Man Utd’s Sporting Director Pursuit Makes Sense

Sometimes, just sometimes, bad news can also be good news. Respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio just reported that Andrea Berta, sporting director at Atletico Madrid, has turned down a job offer from Manchester United. This is bad news for United since Berta works at a club that for the past five years has performed significantly beyond its means, reaching two UEFA Champions League finals in that time. But it is also good news because it means that United are recruiting for a position that they did not seem to acknowledge until recently.

For the past three years, Ed Woodward, the club’s executive vice-chairman, has been responsible for overseeing the transfer strategy and it is fair to say that the results have been mixed. With the news that Jose Mourinho has been appointed as manager, there has been widespread concern that his agent Jorge Mendes might have too much say in who the club now acquires. That may still prove to be the case; after all, Mourinho has final say on all transfers, a level of control he has rarely enjoyed throughout his career, and there is always a risk that he will back the man who has brought him so much success. Yet the pursuit of Berta is an important signal.

As a “super club,” there was every likelihood that United would follow the path of Real Madrid as opposed to Bayern Munich, merely chasing high-profile players as opposed to making a series of strategic acquisitions that could benefit the squad beyond the short-term. Whilst United, considering their resources, have under-performed substantially in the last three seasons, the fault cannot be attributed solely to David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. The problems extended far beyond the touchline, to all the way up to the boardroom. Substandard performance on the pitch has gone hand-in-hand with chaotic transfer business and a set of owners apparently disinterested in much other than but the bottom line.

A director of football would change much of that at a stroke and going after Berta shows that United are moving in a commendable direction. Ironically, it may have been disgruntled investors, disappointed by United’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, who were a key factor in the Glazers making such essential changes.

Given that their neighbours Manchester City have such excellent governance structures in place, it was high time that United put in place some of their own. Older supporters will look anxiously across at Liverpool for an example of how a hugely successful institution can fall into disrepair in just a matter of years. If you’d told anyone at Anfield in 1990 that they would not win the league again for at least 26 years, you would have been greeted with derision, yet a series of catastrophic managerial and commercial choices have led to a still-continuing championship drought.

Liverpool’s undoing at that time was partly due to an ageing group of players who were not eased out of the lineup with due care. United’s issues have been similar and though Louis van Gaal was tasked with rebuilding the squad, there was always a sense that he and Woodward were pulling the club in very different directions. While van Gaal was focused upon youth and long-term development, Woodward’s approach was commercial and expedient, concerned more with headlines and glitz. The two are not always incompatible but Mourinho’s new regime may see a striking of a better balance.

Moreover, though Mourinho may have more control than most managers, it is encouraging to see United slowly moving away from the “Big Man” model of management, a default they understandably fell into during the Sir Alex Ferguson years. That model saw him take more responsibility than most people in his position, and in a manner that was not good for the long-term sustainability for the club.

What, then, should United look for in their sporting director?

They were briefly linked with Monchi, the man who has worked such wonders at Sevilla, and who looks to be on the move. In truth, such are their resources that they do not necessarily need a miracle worker of his ilk, but rather a steady and competent deal-maker with a sense of long-term structure. However, a team of Mourinho and Monchi — the man who unearthed the likes of Dani Alves and Ivan Rakitic — could, after a period of adjustment, be one of the most formidable partnerships at any major club.

After three years of uncertainty and sub-par performances on the pitch, it might just be that Manchester United are beginning to get it right behind the scenes.