Manchester United's Failings Give Added Meaning to Transfer Window

 Anthony Martial scored 23 goals for Manchester United this season but he and his fellow strikers still spurn too many chances. Photograph: Getty Images
Anthony Martial scored 23 goals for Manchester United this season but he and his fellow strikers still spurn too many chances. Photograph: Getty Images
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Manchester United's Failings Give Added Meaning to Transfer Window

 Anthony Martial scored 23 goals for Manchester United this season but he and his fellow strikers still spurn too many chances. Photograph: Getty Images
Anthony Martial scored 23 goals for Manchester United this season but he and his fellow strikers still spurn too many chances. Photograph: Getty Images

A mystery, a conundrum, a riddle, wrapped in the enigma of a third-place Premier League finish and three lost semi-finals: Manchester United at the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s first full season as manager.

Yet this is the United of the post-Alex Ferguson era. One characterization of the English champions in the seven years since he stepped away is that they have become used to mediocrity.

Having finished seventh under David Moyes in 2014, Louis van Gaal improved things slightly by ending up fourth and fifth before the high point of second place under José Mourinho in 2017-18. Solskjær took over midway through the next campaign as United ended up sixth but even this season’s third place means their average position in the table is just outside the top four.

Defeats in the semi-finals of League Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League were also a worrying trend Solskjaer will know he must address quickly. But despite the progress made during the 19-match run that helped United secure third spot, he must try to avoid United becoming akin to Mourinho’s second season at Old Trafford. The club’s recent history suggests it will not be easy.

On being sacked in December 2018 Mourinho repeated his favored line about United’s previous campaign. “I consider one of the best jobs of my career to finish second in the Premier League,” he said, before adding. “I keep saying this because people don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.”

Mourinho may have been referring to the failure of Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, and his football brains-trust to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester in the summer of 2018 or Internazionale’s Ivan Perisic a year before. Clearer is that what occurs in United’s financial department in the current window will again be a prime factor in whether Solskjær can move United on.

Against Sevilla, the contradictions of United were illuminated yet again. The Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial strike force carry menace but have a propensity to spurn chances. They did so on Sunday, as they did against FC Copenhagen in the quarter-finals, and as they did on copious other occasions in the season.

Solskjær’s plan is all-out attack. The quartet’s goal-return was 23 for Martial, 22 for Rashford, 17 for Greenwood, and 11 for Fernandes. Seventy-three in all competitions is hardly shabby and puts even more of the spotlight on a defense that ended the season in nose-dive fashion due to Maguire and Victor Lindelöf’s pedestrian pace being exposed and some dodgy positioning by them and the full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams.

The obvious answer is to strengthen. But then the Jadon Sancho situation comes into play. The problem for Solskjær is the lack of money to purchase a center-back or left-back of, say, Kalidou Koulibaly or Ben Chilwell’s quality, should the circa £100m deal for the Borussia Dortmund forward go through.

The stance at United is that the financial drain caused by the coronavirus lockdown means there is not much cash left after a marquee buy like Sancho, the corollary being that Solskjær has to somehow pull an Andy Robertson-priced bargain (who cost £8m from Hull) from the hat when buying the defender he wants.

Despite this, a glance at rivals suggests he may still be the manager with the most generous budget. Across town, Pep Guardiola has moved to shore up his creaky Manchester City rearguard with the £41m buy of Nathan Ake, while also adding forward Ferran Torres for £24.5m - a total of £65m that may only be modestly increased by further signings.

At the champions, Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp has added a left-back, Konstantinos Tsimikas, for £8.1m, and while there could be further investment this is likely to be low-end unless they can strike a deal with Bayern Munich for Thiago Alcântara. Even for Chelsea, who were fourth, Frank Lampard’s £84m splurge on center-forward Timo Werner and winger Hakim Ziyech looks to be about the limit, and thus not approaching United’s expected outlay.

There is, though, an unpalatable truth for Solskjær and United supporters: even Sancho plus a center-back will surely not elevate a squad into the rarefied air of Liverpool, whose 19th title followed becoming European champions in the previous season. A lack of depth in quality in most positions is the glaring problem, as shown by Solskjær’s refusal to make any changes against Sevilla until three minutes from time.

