United's soporific summer was lifted from the doldrums with the announcement on Monday morning we had agreed a deal to bring in Villa's Belgium captain.
Best of all, this is a transfer that has taken everyone by surprise. Not even the supposed 'ITK' journalists saw it coming. How very un-Manchester United like is that? How quickly and quietly has this deal been done?
All summer long, the column inches and airwaves have been dominated by the talk of Elliot Anderson, Aurelien Tchouameni, Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes and mega-money moves to M16. Tielemans wasn't linked, not even mentioned, and this one has come completely out the blue. We have signed both Santos and Tielemans for less than Spurs signed Fernandes for. INEOS have once again played a blinder in the transfer market.
United had made revamping our midfield the priority with the £48m signing of Chelsea's Andrey Santos. We looked set to get Ederson from Atalanta bu an issue in his medical saw that fall through. With two young early twenty-somethings as our only options in the engine room, it was clear we needed a proven, experienced leader to complement the youthful talents of Santos and Kobbie Mainoo.
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| Youri Tielemans |
I can't tell you much I LOVE this signing. I've wanted Tielemans since he was at Leicester and although we're signing him four years too late, he is still only 29 and has his prime years ahead of him. I've always rated him and loved his style as one of my favourite non-United players. Now he's finally coming to the Theatre of Dreams to join our club. Love it. Welcome to the madhouse Youri.
He was a class act in the East Midlands alongside Wilfried Ndidi in midfield, driving the unfashionable Foxes to new heights under Brendan Rodgers, winning the FA Cup and being crowned both the Supporters and Players Player of the Year in 2021.
He is an even better player now. Anyone who can thrive as the tempo setter in Unai Emery's high octane, breakneck style is a natural fit at Old Trafford.
If United harbour any regrets about Tielemans, it will be the fact we did not sign him earlier, or cheaper. It remains a mystery why other clubs, including us, overlooked him in 2023 when Villa eventually signed him on a free. Instead, we loaned Sofyan Amrabat and bought the ill-fitting Manuel Ugarte. Perhaps both were more what we needed at that time, but neither the Moroccam or the Uruguyuan are in the same class as Tielemans.
To get a player of his quality for only 35m is an absolute steal especially in this hugely inflated midfield market.
Whilst of course the 90-cap Belgian is not in the 'transformative' category, file this one under a no brainer. He's 'oven ready' and has done the lot at the highest level.
He's Premier League proven, an international captain, played at the top level in Europe and in two trophy-winning sides whilst at Leicester and Villa. Scoring one of the greatest FA Cup winners and in the Europa League final back in May.
He suits the way Michael Carrick wants us to play to a 'T'. He's forward-thinking, one of the most progressive players in the league and has an excellent range of passing both short and long. He carries a threat at set-piece and from range, and can dovetail between a deep lying role or playing further forward as an extra attacking option. Finally, United will have someone to control games, dictate the tempo and transition quickly between defence and attack. An elite ball-winning, line-breaking midfielder. In short, Tielemans fits United like a glove: I can't believe we're actually getting him!
Granted, he is not the marquee 'knock you over' Casemiro replacement but we simply cannot go wrong with this. His impact should be immediate and seamless and he won't need a 'settling in' period. Much like the signings of Bryan Mbeumo amd Matheus Cunha last season, INEOS want Premier League proven, 'ready to go' talent.
I'm not concerned about the age: Luka Modric has just played in the World Cup at the age of 40. Granit Xhaka is 33 at Sunderland and Casemiro's best season for us came at the age of 35. Midfielders are famed for their longevity so there's no issues there.
Aston Villa have many a gem in their team - Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers to name but three. But any Villa fan will tell you Tielemans is their most important player. In his injury enforced absence last season, they went from a team with ten wins in 13 to one which lost four out of five.
Whether Tielemans can play with Mainoo is a question for Carrick. Neither men are 'destroyers' in the mould of Casemiro or like Carrick himself, but the addition of Andrey Santos can provide that defensive shield left behind by the great Brazilian. Tielemans is a good rotation option and United need squad depth to hopefully go deep in all four competitions next season.
With Manuel Ugarte sidelined, United are expected to try for a third midfielder in addition to Santos and Tielemans.
The signing of Tielemans was officially announced on Tuesday.
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