Goldbridge: Man Utd Transfer Window “A Joke” | OneFootball

Man Utd’s Chaotic Transfer Window Raises Questions for Amorim

Stalled Exits Complicating United’s Summer Business

Manchester United’s summer transfer window has once again opened under a cloud of uncertainty, with multiple high-profile departures stalling and serious doubts emerging over the club’s ability to reshape the squad ahead of the new season. In a segment shared by Mark Goldbridge, questions were raised over both the funding for incoming deals and the operational planning around new head coach Rúben Amorim’s first pre-season.

“Casemiro staying, Sancho won’t lower his wages, Rashford won’t humble himself and join a smaller club than Barcelona and Garnacho to Napoli links have gone quiet and he’s walking around in a Villa shirt,” said Goldbridge, reading from a post on social media. “Also no noise on Rasmus or Onana. I ask again, where is the money coming from to sign more players and how the bloody hell is Amorim going to get a preseason and be ready for the start of the season?”

While the rhetoric might be characteristically blunt, the underlying point is valid: United are struggling to clear the decks. Jadon Sancho’s refusal to compromise on wages and Marcus Rashford’s apparent insistence on a move to a club of Barcelona’s stature are just two examples. There’s been no concrete movement around André Onana or Rasmus Højlund either, while Alejandro Garnacho has been spotted in an Aston Villa shirt amid silence around any formal bid.

Unmoved Assets Threaten Fresh Start

The challenge for United lies not in scouting new players but in offloading existing ones. “Deals can be done. Goalkeepers can be bought. Strikers, midfielders, centre-backs – there are players available all over the place. The problem is the money,” Goldbridge added. United are interested in fresh targets – including Richard Rios, reportedly available from Palmeiras for £20 million – but without exits, there is limited financial manoeuvrability.

Even at Sporting Lisbon, Gonçalo Inácio and Ousmane Diomande are understood to be available for under £40 million each. Yet the club remains handcuffed by players on high wages and long-term deals who appear unwilling to leave.

Rúben Amorim’s Dilemma Exposed

Goldbridge used a vivid analogy to sum up Amorim’s predicament: “If Amorim knew all that, he can’t complain. But if he’s been dating the person he thought was going to be amazing and then they open the bathroom door and they walk into that – I feel sorry for him.”

United’s long-standing pattern of hyping a “rebuild” without executing significant squad turnover appears to be repeating. Amorim, who arrived with high expectations, may not have been given full clarity on the challenges he would inherit. If so, this becomes less a case of naivety and more one of miscommunication at boardroom level.

“United have lied to him,” Goldbridge claimed. “I think they’ve said in the summer, ‘We’re going to get rid of all these players and then we’ll bring you all these players in.’ And now they’re going, ‘We can’t get rid of them.’”

Lack of Transfer Momentum Could Derail Pre-Season

The consequence is that United’s summer planning is at risk of repeating familiar failings. There is little room for new arrivals, limited time for tactical bedding-in, and little clarity for supporters.

As Goldbridge noted, “I don’t know how he’s going to build a Man United with what he’s being given.” With just weeks until the start of the Premier League campaign, the club is scrambling to strike a balance between financial fair play and tactical renewal.

Whether Amorim was fully aware of the restrictions before accepting the job remains unclear. What is evident, however, is that the current lack of transfer activity is leaving United’s pre-season efforts hanging by a thread.