Afterwards his take on recruitment was telling. “It is not about marquee, we need quality, the right player, the right personality. We might look at it today and see where we need to improve.”

If this was a message to Woodward, whether he pulls off all that is required during this transfer window remains to be seen.

(The Guardian)



Alcaraz Crowned King of Queen's for Second Time

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with his trophy after winning against Jiri Lehecka of Czechia during their final match at the Queen's Club Championships tennis tournament in London, Britain, 22 June 2025.  EPA/ANDY RAIN
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with his trophy after winning against Jiri Lehecka of Czechia during their final match at the Queen's Club Championships tennis tournament in London, Britain, 22 June 2025. EPA/ANDY RAIN
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Alcaraz Crowned King of Queen's for Second Time

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with his trophy after winning against Jiri Lehecka of Czechia during their final match at the Queen's Club Championships tennis tournament in London, Britain, 22 June 2025.  EPA/ANDY RAIN
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with his trophy after winning against Jiri Lehecka of Czechia during their final match at the Queen's Club Championships tennis tournament in London, Britain, 22 June 2025. EPA/ANDY RAIN

Carlos Alcaraz clinched his second Queen's Club title as the world number two warmed up for Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 win against Jiri Lehecka in Sunday's final.

Alcaraz blasted 33 winners and 18 aces to subdue the gritty Czech world number 30 in two hours and 10 minutes in west London.

Having won titles on clay at the French Open, Rome and Monte Carlo, as well as the hard courts of Rotterdam, Alcaraz has now collected five trophies in 2025.

The 22-year-old has not lost since the Barcelona final against Holger Rune on April 20 and is enjoying the longest winning streak of his career with 18 successive victories, AFP reported.

Top seeded Alcaraz is just the second Spanish man to win Queen's twice after Feliciano Lopez, who lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2019.

"I'm happy to lift this trophy once again. It's a nightmare to play against Jiri, but it's been an incredible week," Alcaraz said.

"I came without expectations. I just wanted to play good tennis and get used to the grass.

"It's really special playing here every year. I can't wait to come back next year."

For a player raised on the clay courts of Spain, Alcaraz has developed into a formidable force on grass.

The former world number one signalled his emergence on the surface by winning Queen's in 2023.

He clinched the Wimbledon title for the first time just weeks later and defended his All England Club crown last year.

Alcaraz, who has an 11-1 career record at Queen's, will start his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title on June 30.

After his semi-final win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday, Alcaraz fired an ominous message to his Wimbledon rivals, warning that his "grass-court mode" had been activated.

And on the evidence of his relentless display against the obdurate Lehecka, he is in no mood to surrender his All England Club crown.

Playing his first tournament since his epic French Open victory against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, Alcaraz's march to the Queen's showpiece made it five consecutive finals for the Spaniard.

In contrast, Lehecka was playing in his first grass-court final after a shock win against British star Jack Draper in the last four.

The 23-year-old was the first Czech in the Queen's final since Ivan Lendl in 1990.

Lehecka had come from a set down to stun Alcaraz in the Qatar Open quarter-finals in February.

But there would be no repeat of that upset on the lawns of Barons Court.

In his second Queen's final, Alcaraz had an early chance to break in the fifth game of the first set.

Lehecka thundered down an ace to get out of trouble of that occasion.

But the five-time Grand Slam champion matched Lehecka's serve blow for blow, dropping just one point in his first four service games.

Alcaraz's piercing ground-strokes increased the pressure and Lehecka finally cracked in the the 11th game when an badly-timed double-fault gifted the first break to the Spaniard.

Alcaraz served out the set in typically ruthless fashion, but Lehecka refused to surrender without a fight.

A tight second set stayed on serve all the way through to the tie-break and, for once, Alcaraz stumbled with a key double-fault, allowing Lehecka to level the match.

Alcaraz was unfazed, breaking for a 3-1 lead in the deciding set when Lehecka netted an off-balance forehand.

Alcaraz had the finish line in sight and he wrapped up his latest title triumph with a flurry of searing winners.