Man Utd vetoed Jose Mourinho's three-man wishlist before suffering 'worst transfer window' in club's history

Manchester United decided against pursuing Jose Mourinho's transfer wishlist before producing what has been described as "the worst transfer window in the club's history".

Earlier this week, a debate emerged online around United's worst ever transfer window following the January arrivals of Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu.

The reply with the most traction came from X account @AmorimEra, who wrote: "Nothing will ever beat Mourinho finishing 2nd and being rewarded with a summer transfer window of Lee Grant, Diogo Dalot and Fred."

Shortly after bringing in Dalot and Fred from Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively, Mourinho told United chiefs in July to sign a right-sided attacker, a centre-back and a striker before the end of the summer.

Dalot, of course, remains a first-team regular at Old Trafford – although his performances under Ruben Amorim have been erratic at times. Fred, meanwhile, was shipped out to Fenerbahce in August 2023 for just £12.9 million.

They were two solid signings but Mourinho was desperate to sign a high-profile centre-back, with Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Yerry Mina and Toby Alderweireld all heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Varane and Maguire would arrive after Mourinho's departure, Yerry Mina was snapped up by Everton, and United deemed Alderweireld to not be worth the money, particularly given his age and projected salary.

The Portuguese coach was irritated by the lack of transfer activity, according to The Guardian, who claimed United’s conclusion was that in most cases he had targeted defenders who were no better than those they already had.

At the time, United had Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly as centre-back options.

That same report also suggested United’s hierarchy believed Mourinho was taking 'a short‑term view' on transfers rather than thinking more strategically about what would be better for the club in the coming years.

Mourinho was irritated by United's stance on transfers. Image credit: Getty

As mentioned above, the self-proclaimed 'Special One' was also keen on bringing in a back-up striker to Romelu Lukaku and a right-sided attacker but eventually, goalkeeper Lee Grant became their third and final signing of the summer.

Some of the names linked with United throughout that window included Marko Arnautovic, Justin Kluivert, Gareth Bale, Ivan Perisic and Willian.