“Probably would have to say it was a big opportunity missed” – Luke Chadwick offers honest opinion on Manchester United failing to complete ‘shrewd business’ in transfer market

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick believes the club missed out on a big opportunity by not signing Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma.

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a £25m deal for Yves Bissouma. The player had a year left on his Brighton contract and attracted interest from multiple English clubs. This included Everton, Arsenal and Aston Villa but Bissouma has instead become Antonio Conte’s third summer signing.

The Italian manager has already added Fraser Forster and Ivan Perisic and has arguably bagged a bargain in the form of Yves Bissouma.

Speaking to Caught Offside, Luke Chadwick said that his signing was a piece of shrewd business from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United should have swooped in. He said:

“I watched Bissouma earlier in the season against Spurs and he was probably the best player on the pitch. He’s a brilliant midfield player, tackles well and protects the back four, and also moves the ball well."

He added:

“It’s hard to say if United will live to regret not signing him, but certainly if we come to the end of the transfer window and we haven’t managed to sort that midfield position out, you probably would have to say it was a big opportunity missed to get such a high-calibre player for that price.”

“It’s very shrewd business by Spurs, but hopefully if United didn’t make him a priority it means they’ve got their own targets in mind.”

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Manchester United to go the expensive rout in big to solve midfield crisis?

Manchester United have been linked to multiple players in the past few weeks and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has reportedly agreed to a move. With Donny van de Beek set to return and James Garner set to be promoted to the first team, the midfield is bound to undergo a transformation before the beginning of next season.

Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata have all left the club. The Red Devils will need to do a good job looking for bargains who can walk straight into the starting lineup. The team requires an influx of young, hungry players who can outwork their opponents and that is exactly the kind of skillset that Yves Bissouma brings.

The Mali international was Premier League tested but Manchester United instead looked keen to make the high-profile signings first. Their approach has not served the club well in recent years and they currently look static with respect to completing the deals they are negotiating.