Man United’s former head of football negotiations, Tom Keane, has lifted the lid on the club’s record-breaking 2022 summer transfer window — revealing that a year’s worth of planning was crammed into just 16 weeks.
The club spent £225m bringing in Antony (£86m), Casemiro (£70m), Lisandro Martinez (£57m), Tyrell Malacia (£13m), Christian Eriksen (free) and Martin Dubravka (loan).
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe complained in March that some of the players he inherited when taking partial control of the club last year were ‘not good enough’ and ‘overpaid’.
The 72-year-old, whose Ineos company are now responsible for Man United’s football operations, has spoken of the club’s financial difficulties. Sir Jim has overseen a series of unpopular cost-cutting moves including denying staff free tickets for this month’s Europa League final against Tottenham.
And now Keane, who was only at Man United on a temporary basis for six months, has explained what went on during then-manager Erik ten Hag’s first window at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag did not start work at Old Trafford until the 2021/22 season had finished in late May. That meant Man United were unable to put long-term plans in place for the summer transfer window having been under the temporary stewardship of Ralf Rangnick since November.
Tom Keane opens up about Man United’s record-breaking transfer window in an interview
Brazil midfielder Casemiro signed from Real Madrid for £70m on a bumper four-year deal
£86m flop Antony was sent on loan to Real Betis after just 12 goals in 96 games at Old Trafford
‘There were a couple of challenges. One of the biggest was everyone was new,’ Keane, the brother of former Reds youngsters Michael and Will, told The Overlap.
‘I’d just walked through the door, the manager came in in May, John Murtough had been at the club a while but had just become football director, Richard Arnold had just become CEO and there was a new head of data.
‘The way it would normally work is the transfer window shuts and in September they start planning for the following summer.
‘What happened for us that summer, I think because of circumstances, the work started in May.
‘It felt like we did a year’s work in 12 to 16 weeks.
‘I literally lived at the training ground and I didn’t see my family, which was fine as I knew what I was getting myself into and it was part of the experience.
‘The budget side of it, the finance department had oversight of everything that was going on to ensure the club was remaining compliant with its PSR obligations.
‘In terms of negotiations, the process was really detailed and it had to be.
Lisandro Martinez, out with an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury, was also bought in 2022
‘Big sums of money, so the stakes are high and with football players you are signing humans.
‘You can’t guarantee anything and all the work is trying to minimise risk. You’re trying to improve the chances of the signing being a success.’
All those involved in that transfer window including Ten Hag, Murtough and Arnold have since left the club.
Sir Jim has built his own team that includes CEO Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox.
