Ten Hag in dreamland as Man Utd sanction January transfer blitz for £100m-plus strikers
Manchester United do not intend to sack Erik ten Hag, with a report claiming the Red Devils actually plan to back the underfire Dutchman in a big way when the January transfer window opens.
Various reports including from The Times have claimed Ten Hag could be sacked as Manchester United boss. United have lost eight of their 15 matches across all competitions this season and TEAMtalk understands senior players in the dressing room are unhappy with certain decisions Ten Hag is making.
However, according to the Daily Mail, United do not believe sacking Ten Hag is the best way to steer themselves out of their current rut.
Instead, the outlet state ‘there is a willingness to improve the squad’ in January and the club ‘will target a striker’ when the window opens.
United’s current go-to man in the centre-forward position is summer signing Rasmus Hojlund. However, the Dane is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League and doubts persist as to whether chief back-up Anthony Martial is up to scratch any more.
Gary Neville was particularly vocal about the struggling Frenchman in the aftermath of United’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday night.
As such, and to help lighten the load on 20-year-old Hojlund, Man Utd are ready to open the chequebook in January and bring a more seasoned striker on board.
The benefit of such a move would obviously come in the form of giving Ten Hag more firepower up front.
However, it’s also stressed signing a more experienced frontman would ultimately work wonders for Hojlund who is very much in the infancy of his career and remains a diamond in the rough for the time being.
On the subject of who Man Utd are sizing up, three names are mentioned – Victor Osimhen, Ivan Toney and Mehdi Taremi.
Osimhen, Toney to cost £100m at least; Taremi more viable?
Osimhen and Toney are both expected to cost at least £100m if changing clubs in January. Sky Sports claimed on Wednesday night that Brentford’s valuation of Toney is £100m.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are also confirmed admirers of Toney who scored 20 league goals last season.
Toney is currently sidelined through a betting suspension, though the ban will conclude on January 16. A January transfer is therefore viable, though Brentford appear determined to hold out for top dollar.
Osimhen, meanwhile, would represent an even more expensive addition if he can be prised out of Napoli.
The Nigerian, 24, scored 26 goals in Serie A last season to help fire Napoli to their first league title since 1990.
The Mail’s report does not specify whether United are capable of buying either player without falling foul of Financial Fair Play regulations.
It may be a case of player exits being required to help free up funds. In that scenario, the futures of the likes of Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial – to name just three – would come under the microscope.
Alternatively, if Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover has been finalised ahead of the winter window, United may be able to loosen the purse strings that way.
The final option the Mail cite would be by far the cheapest to sign.
Iran international Taremi, 31, is out of contract with FC Porto at season’s end. As such, and taking his age into consideration, a cut-price January transfer looks plausible.
Taremi has scored 83 goals and provided 53 assists in 160 matches for Porto. His output has dipped somewhat this season, with just six goal contributions returned in 13 appearances.
Of the trio, it’s Taremi who looks the most gettable, though he’d unquestionably be the least sexy of the three potential signings.
In any case, the Mail conclude Ten Hag is ‘under no immediate danger of the sack’ and instead looks primed to be handed a brand new striker in two months’ time.
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