Former Manchester United defender and club legend Jaap Stam has taken issue with a part of Erik ten Hag’s transfer policy that cost the club as much as £387 million.
Under previous manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United signed 11 players out of the 21 he brought in who either hailed from the Netherlands or had experience playing there, with the £85 million signing of Antony proving to be one of the worst deals agreed.
Both Antony and Ten Hag’s first acquisition, Tyrell Malacia, were loaned out during the January transfer window. Ten Hag’s strong preference for Dutch-trained players received heavy criticism from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in recent media interviews.
Across Ten Hag’s three summer transfer windows at the club, United committed around £386.7 million to signing these 11 players, with £337.05 million in initial fees and a further £49.75 million in agreed add-ons.
Beyond Antony and Malacia, United also signed Ten Hag’s former players, Lisandro Martínez, André Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, and Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax. Meanwhile, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat, and Christian Eriksen all have experience playing in the Eredivisie.
Furthermore, United brought in Dutch forwards Wout Weghorst and Joshua Zirkzee, with the former arriving on a six-month loan transfer in January 2023 and the latter joining from Serie A side Bologna in a deal worth £36.5 million.
Jaap Stam on United’s transfer strategy
Jaap Stam joined United in 1998 for a then-record £10.75 million from PSV Eindhoven, becoming the fourth Dutchman to play for the club. Speaking via the Manchester Evening News, the Dutchman explained he believes that United took a “risk” with Ten Hag’s Dutch-influenced strategy.
“I wouldn’t call it a mistake, but it’s definitely a gamble,” Stam said. “Moving from Holland to the Premier League is a big step for a manager, and hopefully Ten Hag understood the quality he’d be facing.
“Bringing in players from the Dutch league, where the level of competition is not as high as the Premier League, is always a risk. These players need time to adapt to the league, to the intensity of English football, and to the quality of the opposition.
“A lot of players struggle with that transition. And when you’re signing them for significant sums of money, expectations are naturally high. If they don’t meet those expectations, the pressure and criticism mount quickly for the players and the manager.
“So I wouldn’t say it was a good choice to bring in so many players from Holland. Scouting and recruitment need to be precise. You have to be absolutely certain that the players you bring in can make a difference. If there’s any doubt, it’s probably best to look elsewhere.”
Stam is confident of De Ligt’s future success
Although the transfer strategy was and continues to be widely criticised, there have been some success stories. Mazraoui, Zirkzee, and Martínez have become fan favourites at Old Trafford, while Stam has expressed confidence that De Ligt can become a leader at United.
“When De Ligt was at Ajax, he was very young when he broke into the first team,” Stam continued. “They played a familiar 4-3-3 system that he knew well from the Ajax academy. Playing in the Netherlands is also easier because the overall quality of the opposition isn’t as strong. That period was a great learning curve for him during his early years.
“But moving to a different league, especially one as tactical and defensive as Italy, requires adaptation. The style of defending and the type of players around him were different, so naturally, expectations rose, and with that came some criticism.
“Despite that, he played quite a few games in Italy and then later at Bayern as well. Sometimes the manager made different choices, playing [Dayot] Upamecano over him at the back, but that’s part of football.
“He’s no longer a young talent. You can’t call him that anymore. He needs to be established and performing consistently. Coming to United, he needed time to adjust to the Premier League and the quality of the opposition. But I think he’s been doing a decent job.
“You can see he’s becoming more comfortable, especially playing in a back three. He’s defending well, making good tackles, and his ability on the ball is solid. His confidence is growing and I think he’s proving himself to be a good defender for United.”
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