Manchester United started the transfer window quickly, bringing in Andrey Santos, Karl Darlow, and Youri Tielemans within a week of each other, as they looked to rebuild their squad.

The club finished third in the Premier League last season, meaning they’ll return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023, when they were eliminated from the group stages under Erik Ten Hag’s watch.

But since then, the transfer window has slowed right down at Old Trafford, and other than young winger Tynan Thompson, there have been no more arrivals so far, with the Premier League campaign set to begin next week.

Reports all summer have suggested that Man Utd are keen to bring in a new forward, third central midfielder, and a left-back, but despite numerous reports and links, nothing has materialised.

Now, while speaking to the media while in Dublin, Carrick has sent a strong message to INEOS over what he wants in the final weeks of the window.

“Listen, there’s one or two areas where we’d like to improve, and we feel that there’s the possibility to improve, but again, that needs to be something that we can do that makes us better and improves the group, whether that’s quality or whether that’s a little bit of depth. That’s something we’ve got to manage. That’s pretty obvious.

“We always want to strengthen in every way. It depends on if it’s going to help us, and in what ways. It can’t be for the sake of it, but of course we need to improve. It’s something that we’re working towards, for sure.”

Baleba and Hall Deals Must Be Done

via Reuters

It’s well established now that Lewis Hall is the top target of Man Utd for the left-back position, but so far it has been difficult for the club to find an agreement with Newcastle after they had already sold Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes.

The player himself is understood to want to join Man Utd, and it has been reported over the summer that a fee of around £70m would likely be enough to get a deal done. It’s unclear if the club would be willing to pay that much, but if INEOS really want Carrick to succeed, then it’s clear they should be doing everything they can to get it done.

Alongside him, club staff are reported to believe that Carlos Baleba would be a ‘transformative’ signing for their midfield, yet despite reports that he is available for around £65m this summer, as opposed to the £100m asking price last summer, they are still yet to make a move.

With midfield quite obviously a priority, not making a big move for someone who you consider to be a top player seems backwards.

Carrick has made it abundantly clear that he needs more if he is to find success again, and if INEOS don’t give him what he needs, then they will only have themselves to blame.

West Ham United have agreed a £22m deal with Celtic to sign top target Arne Engels this summer.

The Hammers have been in hot pursuit of a new midfield star to bolster their squad as they prepare for life in the Championship, having lost top stars such as Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes, as well as hot prospect Freddie Potts during the transfer window.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been backed in the market with the arrivals of Manor Solomon and Joel Veltman, but the Irons have been working hard to make further additions after convincing captain Jarrod Bowen to stay in the second tier, and they have now secured an agreement for one of their top targets.

According to reliable insider ExWHUEmployee, West Ham have now agreed a deal with Celtic to sign Engels.

The club has had two bids rejected earlier in the window, but it was reported that they were preparing a third offer which they were hopeful would be accepted, with the Glasgow side beginning to make signings that could make space for a deal.

It’s now understood that a deal worth £22m has been agreed between the two clubs, and Engels, who has been described as ‘powerful’, will now formalise personal terms before undergoing a medical.

“It appears West Ham may have just agreed the deal for Arne Engels, according to well-placed Celtic sources that we have,” he said.

“Negotiations have been going on for some time now after we exclusively revealed the interest in June. It should hopefully now reach a conclusion in the coming days as personal terms were not thought to be a problem.

“The club have followed the strategy, as I have been explaining all window, of waiting for targets that they actually want rather than moving around. This has led to some frustration from fans but should hopefully bring in the players that have always been the key targets. A strategy that has been different from before but should ensure we get quality recruits.

“Once this deal is done, the club will turn its attention fully to other targets, as this has been the key one for a while.

“The deal is thought to be for around £22m, and the Belgium international will finalise personal terms and start the medical procedure soon.”

O’Neill Praises Engels for Attitude and Quality

Engels was a target for Nottingham Forest and others in the January transfer window, with a £25m bid rejected on deadline day. But despite being keen on the move, Engels knuckled down and helped the club overcome a difficult campaign to lift the Scottish Premiership title on the final day.

Speaking after those bids were rejected, O’Neill praised the Belgium international, and admitted he didn’t realise how much Celtic missed him until he was unavailable due to injury.

“He never made an issue,” O’Neill said. “It was what it was. The last offer we got, I didn’t realise until [chief executive officer] Michael Nicholson told me, was three hours before the deadline.

He’s a strong runner,” O’Neill continued. “He had scored a goal against Hibs when he dived in and headed it. If he wants to be something, he’ll add a few more goals during the course of a season. A goal-scoring midfield player is worth their weight in gold.”