Tottenham made a big move in the summer transfer window while Manchester United retreated, but both are struggling.
Two clubs with vastly different strategies in the summer face a remarkably similar challenge after the pair face off live at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday after a difficult start to the season. Sky Sports.
Spurs spent £334m, including £100m for Sandro Tonali, as Roberto De Zerbi received significant support to reshape his squad.
United, on the other hand, were more frugal with their spending, spending £163m on their rebuild.
Still, ahead of this weekend’s tough game, Spurs sit bottom of the Premier League and are still waiting for their first win, while Michael Carrick is already feeling the pressure at Old Trafford.
Therefore, the inspection cannot be limited to just two managers. Conflicting decisions at both clubs this summer are beginning to demand scrutiny.
Saturday, October 10 at 5:00 p.m
It starts at 17:30
Man Utd are yet to break the £100m mark for a player
Manchester United have refused to follow the modern Premier League trend of adding £100m to a statement signing, but this is not understood to reflect a reluctance to spend. Rather, it reflects the club’s approach to squad restructuring.
as Sky Sports News’ Dan Khan explains that the £100m figure itself can be misleading.
“I actually think it’s unnecessary to use £100m. If you look at the valuation, Paul Pogba, if you bought him now from Juventus like United, it would probably be more than £100m.
“The question is, can Man Utd spend on Elliot Anderson? It’s not necessarily the number, but more about whether they are in the market for these top midfielders.
United’s priority this summer has been midfield, with three additions needed rather than a marquee arrival. Therefore, Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba paid most of the expenses.
A left-back was also considered, with United monitoring Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall, but neither was realistically available. Instead, the club doubled down in midfield, with the expectation that the left-back would be approached next summer.
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Sky Sports News’ Manchester United correspondent Danyal Khan joins Stretford Paddock’s Adam McColl to discuss whether the club still has power in the transfer market.
United also needs to improve its sales force. “Their biggest sales were Toby Collyer and Radek Vitek, who hadn’t played at the top level,” says Khan.
“I don’t think there’s any reluctance to spend big, talking to people in and around the club. But it was clear that this summer they had to increase the squad to compete in different competitions.”
The result is a deliberate preference for squad depth rather than a blockbuster signing. Whether this is strategic patience or an incomplete rebuild will depend heavily on the results.
Why shouldn’t the pressure just be on Carrick?
Carrick is the man on the touchline, but at United the chain of custody will begin to move up.
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Sky Sports’ William Bitibiri and Callum Bishop discuss whether Michael Carrick’s job will come under pressure if Man Utd lose to Spurs
For Khan, the focus will be on director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada, who has been tasked with managing the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era.
“There’s going to be a big microscope on Wilcox and Berrada, especially because they’re relying on them to carry this Ratcliffe era forward. They took a while to appoint Ruben Amorim. It’s fair to say they gave him a lot of time.”
This management history is significant. Under the current regime, United have switched from Erik ten Hag to Amorim to Carrick, but Khan does not expect another sudden change.
“Talking about Carrick, I wouldn’t imagine there would be any sudden decisions about his future. First of all, they decided to give Ten Haag a new contract. Then they went to Amorim, then they went to Carrick.”
However, this does not mean that the hierarchy is out of control.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad decision. However, when the slogan is ‘going for best in class and we’re doing everything data-driven’, I can’t imagine Ratcliffe is very happy with the results and performances right now.”
Sherwood is unfazed by Spurs’ new signings
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In a special Spurs Sky Sports podcast, former manager Tim Sherwood questions the club’s recent signings.
Despite spending twice as much on transfers as Man Utd, Spurs have made their worst start to a Premier League season after five games.
They head to Old Trafford still looking for their first league win of the season and their dismal start has already raised questions about their summer spending spree.
He specifically asked Sky Sports Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood revealed on a podcast whether he was impressed by any of the 10 new recruits: “No, nobody,” he insisted. “I can’t say anyone impressed me and anyone would have done better than anyone who was there last season.
“They’ve underachieved, they really have. We always judge by results, so I don’t look at any individual player and think, ‘well, you’re taking some credit here’ because the team is losing and I’m not sure there were any standout performers.”
Spurs’ lack of signing success prior to this summer has Sherwood worried about the latest recruits.
“Probably, the transfer record of “Tottenham” has not been fantastic in the last four or five years.
“It’s been a long time since they’ve made a decent signing. Now I’m not saying they’ve made a poor signing, I’m saying they haven’t done it yet and there’s still plenty of time to get some confidence and show what they’re really capable of.
“We’ve seen them fit and start and have little cameos for other teams, but it’s a different kettle of fish for Tottenham.”
“De Zerbi does not know his best team”
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Tim Sherwood and Michael Bridge believe Roberto De Zerbi is not under pressure despite their poor start to the season.
De Zerby has more options at his disposal following the summer arrivals, but this appears to have led to indecision over his best starting line-up.
The Italian footballer has made the most changes in the main squad in the Premier League this season (13).
Sherwood said: “If you were a Man Utd fan and Bruno Fernandes wasn’t there, you’d be devastated.
“But I’m not sure any Tottenham fans will be disappointed if any of their players are missing because I’m not sure the manager knows his best team at the moment.
“The fans certainly don’t want to, and you’re asking me, and I’m not!”
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In a special Sky Sports podcast, Tim Sherwood and Michael Bridge believe there is a lack of leadership in the Spurs side.
Sky Sports News’ Tottenham reporter Michael Bridge believes the squad is still short in two areas despite the big summer spending spree.
He said special Sky Sports Spurs podcast: “I think they need a striker – a de facto No 9 – but how many are there?
“It doesn’t help that Will Lancashire is scoring every week at Middlesbrough because he looks like an old-fashioned centre-forward and he’s young and English. That’s my concern.
“I’m also not 100 percent sure that Antonin Kinsky will be Tottenham’s number 1 for years to come.
“He’s done an incredible job with his saves to keep the club in the Premier League. However, I’m still not sure if he’s a No.1.
“If you’ve spent that much money and you still need a goalkeeper and a number 9 for me, then there’s still a way to go.”
Watch Man Utd v Tottenham live on Sky Sports from 5pm on Saturday; start at 17.30.