Ineos have now completed their second summer transfer window as owners of Manchester United.
It has been over 18 months since Ineos took sporting control at Manchester United, and there have been sweeping changes behind the scenes at Old Trafford and Carrington.
Jason Wilcox was appointed sporting director, while Christopher Vivell has become Head of Recruitment. Together, they led the recruitment drive this summer.
Senne Lammens was United’s last signing of the summer, and his arrival on deadline day took the total summer spend to over £230m.
There has been a mixed response to United’s summer business, and there have been plenty of things learned about how Ineos operate.
Jason Wilcox, Director of Football at Manchester United and Omar Berrada, Chief Executive Officer of Manchester United during the pre-season friendly.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Sticking to a data-driven approach
There has been a noticeable shift in transfer strategy under Ineos, with the recruitment team trying to learn from past mistakes made under Glazer ownership.
Interestingly, United hired Mercedes analyst Michael Sansoni as Ineos pivot to a more data-driven approach.
It became clear that Ineos will trust their data when Lammens was chosen over Emiliano Martinez. Despite Martinez and other experienced goalkeepers such as Gianluigi Donnarumma being available, Ineos trusted their data and chose to sign 23-year-old Lammens to lead the club forward.
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Five is the magic number
Ralf Rangnick insisted United needed “open heart surgery”, and Amorim hinted at a big squad overhaul after finishing 15th last season.
Ultimately, United ended up making five major signings – the same amount made under Ineos last summer.
It seems that’s what fans can expect moving forward, with Ineos wanting to strengthen a few positions each window.
A younger approach
Another interesting change in the transfer strategy is that Ineos have been targeting young players with high potential.
Again, Lammens at 23 years old was picked over the likes of Martinez. The oldest signing made this summer was Matheus Cunha, but at 26 years old, he is entering his prime.
Ineos will continue to target young players who can develop into superstars at Old Trafford. A risky approach, but one that could have a huge payoff down the line.
Premier League-proven targets
It quickly became clear that United wanted Premier League-proven players when Cunha was signed on the first day of the window.
A £65m deal for Bryan Mbeumo quickly followed, meaning United now have two of the Premier League’s best performers from last season.
It was often a strategy used by Sir Alex Ferguson to bring the league’s best players to Old Trafford, and Amorim has taken a page out of his book.
Player sales are improving
United have often spent big in the transfer market, but have lagged well behind their rivals when it comes to raising cash through sales.
This summer was certainly not perfect, with United having to wait until deadline day to offload most of their ‘bomb squad’, but over £60m was raised through Alejandro Garnacho’s move to Chelsea and Antony’s sale to Real Betis.
READ MORE: Every incoming and outgoing deal Manchester United agreed on transfer deadline day
Buy clauses attached to Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund could add an extra £70m next summer.
There is still a long way to go, but Ineos are improving the outgoings at Old Trafford.