Why Man Utd were right to overpay for Lisandro Martinez
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 27 Jul 2022 18:04 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United confirmed Lisandro Martinez as their biggest signing of the 2022 summer transfer window on Wednesday, when they finally completed a €55 million move for the Ajax defender.
It is a mammoth fee for a player that the Amsterdam side have successfully played hard ball over. Negotiations previously stalled at €50m, while it is estimated that another €10m could follow in bonus payments.
Certainly, there were other options explored, such as Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus (another former Ajax player) and Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard.
But it is Lisandro Martinez who United chose to go all-out for, breaking the bank to sign him.
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Why have Manchester United paid so much for Lisandro Martinez?
First, it shows the club’s commitment to Ten Hag, that they’re willing to go all the way to bring in who he wants, as they’ve done for Tyrell Malacia and Frenkie de Jong, who is still a Barcelona player.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Martinez has rare attributes, something Ten Hag would like in his side and is generally hard to find in world football: he’s a left-footed centre-back.
For starters, left-footed players in football are rare on their own: only 22 per cent of footballers currently playing are primarily left-footed; those that play at centre-back are even rarer.
From that small number, being a top-quality player is even rarer, and according to Ten Hag, his new club will have made a long-term investment, seeing as Martinez is still only 24.
To put it into perspective: only three left-footed centre-backs have won the Champions in the last 15 years – David Alaba (2020 and 2022), Dante (2013) and Walter Samuel (2010).
This isn’t to suggest Manchester United will win the Champions League anytime soon but shows how rare commodities left-footed centre-backs are, and why Martinez was worth pursuing for so long.
Lisandro Martínez is not your everyday centre-back 🪄
(via @AFCAjax)pic.twitter.com/G5hxHNyk6v— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 17, 2022
Martinez's versatility an asset
It was clear that when United were pursuing him, they wanted someone who could provide a different profile to their existing squad members like Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane.
Martinez showed quite often in the league and in Europe last season how important he was with his excellent passing range, ability to switch play easily and connect with the rest of his team.
With the current Manchester United squad lacking in quality ball-players and members unwilling to show authority, bringing in someone of Martinez’s calibre is useful.
Ten Hag also wanted someone he could rely on, and Martinez frequently proved at Ajax over the last year that he was worth it, and the Argentine is now ready for a move to the Premier League.
Factor in Martinez’s obvious quality and the fact that he can play in three different positions, and United have a player worth investing in for the long run, someone who fixes an important position and provides versatility.
Time will tell how good Martinez can be and how important he’ll be for Ten Hag, but from the outside looking in, this was an investment worth making, something that could come in handy in the long run.
