Manchester United executives criticised Jose Mourinho’s transfer policy at a London dinner party last week, according to reports.
Spanish publication El Pais write that United board members were in London for the Premier League television rights auction. During their time in the capital, they allegedly admitted to colleagues that Mourinho has turned their financial model upside-down.
They took particular issue in the signing of Sanchez, for three reasons:
Firstly, in six month’s time they could’ve picked up the Chilean for free. El Pais claim Mourinho refused to postpone the signing because he wanted to get one over on Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. So instead, United gave away Henrikh Mkhitaryan to complete the transfer.
Secondly, Sanchez’s considerable pay check broke the club’s wage structure. We’ve already seen the apparent effect of that on other United players, as they want their wages similarly increased. Also, the pay rise was reportedly too large to be sustainable if the club want to keep making profits.
Finally, the executives reportedly think Sanchez is too old to spend so much money on. The former Gunner is 29 years old, and he’ll turn 30 before the end of the year. If he doesn’t make an immediate impact then there’s a big risk he could drop in form or suffer injuries before he has the chance to prove his worth.
I don’t know about any of you, but I’m quite enjoying being on this side of the latest Sanchez saga. It’s certainly better than being at the mercy of his form and on-pitch tantrums on a weekly basis. Long may it continue.