Ed Woodward likely enjoyed Manchester United’s summer more than anyone else. Well, maybe apart from Mino Raiola.
Woodward has long been seen as someone keen to prove himself by pulling off big deals, and having received criticism for failing to impress previously, getting Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will have been good for the ego.
If Spanish claims at the time are to be believed, Woodward didn’t want to stop there. The Manchester United executive was keen to add another ‘Galactico’ to his selection.
El Confidencial reported that Woodward had told Jorge Mendes of Manchester United intentions regarding James Rodriguez: ‘On Monday, at the office of Ed Woodward, general manager of Manchester United, there was an important meeting between the executive and Jorge Mendes.
Mendes, among others, represents Jose Mourinho and David de Gea, but also James Rodriguez. The Red club was interested in hiring the services of Colombian ’10’ and announced that soon they will forward to Real Madrid an initial offer of 65 million euros.’
Woodward’s plans failed, with that reportedly all being down to Real Madrid’s pesky transfer ban stopping them from using the James money elsewhere. Things have changed, and Marca have a big splash in their Saturday edition explaining that James could be off.
Manchester United are of course mentioned, but there’d be competition from Juventus and Bayern Munich. A lot will depend on Jose Mourinho’s opinion, but it would be no surprise if Woodward is hoping the Portuguese calls him and encourages a Galactico pursuit.
