Man Utd announce new arrival that will have huge impact on summer transfers

Manchester United have appointed a new head of negotiations, who will play a huge role in the club’s summer transfer policy.

Matt Hargreaves has been appointed as director of football negotiations and will replace Matt Judge, who left his role last year. Hargreaves, previously worked for Adidas as a sports market director who specialised in players and scouting.

He made the announcement on Monday night, via LinkedIn, and is expected to have a busy first few weeks in the role. Hargreaves will oversee negotiations between players, agents and other clubs.

One of his first jobs could be to smooth out the issues holding up David de Gea’s contract, with the goalkeeper not yet putting pen to paper on a new deal despite his current contract set to expire at the end of June.

Meanwhile, Hargreaves will liaise directly with clubs regarding new arrivals. A striker is seen as the club’s top priority in the transfer market, although a new midfielder and potential a right-back and winger are still seen as important areas to recruit.

Hargreaves, a United fan, spent nearly 15 years at Adidas but previously worked for the Red Devils’ legal department in 2008. He replaces Judge, a figure who was often criticised during his time at the club and sanctioned a number of high-profile transfers such as the moves for Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Judge was seen as Ed Woodward’s right-hand man during an era when the club hierarchy’s decision making was largely questioned. Significant changes have been made since then, with Woodward leaving and being replaced as CEO by Richard Arnold.

John Murtough and Darren Fletcher were appointed as football and technical directors in 2021, with Andy O’Boyle recruited as deputy football director, essentially no.2 to Murtough. Changes have also been made in the scouting and coaching departments, most significantly, with the arrival of Erik ten Hag and his backroom staff.