Manchester United regained the strategy of "buying familiarity but not buying rawness": Rebuilding the team, starting with signings in the Premier League

Manchester United signed forward Mattus Cunia from Wolves for £62.5 million, a transfer operation attracted widespread attention. The deal not only marks a clear change in the Red Devils' transfer strategy, but also indicates that the club is trying to return to the more pragmatic and efficient signing model in the past.

Looking back at history, during Sir Ferguson's administration with former CEO David Gill, Manchester United had a very clear principle in the transfer market: whenever possible, give priority to introducing players who have proven themselves in the Premier League. But this philosophy has been almost forgotten since the two left the club in May 2013.

In the past 11 years, in addition to loan, free transfer veterans or substitute goalkeepers, Manchester United has brought in only 10 players from Premier League teams, including Fellaini, Juan Mata, Luke Shaw, Schneiderlin, Lukaku, Matic, Sanchez, Wan Bissaka, Maguire, and recently Mount.

The proportion of Premier League signings was the lowest among the six giants, according to statistics from the Transfer Market, since the summer window of 2020, Manchester United's total spending in the transfer market has reached 778 million pounds, but only about 8% of them are used to introduce active Premier League players - this proportion is the lowest among the top six of the Premier League.

In comparison, 54% of Arsenal invested, 43% of Tottenham Hotspur, 36% of Chelsea, 31% of Manchester City, and 18% of Liverpool all spent on internal poaching in the Premier League. Although poaching people from Premier League opponents is usually expensive and the negotiations are complicated, this is also one of the important pillars of Manchester United's past success.

And when Manchester United turned to overseas signings, the effect was not satisfactory. They spent a lot of money to introduce some older stars, such as Casemiro, Varane, Schweinsteiger; there were also players from lower-competitive leagues, such as Anthony, van der Beck, and Depp (all from the Dutch League).

In addition, Manchester United pays high prices for some young players who have grown up in the league with less competitive intensity, such as Martial, Sancho and Hoylen. Although signings from the Premier League cannot guarantee 100% success - cases such as Maguire (premium), Wan Bissaka (not cost-effective), Fellaini and Schneiderlin also have problems, overall, the risk of such signings is relatively lower.

More importantly, if the target of signing has already gained a foothold in the Premier League, it is easier to recover the cost when reselling in the future. Manchester United hopes Cunha and Brentford striker Brian Mbeumo, who may be introduced next, can be the turning point for the club to return to the Premier League strategy in the transfer market.

After successfully signing Cunha, Manchester United football director Jason Wilcox said: "Cunha has proved with practical actions that he has the ability to succeed in the Premier League." This sentence clearly shows that Manchester United's current transfer strategy is changing.

This round of transfer window is also the first time that Manchester United's new management team has enough time to make systematic planning. Previously, sports director Dan Asheworth, CEO Bell Lada and scout director Vivier officially took office after the transfer window opened in July last year, resulting in insufficient preparations for signings in the summer of 2024, which ultimately affected the performance throughout the season.

Now, with more time to prepare, Manchester United is determined to make a beautiful start this summer transfer period, and signing Cunha is the first step. The club also hopes to take this opportunity to continue to introduce other Premier League players, especially Brentford's forward core Mbeumo, whose value is expected to be no less than £60 million.

Of course, whether their performance can truly adapt to the high-pressure environment in Old Trafford is still an unknown. After all, any transfer is risky, especially in a top club with huge expectations and pressure.

But it is certain that Manchester United has begun to focus on reducing the risk of signings. Last season, Cunya and Mbeumo contributed a total of 48 goals or assists in the Premier League. In addition to them, Southampton's Taylor Dingbring, Manchester City's James McCarty, and Victor Zhekelaysh, who has played for Brighton, Swansea and Coventry, are also on the inspection list.

These players have one thing in common: they already have practical experience in the England arena. This also shows that Manchester United is refocusing on players who are familiar with the rhythm, culture and style of the Premier League to improve the success rate of signings and enhance the team's overall combat effectiveness.