If it quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck, you can be fairly sure it is a duck. Likewise, if managers such as Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim appear to be under pressure ahead of the new season, it’s because they are.
Arteta more so of the two. For one thing, he’s in his position longer. And for another, Arsenal are, rightly, considered genuine Premier League contenders, whereas, anyone analysing the situation objectively or realistically must conclude that Manchester United are well away from where Arsenal are in terms of being genuine league contenders.
Now, in fairness, Amorim has gone about doing the remedial work required with the squad with the acquisition of Cunha from Wolves, but both are still seriously in need of bolstering their striker resources.
Ironically, it would appear that in attempting to do so, the two clubs are coveting the same solution, in Noni Madeuke from Chelsea. Who, it can assumed, was considered surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge owing to the arrival of Jao Pedro from Brighton. The latter certainly didn’t waste any time in underlining the value of the investment in him when scoring a brace on his debut in the Club World Cup semi final.
Whatever about Arsenal though, Manchester United still appear to be a mangled mess when it comes to transfers at the moment. They don’t want Marcus Rashford or Jadon Sancho back and it appears now that nobody else wants them either. Yet the contradiction to all that is that United are desperately in need of further firepower up front.
Personally, I actually am a fan of Rasmus Hoijlund and I think a lot of the problems the lad has experienced in his United career to date have more to do with the paucity of the supporting cast around him than himself.
That said, all of the above conjecture doesn’t escape the fact that the biggest problems facing Amorim et al are actually revolving around issues regarding the goalkeeping position and central defence. Put simply, Andre Onana needs to be replaced and, even with Lisandro Martinez, hopefully, back fit, with the greatest of respect to Harry Maguire, if you also include Matijas De Ligt, are three centre halves enough to get United through an entire season and allow them to be competitive therein.
If the rumour mill which envelopes the transfer window is anything to go by, Emmi Martinez appears to be replacement of choice for Cameroon international Onana but, as is always the case with United when there’s a transfer window either afoot or in progress, how much of the conjecture linking them to x, y and z is genuine and how much of it is bluff.
On the other hand, the stock of Steady Eddie Howe continues to rise in the football world. Not only did he guide his Newcastle United charges to a first trophy in decades last spring but he appears to have bolstered his forces, firstly by holding onto the likes of Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, but also with the acquisition of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest.
All told, and also if you include players of the ilk Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon and Dan Burn and the inclination is to believe there’s no reason why The Magpies shouldn’t do as well as was the case last season at the very least.
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