Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has shared what he told former Newcastle United targets Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo before they signed for him this summer.
It is fair to say that the Magpies’ transfer window has not gone according to plan so far.
Alexander Isak wants to leave Newcastle United for Liverpool, while several top targets have rejected a move to the North East in favour of other Premier League clubs. Two examples of that are Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who joined Manchester United despite talks with Eddie Howe’s side.
Before the start of the summer transfer window, Newcastle saw Mbeumo as their ‘dream’ transfer target, but it was clear that they would not be signing him after outlandish wage demands during talks.
Elsewhere, Newcastle were eager to sign Cunha from Wolves after a great season with the Premier League strugglers, but again, Man United were able to steal in and sign the Brazilian for around £62.5million.
The pair played in the Red Devils’ final Premier League Summer Series game against Everton on Sunday night, but pre-match comments from head coach Ruben Amorim are sure to have grabbed the attention of Newcastle fans.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha with the Premier League Summer Series trophy.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox – Premier League/Getty Images
Why Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha chose Man United over Newcastle
Things have worked out okay for Newcastle, despite losing out on two top targets. Anthony Elanga is officially a Newcastle player and has looked sharp in pre-season. He will be hoping that he can play alongside fellow Swede Isak next season if Isak ultimately decides to stay with the club.
It remains to be seen whether Cunha and Mbeumo will be successful at Man United; they joined for big fees and must now deliver after earning moves away. However, Amirom is adamant that the pair were sold on the club and their vision for the future, rather than working with him, which makes rejecting Newcastle feel rather surprising.
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Speaking to ESPN about Mbeumo and Cunha, Amirom said: “They always show the support. And if you try to remember one team – one big team, massive team – that lost so many games and the manager kept their job, you will not find it. So that shows more than words that they support me.
“I think it’s really important to say to the fans that this is a club thing. Of course, the manager is really important, but all this idea of the culture, how we want to sign players, what kind of players we want, is a club thing.
“In the meetings with Bryan, with Cunha, we said that. Don’t go to a club because of the manager. Go because of the idea of the club. And they are here because of the idea of the club.”
Newcastle cannot lose another player to Manchester United
Newcastle announced the signing of Aaron Ramsdale last week, a goalkeeper with Champions League experience who could join permanently next summer. In the meantime, work is going on behind the scenes to bring in a new striker ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Reports have stated that Newcastle saw a bid for Benjamin Sesko rejected, despite it meeting RB Leipzig’s valuation. The 22-year-old is also subject to interest from Man United, with Amorim keen to sign a new striker.
Talks remain ongoing, but the decision is down to Sesko over which club he wants to join next. Newcastle must now do everything in their power to have Sesko join them over Man United, and ensure that a third player does not move to the North West instead of Tyneside.
Elsewhere, Newcastle remain in talks to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford. The 28-year-old is not training with the Bees after making it clear he wants to join the Magpies and play in the Champions League.