September 20, (THEWILL) – In a recent interview, former Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, discussed the players he had hoped to sign during his time at Old Trafford but was unable to due to financial constraints.
Solskjaer acknowledged signing top talent like he did as a player is difficult nowadays due to inflated transfer fees and wages. He revealed he wanted to sign Erling Haaland before his Salzburg debut and Declan Rice when he was cheaper. Solskjaer also wanted Jude Bellingham but respected his decision to develop at Borussia Dortmund.
The Norwegian praised new signings like Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jadon Sancho for joining despite United not being at their peak. He said he felt unable to give overseas players time to adapt unlike Brighton and Hove Albion, saying United did not have that luxury which put off targets like Moises Caicedo.
Solskjaer also admitted he “would have signed Harry Kane every day of the week” as he knew the striker wanted to join United. However, the club did not have the funds to complete such a deal due to financial losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Solskjaer said there was no “bottomless pit” of money available for transfers during his tenure.
Overall, Solskjaer suggested United’s hierarchy did not provide the financial backing in the transfer market he felt was required to bring in top targets. He was left frustrated by missing out on players like Haaland and Kane, feeling the club lacked ambition at times.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
