Jose Mourinho And Ed Woodward Disagree Over £40m January Signing
Reuters / Lee Smith
Jose Mourinho hasn’t been enjoying the fondest of rapport with his bosses. The higher-ups at Manchester United effectively botched up his summer transfer window, refusing to meet valuations of key players that the Portuguese gaffer wished to bring in.
The area where their summer stinginess arguably did the biggest damage is that of central defence.
The lack of a leader and a working combination in the heart of their defence is highly apparent when one sees the goals they’ve conceded so far this campaign and the numerous combinations that Mourinho has attempted to field.
The likes of Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire were the biggest names whose prices put Ed Woodward off. One would have thought that such a mistake wouldn’t be repeated in the winter, but things don’t look too positive.
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As per numerous reports including The Sun and Times, Mourinho and Woodward may already have a disagreement over a defensive arrival.
The Red Devils are reportedly interested in bringing in Nikola Milenković this winter, with Mourinho personally scouting the 21-year-old Serb this past international break.
United are allegedly willing to pay only as high as £30 million for the youngster, while Fiorentina valuation is in the range of £40 million. Interestingly, the side is refusing to enter negotiations unless their price is agreed upon by the Mancunians.
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However, Woodward and company do not agree with the price that the Italian side is demanding for the centre-back, and that may cause further sparks to fly between him and Mourinho.
The reports add that uncertainty over Milenkovic’s experience, coupled with his relatively young age, is the point of doubt that the board has with this particular investment.
Old Trafford did welcome 19-year-old youngster Diogo Dalot earlier this summer, and it is easy to see why the board may have their reservations. However, a good chunk of fans are clearly on Mourinho’s side, as they staunchly believe that Woodward’s transfer failures are to blame for the club’s woes.
