Ten Hag drops major Man Utd takeover claim as owners prepare £434m ‘market assault’
Erik ten Hag thinks he will able to acquire his top Man Utd targets even if the Premier League giants do not head into next season with new owners.
The Red Devils have been up for sale since last November. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim are battling to become the club’s new majority stakeholder.
There have been three rounds of bidding for Man Utd over the past six months and it has been claimed that the takeover process ‘could yet go on for months’.
Ten Hag is keen to overhaul his squad this summer and it remains to be seen how much money he will be given for new signings.
It was reported last week that Man Utd will spend big money in the summer transfer window even if a takeover fails to go through. The biggest ‘market assault’ in history is apparently being plotted as they hope to recruit five players for £434m.
Ten Hag has now indicated that Man Utd will be able to press ahead with their recruitment even if their takeover is delayed further.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing and that’s our job,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports News.
“This season that has to be our energy and the focus, but of course we are also planning for the future, for next season and that’s what we have to do. And that is also talking with your scouting department, recruitment responsibilities, and talking with players of course.”
When asked if Man Utd will be able to sign main targets even if there is no change in their ownership situation, he added: “I think so. I came in here [at the end of] last season and we talked about what can we do in the squad, what can we do in transfers.
“And last year, the club confirmed they can do. So, for me, I don’t think anything changed and yeah, in this summer period we can do the same.”
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Ten Hag has also indicated that Chelsea’s current woes prove that money is not the answer if you do not spend wisely.
“In this moment a centralisation of good players, of the best managers, also the money is all here in the UK, that makes a great competition but also a tough and a hard competition,” Ten Hag said.
“You have to do the right things, you can have money but you have to do it and spend it in a smart way and you need to have a strategy behind it, otherwise the money doesn’t work.”
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