Manchester United went into the summer in desperate need of a squad overhaul following their record-low Premier League finish last season.
The main area that needed improvement was the attack, with players like Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund being pushed out of the club. The deals to sign Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko seemed like the easiest ones that the club completed in the summer, as they were both completed in a matter of days.
However, not every deal was as smooth. United spent a significant portion of the transfer window locked in transfer negotiations with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo. They also appeared to have a protracted back and forth with Brighton about the signing of Carlos Baleba, but that deal did not materialise due to the south coast club’s reluctance to drop their asking price below the £100 million mark.
With limited time left in the transfer window, United still wanted a goalkeeper and a midfielder, with only the former being recruited in time. A former Arsenal star who played a significant role in the goalkeeper signing has now shared how the deal unfolded and how his club acted differently to Brentford and Brighton.
How the Lammens deal unfolded
The last signing that United managed to complete in the summer was that of Royal Antwerp keeper Senne Lammens. The 23-year-old cost United just over £18 million on deadline day.
One of the key figures at Royal Antwerp is Director of Football Marc Overmars, who spent three seasons playing for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Reports from the Netherlands via Sports Witness have seen Overmars share that Antwerp’s approach to transfers is a more amicable one than United would have experienced dealing with some of the Premier League teams.
“When Manchester United wanted Senne Lammens, we said: ‘Listen, we’re not Brighton or Brentford, with whom you have to negotiate for weeks.’ With us, things have to move quickly.”
Going into deadline day, it seemed certain that United would sign a keeper, but it was unclear whether that would be Lammens or Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.
If Martinez were to join United, then Villa would have signed Lammens instead, but as the day progressed, it became clear that United favoured the younger of the two and actually had an offer accepted lower than Villa’s, hijacking a transfer in the process.
“With Manchester United, we started as losers on deadline day. We had a deal with Aston Villa, but Martínez still had to leave, and Senne didn’t want to go there. Only then did Man United make their first offer. Lower than Aston Villa. Four hours later, we finally reached an agreement.”
Man Utd's plan for Lammens
Lammens is yet to make his debut for United, with Altay Bayindir currently retaining the number one spot. However, with Andre Onana’s departure to Trabzonspor, it looks likely that Lammens will be given a chance between the sticks this season.
One reason why Lammens may not have started yet is that the first games he was eligible for were against Manchester City and Chelsea, which could have been daunting opening games. United’s next games are against Brentford and Sunderland, and despite strong starts to the season, they were both teams in the relegation conversation and are the perfect opportunity for Lammens to find his feet.
It’s hard to argue that even with his Premier League experience, Martinez would have walked straight into the first team, as he has only featured twice this season, with Unai Emery opting for Marco Bizot in goal on a number of occasions.
Only time will tell whether or not United came to the correct decision on deadline day, but with Lammens being the younger player by 10 years, he does look like the better option in the long term.