Manchester United are reportedly in the market for another central midfielder this summer, but this rebuild in the middle of the park could easily have been avoided to an extent.

The Red Devils lost Casemiro, who has joined Inter Miami, and Manuel Ugarte, who has sustained an ACL injury, this summer, forcing them to reconstruct their midfield department. Youri Tielemans has arrived in a £35million deal from Aston Villa, while Andrey Santos has joined from Chelsea for £52million.

The two new additions, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, are expected to hold down the fort for Michael Carrick’s team in the engine room next season, as well as one additional marquee new signing.

United are weighing up a £68million move for Aurelien Tchouameni, who is seemingly the primary target.

However, things could have been so different had they opted to make a more measured decision just two years ago.

Man Utd made transfer mistake selling Scott McTominay

In the summer of 2024, Manchester United accepted a £25million offer from Napoli for Scott McTominay. At the time, the Scotsman was a much-maligned midfielder at Old Trafford, criticised for his lack of value in possession, despite excelling at breaking into the box to get on the end of chances.

The United academy product had made 255 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, but the north-west club’s hierarchy felt it was time to move him on so they could focus on finding midfielders who were more comfortable in possession in deep areas.

This hasn’t exactly happened, as since then, before this summer window, the only midfielder who has come into the side in his place is Ugarte. The Uruguayan may be an efficient ball-winner, but he is an extremely limited passer, and has arguably done much more damage to United’s build-up than McTominay did.

Meanwhile, the Scotland international has gone on to thrive in Naples, netting 13 goals in his debut campaign at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, winning Serie A in the process. While there was no silverware in his second season in Italy, he again enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 14 goals across all competitions.

Elliot Anderson recently signed for Manchester City for £117million, while Sandro Tonali completed a staggering £100million switch to Tottenham. The £25million fee for McTominay to Napoli now looks rather measly.

Scott McTominay would’ve been perfect final option in Michael Carrick’s team

Some may argue that the final piece in United’s midfield needs to be an out-and-out defensive midfielder — someone who wins the ball back at an elite rate and is merely metronomic in possession, rather than progressive or creative.

This argument isn’t unreasonable, and while McTominay certainly doesn’t fit this profile, there is an equally valid argument that his set of skills would have perfectly complemented the midfielders already in Carrick’s squad.

Tielemans is an exceptional passer who will help United’s build-up by breaking the lines with his penetrative distribution from deeper areas. The Red Devils have been crying out for a progressive passer for some time, and they finally have one in the Belgian. Alongside the former Aston Villa man, in games where United dominate possession and are trying to break down a low block, McTominay would be able to leave the ball progression and creativity to his midfield partner and Bruno Fernandes ahead of them. He’d be able to focus on his core strength of being the extra man to break into the box, and this balance would be perfect for this specific game state.

Against more aggressive teams who want to reduce how much of the ball United have, McTominay’s combativeness would be useful alongside Santos. The Brazilian put up impressive defensive numbers during his time at Strasbourg, while McTominay has always been competent off the ball, making this a secure double pivot against the better attacking teams in the league. The Napoli man would also help relieve pressure with his aggressive lung-busting runs up the pitch.

As for Mainoo, the United academy duo might not be the most natural pairing. However, Carrick could probably find a way to make it work by dropping Fernandes for a game and bringing in one of the two new signings.

Ultimately, had United not made the decision to sell McTominay in 2024, they’d have a ready-made option to complement their existing options. This would’ve allowed them to invest in other areas instead of spending an outlandish amount on a new recruit in this position this summer. McTominay never would’ve been the centrepiece of United’s midfield, but he would’ve been the perfect squad rotation piece for the current iteration of the Red Devils.

The new Premier League season is edging closer, and while there’s still time to wait before the action gets underway on August 21, fans have already had plenty to talk about.

Transfers have dominated the headlines, pre-season is in full swing, and, as always, the release of every club’s new home shirt has sparked plenty of revelries.

Some designs have gone down a treat, others have split opinions, but one thing is certain: everyone has something to say about it. With all 20 English top-flight clubs now having unveiled their home kits for the 2026/27 season, there’s only one thing left to do. As Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal prepare to defend their Premier League title, we’ve ranked every 2026/27 home shirt from worst to best.

Every Premier League 2026/27 Home Kit Ranked

20. Newcastle

There’s too much going on with Newcastle’s kit, and with far too many lines involved, it might make opponents feel like they’re in a life-sized game of geometry dash rather than top-flight football. Objectively very ugly.

