As Erik ten Hag sat down for his news conference at Manchester United‘s Carrington training ground on Wednesday afternoon, he told reporters he wasn’t in a position to talk much about prospective new €95 million signing Antony until the paperwork was completed.
His smile, though, said everything. By that point, he already knew he had his man and that his personal battle to get the deal over the line was won.
It has been a largely positive summer window for Man United, and their new manager is the big winner. The club have never spent more — upward of £225 million (€261m) — in a single summer and, crucially, Ten Hag has been backed to bring in his players.
Antony (officially announced on Friday) and Lisandro Martinez were part of Ten Hag’s squad at Ajax Amsterdam. Defender Tyrell Malacia was a player he knew all about from his time at rivals Feyenoord, while Christian Eriksen was invited to train with Ajax last season as he continued his recovery from a heart condition.
Throw in five-time Champions League winning midfielder Casemiro (signed from Real Madrid for €70m) and experienced goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on loan from Newcastle United, it’s little wonder Ten Hag is a happy man.
“I analysed the squad with a clear vision, but we were on [the same page] from the first talks I had with the club,” he said on Wednesday. “They also saw the same, which positions we definitely had to strengthen. I am happy in those positions, we analysed the squad and succeeded in filling in with quality players.”
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Ten Hag has got almost everything he wanted this summer, but it has also been a window (also dominated by the saga of Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately staying put) that has, at times, appeared haphazard and reflected what has been a struggle for authority behind the scenes.
In the end, United have signed more players and spent more money than they originally planned, and much of that has been down to Ten Hag’s own persistence. Sources have told ESPN that, more than once, the club were keen to walk away from negotiations with Ajax regarding Antony. The Brazil winger was a player identified as a possible target as early as March, but Ajax’s valuation of more than €80m made the deal problematic from the start.
It was agreed that other attacking options would be considered with Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram put forward by the recruitment department, and PSV’s Cody Gakpo, who shares an agency with Ten Hag, proposed by the manager.
Deals for each were discussed internally, but Ten Hag insisted Antony was still the best fit and implored the club to go back to the negotiating table. By that point Ajax felt emboldened to ask for more — in part to cover solidarity payments owed to Antony’s former clubs — having already raised more than €116m in outgoings. United saw an €80m bid rejected and when an improved €90m offer was also turned down, recruitment chiefs wanted to end negotiations.
