Manchester United signed a much-needed goalkeeper on deadline day in Senne Lammens, but it has left his former club Antwerp with a sour taste in their mouths.
It is very well-known by now that Man Utd pulled off a masterstroke on deadline day by pitting Senne Lammens against Emi Martinez.
Martinez was the smokescreen to soften Antwerp’s asking price for Lammens, who was the first choice all along.
Now, details in Belgium have emerged about what Lammens did to make the move happen on deadline day, which has soured Antwerp.
Former Royal Antwerp star Senne Lammens poses after signing for Manchester United at the Carrington training complex in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Antwerp ‘unhappy’ with Senne Lammens
It was a frantic deadline day because even though Martinez was a smokescreen, United might have had to go for him in the end had a deal for Lammens not materialised.
What looked like a straightforward deal became complicated due to Antwerp’s ever-increasing asking price as the window ticked to a close.
Sensing that the club could price him out of a move, with Martinez lurking in the shadows, Lammens took matters into his own hands.
Belgian outlet HLN reports that Lammens boarded a private jet to Manchester on deadline day after agreeing on personal terms with United.
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The catch is that he travelled without Antwerp’s permission, who still hadn’t agreed on a transfer fee with United.
It led to Antwerp being hurried into a deal, and it was ultimately done for far less than their initial asking price of about £25m.
United completed the deal for an initial £18.2m with a further £2m in add-ons, and there’s no sell-on clause either, which is a huge win when buying a young player.
As per the report, this agreement was hurriedly reached when Lammens was mid-air, making for an anti-climactic and unwanted end to the saga from Antwerp’s perspective.
Lammens passes Man Utd test
If the details above are true, then Antwerp are well within their rights to feel a bit disenfranchised at how things developed.
Lammens was their hottest commodity, and they wanted to make the most out of selling him.
At the same time, United will be delighted because Lammens’ desperation to hurry along a potential move sees him pass a United test this window.
Jason Wilcox said, when Benjamin Sesko signed, that every player who came to Old Trafford this summer made a concerted effort to engineer their move.
That single-mindedness to play for United will endear Lammens to the fans as well, and he’ll be a favourite in the boardroom already due to what he did to force through a move.