Former RB Leipzig and Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick has already highlighted the importance of getting transfer deals bang on the money, as he prepares to take over at Manchester United.
The 63-year-old, who has been working with Russian giants Lokomotiv Moscow as their Head of Sports and Development, is set to become United's next manager — on an interim basis until the end of the season, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure.
The pressure told on Solskjaer after a run of five defeats in seven Premier League matches, culminating in the 4-1 loss at Watford on Saturday. The Norwegian was sacked the next day, with his assistant Michael Carrick taking caretaker charge.
United will now give Rangnick a six-month contract at the helm, before the German moves into a consultancy role for two years and the club seek a long-term managerial replacement.
Interestingly, just over two years ago, the former Leipzig chief provided his verdict on where United had been faltering since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, pointing to failures in the transfer market.
Rangnick, speaking back in August 2019, told The Times : "Since Sir Alex left they were underperforming. They haven’t won the title since he left. At any club, if you cannot get the right players, then you should at least not sign the wrong ones.
"You are in trouble if you do that in one or two or three consecutive transfer windows.
"Club building is about building the right squad by transferring the right players away and having more than 50 per cent success rate of bringing in the right players. Then you must have the best possible coaches to develop these players."
In the eyes of almost everyone connected with United, the transfer business during the summer window was hugely impressive, with the likes of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo all joining the club in big-money deals.
However, their arrivals have failed to spark an upturn in fortunes, despite Ronaldo's goals. Sancho failed to register a goal or assist under the Norwegian, finally getting off the mark with a goal in the 2-0 win over Villarreal under Carrick.
Rangnick, who left Leipzig in 2019, is highly-rated in Germany and is considered to have been the man to have influenced the careers of the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Julian Nagelsmann.
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