In the Big Six group, Tottenham is the most active team in the transfer market. After that, Chelsea also showed ambition to return to the race by buying a series of players, notably Morgan Rogers. Man City with Enzo Maresca is buying less but has the blockbuster Elliot Anderson. Arsenal has just announced a very quality contract with Bruno Guimaraes.
Only Liverpool and Man United are showing modesty. The Kop after the summer of 2025 spent nearly 500 million pounds, so now they do not have too much transfer budget. Meanwhile, Man United has just returned to the Champions League but seems quite quiet, which is surprising to the media.
Is this an optimistic or negative sign for Man United? Look at how Michael Carrick managed the team from the second half of last season. In 17 matches leading the team replacing Ruben Amorim, the 45-year-old coach kept the starting lineup in 4 matches. For more than a season before that, Amorim only did this once!
Therefore, one of the reasons that can explain Man United's current transfer situation is that Carrick prioritizes stability first to avoid disrupting the squad. Noussair Mazraoui replacing Leny Yoro is the only change compared to the 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid last weekend. Carrick did not choose to put Bruno Fernandes or Youri Tielemans on the field from the start in the match against PSG, although both are ready to play after the post-World Cup 2026 break.
The transfer market is always considered a "healing" time for all clubs. However, not every team that uses medicine can cure their current illnesses. Real Madrid has owned Kylian Mbappe as desired but has been empty-handed for 2 consecutive seasons. Liverpool spent nearly 500 million pounds on shopping in the summer of 2025, but last season there was a time when they could not keep a Champions League ticket. Meanwhile, with PSG, a stable framework has helped them dominate Europe for 2 consecutive years. Everything has two sides, not just operating rampantly in player markets is the best option.
Michael Carrick has been and is maintaining a stable framework for Man United and promises to continue. The young coach tends to improve the capacity of the available players, while creating conditions to unite them all into a united bloc. This is the view that Carrick has maintained throughout since taking over Man United. Most recently after the victory against Atletico Madrid, he especially praised the spirit of the whole team and mentioned building more diverse options when the team sets goals for higher achievements.
A typical example is the injury at the end of last season that prevented Benjamin Sesko from playing in all 4 friendly matches. Instead of urgently looking for a center forward on the player market (which is very expensive), Carrick arranged an attack line consisting of 4 flexible positions, constantly rotating positions even though Bryan Mbeumo is the highest player according to theory. The Cameroonian striker still scores regularly, while Amad is used more often on the right wing, something he was not supposed to do in the second half of last season when Mbeumo often guarded this corridor.
For the Amad - Mbeumo duo or any linkage on the field, players need more real-fighting time. This will not happen if the team has a series of new players. Each team has a different view on how to build personnel and Carrick's current view with Man United is to improve internal strength.
Of course, saying that does not deny the importance of the player market, Man United still needs to act more when it will close in 3 weeks. Mason Mount was not injured in the PSG draw, but Carrick's sudden substitution made fans unable to rest assured because Mount is too sensitive to pain. The English midfielder is just one of the examples showing that the "Red Devils" squad is still very thin, easily fluctuating if there are a few injuries.
Man United's current caution is reasonable if viewed from the perspective of the current transfer price, where fans can easily see countless names over 100 million pounds. Man United is not in a hurry and will be skillful and consider carefully before making a decision.
