NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Arsenal legend and football pundit Paul Merson has criticised Manchester United’s transfer strategy, identifying five players he believes the club’s hierarchy made mistakes signing in recent transfer windows.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Manchester United’s Champions League clash with AS Roma on Tuesday night, Merson questioned the club’s recruitment decisions, citing Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Youri Tielemans and Andre Santos as examples of what he considers poor transfer choices.
The former Arsenal midfielder argued that strengthening the attack should have been Manchester United’s top priority. However, he expressed doubts about whether the forwards recruited by the club have the goal-scoring ability needed to transform the team.
“They [Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo] are not 20-to-25-goal-a-season players,” Merson said.
He also questioned the decision to sign Santos, expressing surprise at the reported £50 million transfer fee.
“I don’t know what the club saw in Andre Santos to [justify] a £50m [transfer deal],” he remarked.
Turning his attention to Tielemans, Merson suggested that the midfielder lacks the physical support needed to perform effectively within Manchester United’s current squad.
He further criticised the club’s apparent plan to shift its attention towards strengthening the defence in the next transfer window, describing the overall recruitment approach as “madness”.
Merson’s comments highlight growing scrutiny of Manchester United’s transfer decisions, particularly regarding the club’s ability to identify players capable of addressing its long-standing weaknesses.
