Manchester United’s second signing of the summer transfer window is set to arrive after a long and drawn-out saga, which means there’s enough contrast to see in the Ineos and Glazer approach.
It is notable that even when the all-important third bid went in, Man Utd fans were piling on Ineos for their approach to the Bryan Mbeumo deal.
Ultimately, a key detail in the deal made it make sense as to why the delay was so long, but the overall fee and the handling still left some questions.
Rio Ferdinand, for one, has no doubt that Ineos did something during Mbeumo talks that the Glazers wouldn’t have.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty ImagesRio Ferdinand on Ineos vs Glazers with Bryan Mbeumo
The Glazers have played an absolute blinder by making bank on selling United’s minority shares, and letting Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. take all the criticism away from them.
They are still the majority owners, and any success, driven purely by Ineos’ decisions at this point, will benefit them the most.
Which is why their severe mishandling of the club is so hard to decipher, since they were going to be the biggest beneficiaries if United did well.
In Rio Ferdinand’s eyes, nowhere is that contrast to the approaches taken by Ineos and the Glazers more apparent than in the deal for Mbeumo.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said that despite questions over this deal, the Glazers wouldn’t have stuck to their guns.
In the urgency to do a deal quickly, they would have left United in a financial hole.
He said: “I think Man Utd in past years would have buckled and given Brentford exactly what they wanted. This one, they didn’t. They stood firm and waited.
“The old regime would have buckled, paid over the odds like we have for numerous other players over the years. It was near the price United wanted to pay instead of what Brentford were demanding.”
Ineos did Mbeumo deal on Man Utd’s terms
It is easy to look at the overall fee and come to the conclusion that Ineos waited for more than a month and gave Brentford what they wanted anyway.
However, the devil is in the details, and that’s where Ferdinand’s belief comes that United have done this deal on their terms.
Paying the fixed fee for Mbeumo in four instalments leaves a lot of room to bring another player in without needing sales to fund it.
Furthermore, Brentford wanted easy add-ons, and while the nature of those hasn’t been accurately reported yet, there have been suggestions that it is team-related more than individual performance.
It is unlikely that Man Utd fans turn their back on this deal due to the delay if it allows them not to be hostage to the unwanted players’ sales to keep active in the market.
Ineos have enough fan credit in the transfer window to be given that much trust.