The two Man Utd transfers Ten Hag should have made instead of Onana and Mount

Suraj Radia

• 9 Nov 2023 15:21 CST
• 4 min read

Manchester United’s season is continuing to spiral out of control after Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a stunning loss to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, further compounding the poor business conducted by the club during the transfer window.

United sit bottom of their group after conceding two late goals to lose 4-3 in Denmark, piling the pressure on Ten Hag after nine losses in their last 16 games, while they sit eighth in the Premier League following their worst ever start to a domestic campaign.

Ten Hag splashed more than €200 million on players in the summer and his side have only been outspent by Chelsea since the Dutchman’s appointment last summer, yet the transfer business has arguably led to more problems than it has solved.

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Expensive outlays on the likes of Andre Onana and Mason Mount have failed to provide value or even consistent quality and left United lacking the resources to address other issues in the team.

Alternative, cost-effective signings were ignored in order for Ten Hag to get his priority targets but the former Ajax boss’ recruitment could prove to be his downfall as the United boss struggles to get the best out of his players.

The two players Ten Hag should have signed this summer

Onana became one of the most expensive goalkeepers of all time when he signed for €50m from Inter but, despite bouncing back from his disastrous early form, the 27-year-old still has yet to justify his eyewatering price tag.

Inter opted to replace Onana with Yann Sommer for a miniscule €7m and while the 34-year-old perhaps is not the long-term answer, his nine clean sheets in 15 games is more than any other goalkeeper across Europe’s top five leagues.

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Mount, meanwhile, has failed to register a goal or assist in seven Premier League appearances, while four of his last five appearances have been from the bench – a dramatic fall from grace for Ten Hag’s €64m signing, who has spent the majority of his time at the club injured.

United opted to go for a bigger name in Mount compared to someone like James Ward-Prowse, who joined West Ham for €35m in the summer and has already netted two goals and three assists for his new side.

A player like Ward-Prowse would have brought a proven pedigree at Premier League level as well as some much-needed leadership to United and reliability, missing just two games through injury across the last four seasons.

Although some United fans would have scoffed at the thought of signing Ward-Prowse, his price was nearly half of Mount’s yet he could even be considered double the player, such is the ex-Chelsea man’s decline in performances.

Had United gone for Sommer and Ward-Prowse instead of Onana and Mount, they would have saved a staggering €72m, which would have left enough budget to sign another striker or a centre-back such as Benjamin Pavard or Jean-Clair Todibo.

Instead the club found himself overpaying for flawed players who are now letting the team down with their performances and putting United on the verge of a Champions League exit and Ten Hag potentially on the cusp of losing his job.

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