Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson has had his say on the club’s troubles in the transfer market.
Two years ago Manchester United spent £64 million to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta. It was viewed as a promising deal for the future, yet two years on, the club are considering cashing in on the Dane.
United are now looking at spending close to £70 million on another striker, chasing RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
And last summer the club spent £36 million to sign Joshua Zirkzee. The fees are adding up for a club that has struggled to sell players.
There was another more expensive route United chose not to take in 2023, that would have worked out cheaper overall.
Harry Kane celebrates for Bayern Munich
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Manchester United should have signed Harry Kane
Manchester United should have pushed harder to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, former boss Ron Atkinson has claimed.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Sir Alex Ferguson’s predecessor believes the club could have solved a lot of bother by signing the England striker.
Atkinson said: “They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by signing a decent goalscorer.
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“I would have brought in Harry Kane. I know Levy wanted £100 million for him. Okay, then pay £120 million.
“With him up front, the midfield would always know where to put the ball, and the defence would have played better. Goalscorers make everything better.”
Bayern Munich signed Harry Kane for £86 million plus add-ons. There would have been an extra premium for English clubs, but one that United should have fought to pay.
Harry Kane guarantees goals, United did not fight to sign him
Manchester United were scared away from Harry Kane’s price tag, knowing it could take more than £100 million to sign him.
And after the club blew £55 million on Mason Mount at the start of the 2023 summer window, the budget for a striker was already stretched – although had £47 million not been spent on Andre Onana and David de Gea retained, it would have been possible.
Rasmus Hojlund was the alternative to Harry Kane. His goal tally for Manchester United is 26 goals.
Harry Kane has scored 62 goals for Bayern Munich in 63 games, with Bayern also helping to knock United out of the Champions League in 2023/24.
Erik ten Hag was fired 15 months after the Hojlund deal, and as Ron Atkinson points out, signing Kane instead would have saved a lot of trouble.