Manchester United eventually improved but don’t forget the ludicrous journey. Arsenal and Liverpool both fell into completely avoidable traps.
There were plenty of winners, don’t worry.
Cristiano Ronaldo
An utterly humbling experience which would shatter that veneer of confidence if it belonged to any other individual. Fortunately for Cristiano Ronaldo, he is of requisitely thick skin and deluded enough cult following to believe the issue lies anywhere but within.
There was something incredibly satisfying in watching high-powered executives of elite clubs take it in turns to explain why it was an option they could not take. Oliver Kahn, Hans-Joachim Watzke, Cristiano Giuntoli and Joan Laporta were among those who offered public lip service before the customary “but” as the expected race for Ronaldo became a mess of bodies stumbling over each other trying not to enter.
Ronaldo and his representatives clearly felt news of his unrest would spark another grand pursuit akin to the one which prefaced his triumphant Old Trafford return 12 months ago. Yet the market for a 37-year-old disruption who will score goals as quickly as they destroy a wage structure no longer exists.
Ronaldo thought he could command his choice of Champions League clubs; the early signs are that he might spend his time on the bench before being rotated in for the Europa League this season.
Leicester
It is a shame that Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha could not confirm what many suspected before deadline day, but circumstances dictated that the Leicester chairman’s explanation would have to wait.
Some supporters might well have rolled their eyes at his description of a ‘challenging transfer window’ but the honesty and clarity with which he imbued his programme notes ahead of the Manchester United game was welcome.
They exposed the reality for those who exist outside the gilded elite. How even the Premier League champions of six years ago, FA Cup winners of 2021 and regular Champions League botherers have to make ‘difficult, short-term decisions that protect the club’s long-term interests’. How last season’s choice not to fund squad renovation through the sale of a coveted first-team player for the first time in five summers meant they felt compelled to adhere strictly to sustainability regulations. How ‘building the club to a level where we are less reliant on player trading takes good management; strategic, sustainable investment; success on the pitch; and…
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