a combined £207m to sign an entirely new-look front three.
However, could one of these forwards ultimately prove to be a bargain, especially when compared to the prime target Man United missed out on?
Manchester United's midfield situation
To the surprise of many, Manchester United have not signed a new midfielder this summer, leaving a situation that is a complete mess.
Earlier in the window, it was reported that Manchester United had held initial talks with Brighton over the possibility of signing Carlos Baleba, but the Seagulls would only be willing to sell for around the £115m Chelsea paid to sign Moisés Caicedo two years ago, which quickly ended this as a possibility.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba
Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba
As the Cameroonian international did not arrive at Old Trafford, it would appear likely that Bruno Fernandes, alongside Casemiro will remain Amorim's first-choice midfield combination, much to the chagrin of Kobbie Mainoo.
Having seen zero minutes during the first two Premier League fixtures, he was introduced at halftime against Burnley on Saturday, the England international submitted a loan request last week, but this was unequivocally rejected by the club.
Mainoo debut season at Man United (timeless)
Considering Man United's next fixture is away at the Etihad, bringing Mainoo into the team appears to be a no-brainer, given that the 20-year-old has the capabilities to solve a lot of problems, as he did for England during their run to the Euros final.
So, perhaps the Red Devils didn't need Baleba after all, not willing to smash their transfer record to secure his signature, but could one of their summer signings prove to be a bargain?
Manchester United's shrewd investment
At the start of the window, Old Trafford certainly did not appear to be Benjamin Šeško's most likely destination.
After RB Leipzig finished seventh in last season's Bundesliga, thereby failing to qualify for any European competition, it was clear that the Slovenian would depart Saxony.
Arsenal appeared to be the front-runners to secure his signature but, partially put off by Leipzig's humongous asking price, elected to sign Viktor Gyökeres instead.
Then, as the Alexander Isak saga escalated, Newcastle agreed a fee to sign Šeško before, after the Magpies had done all the legwork, Manchester United swooped in and convinced him to sign for them instead of moving to Tyneside.
Upon his arrival, Man United's sporting director Jason Wilcox asserted that the striker "possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders", believing he will fulfil his "world-class potential" at the club.
Sesko-career-stats-timeless
Benjamin Sesko
The final fee paid for Šeško is £66.3m plus £7.4m in add-ons which, even if all met, is still below his estimated transfer value of £108m, according to the CIES Football Observatory.
Meantime, they also believe that Baleba is worth around £75m, supporting the decision Man United made in not progress any further with that deal, given Brighton's sky-high demands.
Big striker moves in summer 2025 transfer window (timeless)
So, even though Šeško is yet to get off the mark, time is on his side, considering he's just 22 years old, while he has proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer, bagging 39 across two seasons at Leipzig, on top of the 14 he's netted for Slovenia.
Thus, while Manchester United have not been particularly smart in the transfer window for a decade and more, they might have just struck gold here, certainly improving their existing options.