Manchester United spent more than £200m on new signings last summer, but Senne Lammens, despite being the cheapest one, might end up as the most successful one.
The decision between Emi Martinez and Senne Lammens went to deadline day, but Man Utd ultimately chose the option with more upside.
Lammens had to wait for a debut, but after four games for the club, he’s still undefeated at the club, and Jason Wilcox is getting a lot of plaudits for trusting him.
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Wilcox has now given those flowers to a completely unheralded name, who was ‘relentless’ in his pursuit of Lammens for a long time before Wilcox eventually signed off on it.
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty ImagesJason Wilcox shares inside story of Senne Lammens’ transfer
Senne Lammens was linked to United much before the transfer window began, so when Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana started dropping clangers weekly, his name was bound to come up.
What was unexpected was how quickly Emi Martinez seemed to take over from him as the chief target.
Amorim wanted Martinez because of his Premier League-readiness and experience, but he’s probably glad with Lammens now.
Wilcox, speaking on MUTV’s Inside Carrington podcast, said that Lammens had been on his radar for more than a year, courtesy of a certain Tony Coton.
He said: “Tony Coton [scout] was putting Senne [Lammens] on my radar 12 months ago, and he was relentless with it. This guy is going to be a top signing for us, and he has started well, but he has got to keep it going. He is very reflective, and he is very professional with his approach.
“We were always looking at goalkeepers who have huge potential. Senne was available and we decided to move, but it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction.”
Who is Tony Coton
Tony Coton is a goalkeeping scout for Man Utd, which, as the job name suggests, tasks him with finding the next big thing in the goalkeeper’s market.
Coton is one of the few players who moved from Man City to Man Utd, joining as Peter Schmeichel’s backup in 1996.
The backup role meant he never played for the club, joining Sunderland just six months later in the summer.
His playing career ended after a brutal injury at Sunderland, and he joined Man Utd as a goalkeeping coach in 1997, a role he would hold for the next decade.
After some recruitment roles upon leaving Man Utd, he re-joined the club in 2020, this time as a goalkeeping scout, a role he has held to this day.
Lammens’ signing might end up as the biggest feather in his cap, because before him, United signed Onana and Bayindir, both under his watch.
Third time is looking like the charm for Coton at Old Trafford!