How Man Utd could make £248m with a mass clear out - and the dazzling talent they could then signplaceholder image
How Man Utd could make £248m with a mass clear out - and the dazzling talent they could then sign | Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo is far from happy with his current game time at Man Utd, could a creative swap deal for an emerging England star be the answer?
The advent of PSR has seen football clubs get more creative with the type of transfer deals that they pursue with Manchester United no different to any other.
The use of loan arrangements with an option or obligation to buy clause so that payments can be deferred to the next financial period are becoming more common, as are the ‘swap’ deals where two clubs both buy a player off each other to keep the accountants happy.
It is this type of deal that United could benefit from next season by getting first dibs on a player whose reputation is growing by the week and whose price tag is only going to rise given his current status.
Man Utd should consider Mainoo swap deal for rising England star
International breaks can be dull affairs, however, with so many key players out injured for England, Thomas Tuchel was able to have a look at one or two who might stake a claim for the World Cup across the Atlantic next summer. One player who put his hand up is Elliot Anderson. The Nottingham Forest midfielder famously walked out of a Scotland training camp after a couple of days under Steve Clarke having been a regular at age group levels for the country of his grandfather’s birth.
Injury was cited as the reason for his withdrawal, however, it later emerged that that he was unconvinced about his allegiances to another country with the one in which he was born and grew up in. What Anderson, who has been linked with United, offers is that he is a complete midfielder.
The type Amorim needs in a double pivot to let those in the final third create. The former Newcastle academy graduate was imperious for England, with and without the ball, and is now a favourite to keep his place despite only really getting his chance due to injury to others.
During the international break, Tuchel said of Anderson: “He’s just a very, very good football player. He has the physicality, he’s very mobile at No 6. He has the body, he loves to defend, he loves to put his body inside to duels. He loves passing, he loves to break the lines, he’s very mobile in this game. It was a pleasure to see.
“I think the team around him made it as easy as possible for him and he had a very strong performance. I think he showed today that he adapts to the situation
One player who he has jumped over is Kobbie Mainoo who asked to leave United before the end of the transfer window. Mainoo, on current form and status, might not hold the same sort of value as Anderson, who Forest paid Newcastle £40m for, but he would be a ready made replacement and the sort of player who could be perfect for new boss Ange Postecoglou.
An offer of Mainoo and a bit of cash could sweeten the deal and give both clubs what they want. Amorim is a fan of Mainoo, but there are obviously elements of his game that the manager wants him to work on before he will start the England international on a more consistent basis.
What has Ruben Amorim said about Kobbie Mainoo?
If anything, Mainoo’s meteoric rise is now the biggest problem for United because the player has had a taste of European and international football and feels that he is good enough to be playing more often.
"I want Kobbie to stay," Amorim told a news conference shortly before the transfer window shut via ESPN. "He needs to fight for his place, and we need Kobbie, so that is not going to change. I understand that the players that are not playing in this moment are disappointed.
"Everyone will have the same opportunity to play. You have to fight during the week."
The United gaffer also said that Mainoo is now competing with Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role for minutes, but with the skipper doing his best work further forward Mainoo needs to take a leaf out of Anderson’s book and, if he gets a chance, needs to grab it with both hands.
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