Crystal Palace midfielder Michael Olise and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite are reportedly on Manchester United’s radar with Sir Jim Ratcliffe giving prominence to data in the club’s new transfer policy. Reports claimed that Manchester United, who are keen on lowering age profile of their signings, are planning to rope in Olise and Branthwaite. The report even stated that Ineos, who recently acquired a 25% stake in Manchester United, wants to end manager Erik ten Hag’s influence in the club’s transfer negotiations.
Ten Hag’s sway over transfer moves was quite visible with Manchester United signing his former Ajax footballers Antony and Andre Onana during his tenure. Moreover, many have been skeptical about Ten Hag’s decisions in the transfer market after Antony and Onana’s unimpressive series of performances at Old Trafford.
Both Michael Olise and Jarrad Branthwaite have already attracted the attention of several big clubs in the transfer market and the two players can very well make a switch in the summer. Daily Mail claimed that Olise has already been linked with top-six clubs. Branthwaite is one of Everton’s promising names Toffees have reportedly put a £100 million price tag on him, as per Daily Mail.
Manchester United had completed the signing of Brazilian international Antony for an amount of £86 million in August 2022. The big move has not paid off yet with the Brazilian winger netting nine goals in 69 matches for Manchester United. In July last year, Manchester United shelled out another £47.1 million on Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan. Onana, who boasts one of the best save percentages in Premier League, has committed some costly errors at Old Trafford.
Considering these uninfluential signings, Ineos is now understood to be focusing on a data-driven approach in the upcoming transfer window. “Data is part of the DNA at Ineos so it’s no surprise it’s going to be a big part of what they do at Manchester United,” a source was quoted as telling i.
“They really spoke Sir Dave’s [Ineos director of sport] language. There is a real natural kinship there and Ineos is very big on data so it’s a very important area for Sir Jim and Sir Dave,” a source revealed.
With 38 points from 23 games, Manchester United now find themselves at the sixth spot in the Premier League standings. They have so far claimed 12 wins in the Premier League. In their next match, Manchester United will be up against Aston Villa on Sunday, February 11.
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