Manchester United have wasted absolutely no time. Michael Carrick was confirmed as permanent manager on Friday and within hours the club announced they are closing in on their first signing of the summer. Ederson, the 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder from Atalanta, with a deal reportedly agreed at around £46 million and personal terms already sorted on a contract until 2031.
This is a smart piece of business and here is why. United's midfield has been a problem for years. Not a new problem, a long running structural problem that has cost them in big games season after season. Too easy to play through, not enough control, not enough defensive cover behind the attacking players. Ederson solves several of those problems at once.
He is not a fancy midfielder. He is not going to produce moments of magic that end up on highlight reels. What he does is control the game. He wins the ball, he keeps it simple, he works tirelessly and he brings a physical presence to midfield that United have been missing. At Atalanta under Gasperini he was the engine that made everything else work. In 178 appearances for the Italian club he has been one of Serie A's most consistently excellent midfielders.
The contract situation helped United get the deal done. Ederson's Atalanta contract expires next year which meant the Italian club had to sell this summer or risk losing him for nothing. Atletico Madrid had personal terms agreed but could not get the club-to-club deal over the line. United moved quickly and muscled in. Fabrizio Romano confirmed it and at around £46 million with bonuses it is not cheap but it is not outrageous for a player of his quality at his age.
The partnership with Kobbie Mainoo next season is genuinely exciting. Mainoo provides the creativity and the forward passing. Ederson provides the defensive cover and the physicality. That is a proper midfield partnership that could make United very difficult to play against in the Premier League and in the Champions League.
Carrick's first window. First signing. So far so good.
Let me know your thoughts.