Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has jumped to the defense of the club's transfer policy and insists that the his side has invested where and when it should. The English businessman although acknowledged that the Red Devils are currently lagging behind in terms of achieving its core objective of winning silverware.
Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, Manchester United has looked a shadow of the side it gained notoriety for. Primarily, much of the problems arising in the club's 'transitional phase' attributed to Ed Woodward. The investment banker who assumed the role of executive chairman in 2012 has often come under immense criticism for his incompetence in the transfer market.
As the unofficial director of football at the club, the 48-year-old has supervised the appointment of managers as well as the signings of a host of flops and has attracted resentment from a section of the Old Trafford faithful for turning the club into a 'commercial club' whose main priority is to yield profit for its owners - the Glazers. Two days to the end of the winter transfer window, the frustration of fans took a different turn as section of them staged an anti-board protest and ended up attacking Ed Woodward's mansion in Cheshire. In wake of the development, the Red Devils ended the transfer window by signing goalkeeper Nathan Bishop, Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo - albeit unrelated to the attack on the club's chief.
To Ed Woodward, the new recruits only highlights the ambition of the club continue strongly in its rebuilding process which he affirmed that will continue in the summer.
"Our recruitment process focuses on analysis and selection of players over the course of a season, with a view to the following summer transfer window," he reportedly told a quarterly fans' forum as per Goal.
"As part of the rebuild we see this coming summer as an important opportunity.
"There has been no shortage of investment in players over the past few years, with over £200 million ($260 million) spent since Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] became manager. Our aim is to ensure that we continue to achieve consistency in quality of recruitment.
"The signing of Bruno Fernandes and return of key players from injury will be a boost to Ole and the squad as we head into the second half of the season.
"As a club and a board, we do recognize that we are not yet where we want to be," he added.
"It is the overwhelming priority of everyone at the club to get us back to regularly challenging for Premier League and Champions League titles.
"Although progress may not always be smooth, everyone across the club is focused and committed on playing their part in helping achieve those aims.
"The recruitment department is working to a clear plan and philosophy, along with Ole and his coaching staff. Our focus is on bringing in a combination of experience and the best young players with potential to develop further, fusing graduates from our academy with high-quality acquisitions."
