New chief executive Richard Arnold is to review Manchester United’s transfer policy amid a widespread feeling at Old Trafford that the club mishandled last month’s window.
United failed to react by entering the market after losing Mason Greenwood for the foreseeable future on January 30 after the 20-year-old was arrested and questioned by police over alleged rape and assault.
As a result, Jesse Lingard was denied a loan move, which triggered a public spat with interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
United’s long-term policy is to avoid signing any players in January on the grounds that mid-season arrivals are poor value for money. But just a few days into the job, Arnold is questioning whether that approach is viable.
Alexis Sanchez and Bruno Fernandes are only the major signings United have made during the season in the last eight years, although reserve goalkeeper Victor Valdes and youngster Amad Diallo were also recruited in January.
With United hamstrung by a rigid policy dictated by Joel Glazer, Liverpool and City both showed the value of being more flexible in moving to sign Luis Diaz and Julian Alvarez respectively on deadline day, as they feared they would no longer be available in the summer.
Arnold only replaced Ed Woodward on February 1.
FA hopes to convince Government to back Euro 2028 tender
The FA have work to do to persuade the Government to back the home nations’ tender to host Euro 2028 as many influential figures in Whitehall are unhappy with them for reneging on an agreement to bid for the 2030 World Cup.
Boris Johnson went public with his support for the World Cup bid last March, but 11 months later it was scrapped.
The FA were convinced by UEFA that they would not gain the support of their 55 national associations, never mind win the subsequent vote of all 208 FIFA members.
Government support was conspicuous by its absence at the bid launch last week, with political opinion divided about how far they should now go in endorsing the Euro 2028 campaign.
The domestic FAs are also concerned about whether the Government will honour their commitment to provide £550million over 10 years in grassroots funding that was linked to the World Cup bid.
Around £205m of that fund has already been delivered but the rest is not guaranteed.
Spurs push NFL for a partner
Tottenham are marketing their stadium as the ‘Home of NFL in Europe’ in their search for a naming rights partner, suggesting they are targeting American companies.
Amazon and Nike have been linked to sponsoring the stadium, but a deal remains elusive three years after it opened — with chairman Daniel Levy holding out for a long-term agreement worth around £20million a year.
Spurs have made NFL central to the stadium and already host two matches a year, with Sportsmail revealing they are preparing an ambitious bid to stage the Super Bowl, which would boost the club’s global profile hugely.
Spurs are determined to avoid being bounced into a quick deal due to Levy’s belief that the club’s first naming-rights agreement will be the most lucrative.
PFA yet to distance itself from Mason Greenwood
The PFA appear to be the only organisation in sport yet to distance themselves from Mason Greenwood, who has been dropped by sponsors Nike and suspended by Manchester United following his arrest.
The 20-year-old will not face action from the players’ union and remains a member, although the PFA have had no active involvement in the case and he is paying his own legal fees.
Clubs happy with FA's Debbie Hewitt
New FA chair Debbie Hewitt made a good impression on the Premier League clubs when she attended her first shareholders’ meeting this week by endorsing their strong opposition to the creation of an independent regulator, which was recommended by Tracey Crouch’s fan-led review.
The Government have yet to confirm they will support Crouch’s recommendations and provide parliamentary time to introduce the necessary legislation.