Manchester United: Fergie gambles and rages against the dying of the light

Manchester United usually approach the summer transfer window in a very sensible manner. With a couple of key targets (one of which is usually a Tottenham player) to buy, whilst a bunch of academy players are sold off for a few million and a couple of senior players are moved on. United like to do business before pre-season training starts - even if it means paying a couple of million extra - but usually whichever Spurs player is being targeted tends not to arrive before August is nearly, if not actually over.

This is a sensible approach to maintain high standards, but in summer 2009 Sir Alex Ferguson has gambled heavily and dismantled an attack that has won the last three Premier League titles and has fired the team to consecutive Champions' league finals. Anyone who thinks that Ferguson has been sated by eleven Premier League and two European Cup titles can think again, this is Ferguson gambling as though his reputation depended on it.

This summer has had three main strands.

Firstly the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m and the non-purchase of Carlos Tevez (for £25.5m) suggests that United has around £100m to spend and given the new-found appetite, in Madrid, for over-paying for every good player there is almost no-one left who will cut deeply into that budget. Only Franck Ribery remains who United may conceivably break the British transfer record to buy; Samuel Eto'o (who seems a bit delicate for the Premier League, if you ask me) is another possibility for around £25m; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would be similarly priced.

Secondly, harking back to 2007, United has done the bulk of its business quickly and with little fuss. Two summers ago, United signed Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez for around £50m at the start of the transfer window. United then made space for these players and recouped over £30m from the leisurely sale of a bunch of fringe players and academy graduates, like Gerard Pique (£6m), Giuseppe Rossi (£7m), Kieran Richardson (£5m), Gabriel Heinze (£8m), Phil Bardsley (£2m) and Alan Smith (£6m).

The coverage of United's transfers usually stops with the big money targets, but the less well reported aspect of United's activity in transfer windows is the big money gained from the superb academy. Going back six seasons to David Beckham's sale to Real Madrid, United has picked up over £60m from sales of former academy players. This £10m per season helps balance the books and means that United's spending is less than Chelsea's (and latterly Manchester City) and on a par with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham - to somewhat better effect.

The third major strand is the acquisition of wingers. Gabriel Obertan (£3m) and Antonio Valencia (£16m) can be added to the January signings of Serbians, Zoran Tosic (£11m) and Adem Ljajic (£5m). These four will compete to replace Ronaldo and quite possibly Wayne Rooney who seems likely to be switched inside; added to these four is Ji-Sung Park who is usually stationed out wide and the disappointing Nani. With so many wide men, it is unsurpising that the promising Lee Martin (£1.5m) was allowed to move to Ipswich and there would be few surprised if Nani is sold on later this summer. There remains the possibility that a £40m+ bid could be made for Franck Ribery, but that seems unlikely with so many wide men at the club.

The remaining business at Old Trafford has concerned strikers, Carlos Tevez looks likely to move down the road and is replaced by the delighted (and possibly astonished) ex-Liverpool man, Michael Owen. Owen seemed to be holding out for move to Everton or Aston Villa - probable top six sides, but the more concrete offers were coming in from the likes of Hull and Stoke. For the champions to make a move, unspurprisingly, astonished much of football. Fraizer Campbell also looks likely to move on to Hull for around £6m although no deal has been completed yet.

United may now look to bolster the defensive side of the team. Owen Hargreaves's career is on hold, Rio Ferdinand is increasingly picking up niggling injuries, Gary Neville looks close to finished, as does Edwin van Der Sar. A move for an experienced, aggressive holding midfielder would not be a surprise and even with Ben Foster extending his contract another goalkeeper cannot be ruled out.

The decisions regarding Ronaldo, Tevez and Owen are three of the biggest gambles that will be seen this summer - Ferguson has no intention of going quietly into the night.

SUMMER 2009 TO DATE

In:
Michael Owen (Newcastle) Free
Antonio Valencia (Wigan) £16m
Gabriel Obertan (Bordeaux) £3m

Out:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) £80m
Carlos Tevez (Free agent) End of loan
Lee Martin (Ipswich) £1.5m

Nett: -£62.5m