Erik ten Hag issues Manchester United transfer demand after Champions League qualification
Erik ten Hag emphasizes that for Manchester United to have a genuine chance of competing for the title in the upcoming season, they require a higher caliber of players.
United effectively earned a spot in the Champions League by defeating Chelsea 4-1 in their second-to-last Premier League match of the season.
By securing that victory, Manchester United has climbed to the third position in the Premier League standings. If they manage to win their upcoming match against Fulham at Old Trafford, it would mark only their fourth top-three finish in the past ten years.
With the bar set higher in a season that has undeniably been successful, numerous Manchester United fans will anticipate a long-awaited challenge for the championship in the 2023-24 season.
Manchester City, the reigning champions, currently hold a commanding 17-point lead over United. Erik ten Hag, who expresses a strong desire to bolster his squad with a striker, a midfielder, and at least one defender, reaffirmed the need for United to strengthen during the upcoming summer transfer window.
“It’s difficult to say in this moment, you have to see now how you come out of the transfer window but if I see now we need more,” Ten Hag stressed. “But I don’t have so much patience, that is one of my mistakes.
“We want to win every game but also, as I just tried to explain, it’s tough here, there are really good teams, especially this season. Manchester City are playing really outstanding football. We have a way to go, we are in the right direction, we have work to do, so a work in progress.”
Ten Hag acknowledged the notion that securing a top-four finish is often considered equivalent to winning a trophy, a sentiment initially expressed by Arsene Wenger during his time at Arsenal.
The prolonged absence of a title for Arsenal, which is now guaranteed to extend to 20 years, has been a source of frustration for their fans as they appeared content with attaining qualification for the Champions League. However, Ten Hag made it clear that he will not be satisfied with just that, stating that it is not good enough for him.
“I think in this league, that’s a good base to be in the top four but, yeah, we want to compete for the title. But it has to be realistic and you can first say when you have your squad in the end of the transfer window and also the winter transfer window that you can do, the squad is there and you can make a statement about if it’s realistic or not.
“Now we are far away, so we have a lot of work to do, we’ve made progress with this team, with this squad but we need better players if we want to compete for the highest.
“I think in the Premier League, yeah, it(top four)’s something like [a trophy], it’s the main objective of the season to get in the Champions League, so therefore you have to see yourself in the top four.
“The competition is tough, there are many teams with really good squads, good managers, so when you are in there, you did a good job and your team is playing well and performing well and for this moment this is the maximum but we want more.”
Casemiro, who scored the opening goal in Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea, has faced suspensions in three separate instances, causing him to miss a total of eight domestic matches this season.
The first suspension occurred during United’s 3-2 defeat against Arsenal when the Gunners were leading the league. Erik ten Hag believes that while United could have accumulated more points, even if Casemiro had been available for those matches, they still would have fallen short in their challenge against both Manchester City and Arsenal.
“I don’t think this season, it wasn’t the case,” he opined. “But we should definitely have more points. All over, the team made good progress, many players played a really fantastic season and it’s a good base to build on but the standards have to go up and the demands have to rise.
“And therefore, we have to work in the summer with this squad but in the window see if we can strengthen the squad.”
Erik ten Hag issues Manchester United transfer demand after Champions League qualification
