the seed of Manchester UnitedWout Weghorst’s discovery was planted against a Carabao Cup tie Burnley At Old Trafford on December 21. Then, after a 2-0 win over their Lancashire neighbours, United’s coaches first spoke to their Turf Moor counterparts and asked for information on their Dutch striker.
Weghurst had a difficult spell at Burnley after joining the German side in a disastrous battle against relegation. Wolfsburg Scoring twice last January, 20 Premier League presence, but the joint staff wanted to understand the circumstances behind those basic statistics. The response was positive. They were told that Weghurst had a very professional approach, for example visiting the training ground on days off to work on his game.
An extension of this personal quest for improvement can be found in Weghorst’s interactions with his new teammates. He would sometimes send messages to other players late at night, sometimes as late as 10 p.m., with analysis and opinions on how they could improve themselves.
Weghorst was not in Burnley’s core social circle, a team carefully groomed by manager Sean Dyche over the years, and these attempts to point out the weaknesses of others rubbed people the wrong way.
Weghorst clashed with other Burnley players. His confidence was interpreted as arrogance and helplessness in the relegation battle. After losing the final match Newcastle United Confirming they were down, he gave a clear impression that he would not be sticking around to play for the club in the Championship. In fact, there was a verbal agreement between Weghorst and the senior hierarchy at Burnley that he would be allowed to leave if they were finished. EFL For 2022-23.
United see that period at Turf Moor as an anomaly when set against the rest of his career. Before that, for example, he spent three and a half seasons at Wolfsburg, scoring 59 goals in 118 games. Bundesliga Appearances.
Other sources contacted at Burnley were highly complimentary of Weghorst and United believe his attention to detail and strong personality will find him a more suitable home at Old Trafford. His bust up with Lionel Messi After the defeat of the Netherlands Argentina in world cup Last month’s quarterfinal only supports this sentiment.
United is confident in its ability to conduct background checks and has moved on from targets in the past when their searches raised red flags.
Erik ten Haag’s influence has been significant. Talking to Dutch broadcasters before Manchester City game at the weekend, Ten Haag said compatriot Weghurst’s experience at Burnley had come in a “very short time” and presented a “good challenge” to see if he could score regularly in the Premier League.
Ten Hag raised the prospect of a move for Weyghorst, who was not flagged by scouts when United looked at fellow frontman Marko Arnautovic last summer. Although ten Haag did not know Weyghorst personally, he had followed his career since he was 16 years old.
Go deeper
Weghorst ‘hungry’ to succeed after Man United transfer surprise
The United manager retired as a player at FC Twente in the eastern city of Enschede after the 2001–02 season, when a young Weghurst was just starting out with local clubs RKSV NEO and DETO Twenterand in the same area.
Both men are from their respective homelands. Ten Haag was born in Hacksburg and grew up in Weghurst Born – just a 20-minute drive away. Ten Hag is direct, so is Weghorst, and the United manager wants big characters in his dressing room.
The debate is on for United Cody GakpoBut executive co-chairman Joel Glazer decided there was no money to be found around the time of that visit to Burnley, shortly before Christmas, and the PSV Eindhoven forward has now joined. Liverpool. Ten Haag understood that United could only pursue the loan and focused on Weyhorst, whose appeal was boosted by two superb goals he scored off the bench in the World Cup defeat to Argentina.
Ten Haag contacted Weyghorst, who Burnley sent on a season-long loan to Turkish side Besiktas following their relegation, to talk about the situation. He thought the 30-year-old could bring a new dimension to United later on Cristiano RonaldoA dramatic exit in November. Weghurst saw the opportunity to join a club of United’s stature as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby win, Ten Haag explained his thinking: “He’s a goalscorer, for sure, but also the type that will work for the team. He’s a box player who can also counter-attack. I’ve never seen a player and his technical skills. Not just looking, I look at the total human being and I think he will contribute more to that winning attitude.
Memphis Depay was also considered for a second spell at Old Trafford as he had six months left. Barcelona Agreement. But Depay wanted a long-term contract back, which United were unwilling to offer given their tight financial picture.
Weghurst was established as a favorite target after the New Year and United’s director of football, John Murtaugh, was set to make a move. The fact that it was so complicated that Burnley did not have the option of calling back on their contract with Besiktas, meant that an agreement had to be made with the Istanbul club for an immediate release.
Weghorst had scored nine goals in 18 games for Besiktas, so they were very reluctant to lose him. Burnley were initially wary of backing out because it could result in them paying a fee to bring Weghurst back for United to change their minds. United confirmed their intentions wholeheartedly, so the current Championship leaders moved on.
Burnley’s efforts, led by chief operating officer Matt Williams and supported by chairman Alan Pace, were fueled by a desire to do the right thing by the player, portraying the club in a good light so that future targets would be open to joining them. Weghorst is likely to increase his price for a permanent transfer in the summer.
Burnley have agreed a €10m option to buy with Besiktas, so ending the loan removes a potential source of cash, but the theory is that they will be in line for a higher fee than Weghurst – whose contract runs out at Turf Moor – come the summer. Until the end of the 2024-25 season — do well at Old Trafford, possibly even from United.
From the beginning, Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi was open to a deal. Their head coach was not a good fit because he was losing important players. But Weghorst was pushing for the move and, as such Antony Prior to United’s move to Ajax last summer, training was missed. Guns said at the press conference, ‘There was nothing wrong with him. “Perhaps he was injured in the evening at home.”
Weghorst was determined. In public, he bid farewell to Besiktas fans after scoring against Kasimpasa on 7 January. Privately, he began looking for houses in the Manchester area.
The next day brought a delay, however, due to the need for a three-way agreement. Besiktas, Burnley and United all had to settle for terms. Burnley spoke to Besiktas about the money needed and passed that information on to United. Demands from Istanbul were changing. Each time the price went up, all were set a day later.
Besiktas also wanted to sort out a direct replacement and Al Nassr – the Saudi Arabian club Ronaldo joined – began talks to sign Cameroon international Vincent Aboubakar.
Another factor was that United had to go through the EFL, which was diligent in cross-referencing potential financial fair play breaches. Besiktas needed to finish the loan, meaning the involvement of the Turkish authorities, then a new loan for United began.
Besiktas have been described as “tough negotiators” and they bristled at premature suggestions of a deal. They have issued a statement to clarify their position.
Finally, on the morning of January 12, a deal was agreed.
United agreed to pay Burnley £2.6m in loan fees, with Beskitas paying €2.825m (£2.5m) in compensation for the early termination of their loan. Those figures put Burnley at around £100,000. United are paying Weghorst’s full wages, which is at the lower end of the spectrum for their squad, and have no option or obligation to buy the striker in the summer.
Burnley feel it would be great to see players move from them to bigger clubs like United and help them as they join their careers to fulfill their promise to Weyghorst.
Weghorst flew out for his medical, watched United beat City 2-1, and took over his club media duties the following day.
He stood on the pitch at Old Trafford wearing the number 27 shirt — just like Marouane Fellaini, who had become United’s emergency target man. Everton Manager David Moyes at Old Trafford in 2013.
Ten Haag estimates Weghurst’s height at 6ft 6in (197cm), but plans to use him as a bigger centre-forward to try and attack from deep.
Additional reporting: Andy Jones and Adam Leventhal
(Top photo: Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
athleticSpanish football coverage Extended…
.
