Manchester United are doing the same in the transfer window with some targets

The one-year deal that Tom Heaton has agreed to takes care of some extra business for Manchester United, who will not need a veteran goalkeeper.

Elite clubs now prefer established back-up goalkeepers and, unless Altay Bayindir stirs for a change of scenery, United have an established trio.

Identifying a backup custodian would have been difficult to tax. Bayindir was an afterthought and arrived so late last summer that Dean Henderson was a substitute in United’s first three games.

If United build their team at the back, the goalkeepers are removed. In defence, there must be three out (Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof) and three in if United are to be a credible club in the market.

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There are assets that can and must be sold in midfield (Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Hannibal Mejbri) and attack (Facundo Pellistri, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood). Marcus Rashford must decide whether he wants to turn the page or close the book on his United career.

Tyrell Malacia and Antony are both basically unsellable. Malacia has not played for over a year and the ridiculous £81.3m initial fee United paid for Antony prohibits a sale. Abandoning the accounting practice of depreciation, United should sell for £48.78 million. Antony scored three goals last season and is in exile from the Brazil squad.

Malacia and Antony are essentially Ten Hag’s signings and played in the Eredivisie. Even with a new technical director, an inaugural sporting director and a new chief executive, United continue to target the Dutch.

After Ajax defeated Real Madrid and Juventus in the 2019 Champions League knockout rounds, a hilarious meme of Paris Hilton holding a Powerpuff Girl ice cream went viral. Billed as “The boat returns to Ajax during the summer transfer window”, Hilton says: “Actually, can I have five more of these blonde bitches?”

Could be updated to “United return to Ajax Academy graduates”. United bid for Frenkie de Jong, bought two players from Ajax and another who had trained with Ajax earlier that year. Now they want Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee.

Manchester City signed an Eredivisie player during Pep Guardiola’s tenure and then exercised a buy-back clause in Angelino’s contract at PSV Eindhoven. Angelino was complicit in damaging defeats to Liverpool and United and was dumped at RB Leipzig six months later.

Ten Hag’s instincts were sound with Lisandro Martinez, but not with Wout Weghorst. Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat started in the FA Cup final but Antony and Mason Mount were not. There were more misses than hits.

Onana conceded several saveable goals and admitted he struggled mentally in his first seven months at the club. The Cameroonian is a personal figure in the dressing room and popular with the staff. Onana should be more reliable next season.

Going Dutch is debatable. The Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup and were drawn at Euro 2020. Louis van Gaal restored confidence with his return in 2021 and Ronald Koeman emulated his old nemesis by guiding the Oranje in the quarterfinals of a major. tournament.

United met a dogmatic Dutchman in Van Gaal, although Barcelona’s rebranding in the late 90s was more Dutch-centric. Barca have signed fewer Dutchmen in the 24 years since Van Gaal left than during his first three-year tenure.

Ineos’ authority will erode if he gives the manager the autonomy to continue recruiting familiar players. And the staff too. United want to add two Dutch coaches to the staff behind Ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake.

There is a possible element of compromise there. The installation of two coaches who were established managers threatens to dilute the influence of the outgoing manager at United. Only they are Ten Hag’s compatriots, and he worked with Hake at Utrecht.

But Ten Hag’s practice of recruiting known targets has failed over the past two summers and Ineos’ card is already marked after judging a manager at one game in a 52-game season. United must be more mindful of how they spend after spending over a billion in a decade as they try to meet profitability and sustainability rules.

The clubs saw them coming a mile away. Everton’s £70m minimum valuation of Jarrad Branthwaite is unrealistic, but United are a potential buying club and have the form to sell out when they have the weaker hand.

They wouldn’t have had to play poker with Heaton.