Opinion: Top 4 clubs who had the worst transfer window

#1 Manchester United

Southampton FC v Manchester United - Premier League

Manchester United have been in shambles since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, and their free fall would only be compounded after another clueless and disastrous transfer window.

The club massively underperformed last season, but have added only three new players to the squad; two untested youngsters in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, while Harry Maguire was also brought in for a world-record fee.

Alexis Sanchez' time at the club has been horrendous, to say the least and not too many people would have been displeased to see him go on loan to Inter Milan. However, the Red Devils would still be paying a substantial part of his hefty wages, while the fact that Inter are not obligated to buy means that if the 30-year-old struggles at San Siro, Manchester United would find themselves in the same scenario again next year.

Beyond the Chilean and Matteo Darmian's exits, the club's other departures were very questionable. Chris Smalling was allowed to leave for AS Roma on loan, and despite not being the best of defenders, the England international was the most senior member of the current squad and has useful experience on the international scene.

The 29-year-old would have been effective as a backup option to Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, but his departure leaves United short in this regard.

Perhaps even more baffling was the decision to let Romelu Lukaku leave for Inter Milan.

The 26-year-old might have received a lot of stick for his poor first touch and heavy build, but the fact of the matter is that Lukaku is a striker, and his job is primarily to score goals, and in that regard, there are few with his track record.

He is one of only three active players to have scored over 100 Premier League goals, while he is also the all-time record goalscorer for the Belgian national team, and the fact that the highly revered Antonio Conte went all out for him in two different transfer windows at two different clubs is indicative of his quality.

Ole Gunner Solskjaer was adamant in his position that he needs a fluid and dynamic frontline which had no space for Lukaku, but the former Everton man's departure means that the goalscoring mantle has fallen upon Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood.

The quartet have hit double figures in the Premier League on just three occasions combined, compared to Lukaku who achieved this feat in each of the last seven seasons consecutively.

Within the squad, there are also underlying challenges. Paul Pogba is the club's best player, but the Frenchman has seen his commitment questioned over the years, and expressly stated his desire to leave Old Trafford during the summer.

Manchester United are thus stuck with a non-committed but talented player who does not want to be at the club, while a lot of his teammates are not up to par.

Jesse Lingard who is without a goal contribution since 2018 continues to be the go-to man in attacking midfield, and this is rather laughable for a club the size of Manchester United.

The English international's stats read for pretty grim reading; he has just 10 assists, 17 goals and 17 big chances created in 115 Premier League matches and is an average player at best who at the age of 26 does not seem to have many windows for improvement.

Manchester United had a disastrous transfer window, and it would come as no surprise when they struggle to reach their targets this season.