Manchester United and Tottenham meet at Old Trafford on Saturday with contrasting summer transfer strategies under examination after both clubs made disappointing starts to the Premier League season.
Tottenham spent £334m, including £100m on Sandro Tonali, as Roberto De Zerbi was given substantial backing to reshape his squad. United committed £163m to their rebuild, choosing to spread their investment rather than make one statement signing.
Yet Spurs are bottom of the Premier League after five games and are still waiting for their first win, while United manager Michael Carrick is already under pressure. The focus is therefore extending beyond the two managers to the decisions made above them during the transfer window.
United prioritised squad depth
Manchester United have yet to spend £100m on an individual player, but that is not thought to reflect a reluctance to invest.
Sky Sports News’ Dan Khan said: “I actually think it’s redundant to use that figure of £100m. If you look at appreciation, Paul Pogba, if you were to sign him now from Juventus, like United did, that would probably be well over £100m.
“The question is, can Man Utd spend money on Elliot Anderson? Not necessarily to do with the figure but more whether they are in the market for these top midfielders.”
United identified midfield as their main priority, bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba rather than pursuing one marquee arrival. They also considered left-backs Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall, but neither was realistically available, leaving that position to be addressed next summer.
Khan also said United need to improve their ability to sell players. Their most senior departures were Toby Collyer and Radek Vitek, neither of whom had played a senior match.
“I don’t think there is a reluctance to spend big, having spoken to people in and around the club,” he said. “But it was quite clear that this summer they needed to increase the squad size to compete in different competitions.”
The strategy has produced greater depth but left questions over whether the rebuild is complete.
Scrutiny reaches United’s hierarchy
Carrick is the figure on the touchline, but Khan expects attention to turn towards director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada, who have been trusted to lead the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era.
“There will be a big microscope on Wilcox and Berrada, especially because they have been trusted in leading this Sir Jim Ratcliffe era forward,” he said. “They went out on a limb to appoint Ruben Amorim. It must be said, they gave him a lot of time.”
United have moved from Erik ten Hag to Amorim and then Carrick under the current regime, although Khan does not expect another immediate managerial change.
“When we are talking about Carrick, I wouldn’t imagine any sudden decisions will be made on his future,” he said. “First of all, they all decided to give Ten Hag a new contract. Then they pivoted to Amorim and then they went out for Carrick.”
He added: “I’m not saying that’s a bad decision. However, when the slogan is that we are ‘going for the best in class and we’re doing everything data driven,’ I can’t imagine Ratcliffe is very happy at the moment in terms of the results and the performances.”
Sherwood questions Tottenham’s recruitment
Despite spending more than twice as much as United, Tottenham have made their worst start to a Premier League season after five matches.
Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood was asked whether any of the club’s 10 new signings had impressed him.
“No, no one,” he said. “I can’t say anyone’s really impressed me, and anyone would have done a better job than anyone who was there last season.
“They’ve underachieved, they really have. We always judge on results, so I don’t look at any individual player and think, ‘well, you’re coming out of some credit here’, because the team’s losing, and I’m not sure there’s been any outstanding performers.”
Sherwood added: “Probably the last four or five years, the track record of Tottenham signings has not been fantastic.
“It’s been a very long time since they’ve made a decent signing. Now, I’m not saying they’re poor signings; I’m saying that they haven’t done it yet, and there’s still a lot of time to be able to get some confidence and show what they can really do.
“We’ve seen them in fits and starts and little cameos for other teams, but it’s a different kettle of fish playing for Tottenham.”
De Zerbi has made 13 changes to his starting XI this season, the most in the Premier League. Sherwood said that suggested the Italian did not yet know his best side.
“If you were a Man Utd fan and Bruno Fernandes was missing, you’d be devastated,” he said. “But I’m not sure any Tottenham fans would be devastated if any of their players are missing, because I’m not sure the manager knows their best team at the moment.
“The fans certainly don’t, and you’re asking me, and I don’t!”
Tottenham reporter Michael Bridge believes Spurs still need a striker and goalkeeper.
“I think they need a striker – an actual No 9 – but how many are there out there?” he said. “It doesn’t help that Will Lankshear is scoring every week for Middlesbrough because he looks like a proper old-fashioned centre-forward and he’s young and English. That’s my worry.
“I’m also not 100 per cent sure if Antonin Kinsky is a Tottenham No 1 for years to come.
“He did an incredible job keeping the club in the Premier League with his saves. However, I’m still not sure if he’s still a No 1.
“If you’ve spent that amount of money and you still need, for me, a goalkeeper and a No 9, then there’s still a way to go.”
Manchester United v Tottenham is live on Sky Sports from 5pm on Saturday, with kick-off at 5.30pm.
