Manchester United poised to make panic buy to fix defensive issues
Manchester United’s desperation to solve their defensive crisis is about to cost them a lot of money. The club are poised to overpay for James Tarkowski.
James Tarkowski has the potential to be a quality Premier League centre back, but Manchester United should be setting their sights on better players. The idea of paying £50 million for the Burnley star should be laughed at by officials at Old Trafford.
Unfortunately for fans of the Premier League club, that’s not the reality at United. Instead, the club seem poised to pay at least that much for the Burnley defender. According to The Athletic, United are prepared to make a move for the English centre back in the coming days.
At best, Tarkowski is a short-term solution for a side that has serious defensive issues. Harry Maguire is struggling mightily to hold down the backline for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. Tarkowski should be able to come in and provide some stability.
The problem is that he just doesn’t have the talent to be anything more than a good player. He’s not the sort of transfer target that’s going to help Manchester United close the gap on sides ahead of them in the Premier League table. He looks to be a band-aid for a defence that’s in need of more serious surgery.
If Tarkowski were available for £25 million this could be seen as a solid move for a homegrown player that can provide depth for years to come. Correctly, Burnley understand they hold all the cards in these transfer negotiations. They know United are desperate to upgrade their defence immediately and Tarkowski is one of the only players who can make that happen. Credit the Championship club for working to leverage their most valuable asset to the hilt.
Next. United show they've given up on Jadon Sancho. dark
In the end, United will likely clinch this transfer and celebrate it as an example of the club’s commitment to building on an English spine. More savvy club supporters will see this move for what it actually is: a panic buy designed to paper over the holes in the club’s poorly constructed starting XI.