Ten Hag got it wrong with €64m transfer decision
Tom Weber
- Updated: 2 Oct 2023 16:38 BST
- 4 min read
Erik ten Hag made the wrong decision by prioritising signing Mason Mount over Adrien Rabiot.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that moving for the Juventus midfielder was an option for the Red Devils in the summer, but Erik ten Hag and company decided against signing him.
The Frenchman is a long-term target of Ten Hag. The Man Utd boss was already keen on Rabiot last year and he once again considered signing him this summer when the 28-year-old was on the verge of becoming a free agent due to an expiring contract.
United, however, eventually prioritised Chelsea's Mason Mount instead, splurging €64.2 million on the midfielder who had one year left on his deal when they could have had Rabiot on a Bosman.
READ: Romano reveals FIVE Man Utd transfers collapsed in the summer
Yet, even beyond the financial aspect, there is an argument to be made that Rabiot would have been a better signing from a football perspective as well. Sure, at 28, he doesn't have as much potential upside as the 24-year-old Mount, but he may have suited Ten Hag's style better than the ex-Chelsea man, who has struggled to have any kind of impact so far, with fitness issues playing their part.
Bad call. Rabiot's better suited to this Man Utd team than Mount. And he was out of contract.
— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) October 2, 2023
What did Romano say?
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano shed light on the decision to pick Mount over the Frenchman. "Adrien Rabiot was one of the options at Man Utd. He was considered by the club, but they wanted Mason Mount in that position as a priority target."
"So, they decided not to enter in a strong way in the Rabiot race because the player was open to listen to proposals but then in the end the the best proposal was from Juventus, to stay at Juventus. He was also very happy to continue his adventure, his opportunity in Italy."
READ: Dalot's tremendous form sees huge rise in value
"But for Manchester United, there was a chance to sign Rabiot, they considered the deal, they discussed internally about the conditions of the deal, but then they decided against signing Rabiot as a free agent."
"Let's see if the opportunity will return because the player has always been appreciated by Erik ten Hag - one year ago, this summer. Let's see in the future, but for Man Utd it was a 'no' this summer."