19. Bournemouth

Via Bournemouth

Red and black stripes are usually easy to get right. This year, however, Bournemouth have added random gold panelling that, put simply, doesn’t come with any rhyme or reason, while the big pink ‘Vitality’ sponsorship is too ‘in your face’ to ignore.

18. Crystal Palace

Via Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s new home shirt has all the hallmarks of a great kit. White, red, and blue is an iconic colourway, the sponsorship fits in seamlessly, and the retro-style badge is certainly a nice touch, but a detailing similar to Newcastle’s – along with the fact it looks like an away shirt, given the Eagles have decided to go completely against their usual primary colour – lets it down massively.

17. Hull City

Hull City

You can’t fault Hull City for wanting to give a nod to their heritage in their return to the Premier League, with no sponsors and retro branding a classic combo. What you can fault is that their new shirt is a little bland, and the white collar and sleeves are way too bold.

16. Sunderland

As is the case with Hull City’s, the idea of retro is nice with Sunderland’s home shirt. But the black badge is an eye sore, and once you realise the stripes on the sleeve aren’t even symmetric, you’ll find it hard to stop looking for the wrong reasons.

15. Chelsea

If Chelsea’s neon-yellow badge wasn’t enough for people to be able to recognise the shirt, then they’ve added a faint extra badge in the detailing, right on the stomach. The colour is nice, and the fact it’s a basic design helps stop it from falling lower down the order.

14. Everton

Via Everton

Simple can be effective, sure. Everton’s latest home kit would probably rank higher if it didn’t feature a random splash of yellow, which is present on both the sleeve and collar, but not all the way around. Otherwise, it’s a nice shirt.

13. Leeds United

Via Leeds United

Credit where it’s due, a lot of people will end up loving Leeds United’s number – the colourway is particularly good. There’s just something about it that makes it look a bit like a pyjama top, albeit a smart one.

12. Coventry City

It’s been so long since Coventry City were in the big time (25 years) that they’ve returned as Huddersfield Town. That’s the only let-down in an otherwise striking outfit, with the detailing in each sky blue and white stripe a standout feature – it just doesn’t feel very ‘Cov’.

11. Man Utd

Via Manchester United

There’s nothing flashy about the Red Devils new kit, and we’re unsure whether that helps or hurts it. Eleventh feels right for a shirt that does the job but probably won’t be remembered by next season, unless Michael Carrick’s side really do exceed expectations (only time will tell!).

10. Fulham

Via Fulham

Fulham’s kit is not that different to United’s, truth be told. But without a collar, a slight extra bit of panelling, and a cleaner colour, the Cottagers – who proclaim to be London’s oldest football club – edge it into the top 10.

9. Aston Villa

What can be said about the previous two kits can also be said about Aston Villa’s new look. Again, it’s the colour that takes them above Fulham and United, but there’s not an awful lot between them.

8. Manchester City

Puma got slammed for one of the kits they designed for Man City, which went down as one of the lowest-rated Premier League shirts ever. They’ve done well this time around, though, with the sky blue and ice white gradient a refreshing take on the modern look – a timely redemption ahead of a new era without Pep Guardiola.

7. Tottenham

Spurs’ home top is a plain white one (obviously) with navy accents and is said to have nostalgic, subtle diagonal striping that is said to be inspired by Tottenham’s mid-1980s Hummels kits. It’s clean and smart, not much else can be noted – again, does the job, just better than a lot of others that achieve the same.

6. Liverpool

REUTERS/Peter Powell

Liverpool’s second Adidas kit since their record-breaking reunion last summer draws heavy influence from the iconic design the Reds wore from 1989 to 1991 with its famous geometric pattern a nod to the ‘Candy’ shirts of old. It’s another great creation, but definitely doesn’t hold a candle to last season’s effort.

5. Arsenal

Via Arsenal

Arsenal and marketing are a match made in heaven, and they’ve brought out another lovely home shirt. Albeit, it’s a little basic, but still very good – perhaps the fact it ranks fifth is a little bit of a reflection on the fact not many clubs have produced out-and-out stunners. The Gunners’ away and third strips are a sight to behold, if you get a chance to take a look.

4. Brentford

Brentford definitely get bonus points because they keep the same home shirt for two seasons, allowing fans to save their money as they aren’t forced to fork out on a new strip every summer. While they’ve kept their basic design though, the yellow trims are a really sleek addition – the more you look, the better it gets.

3. Brighton & Hove Albion

Via Brighton & Hove Albion

The new Brighton home shirt is all royal blue with a printed crisp white pinstripe and contrasting white neckline, which is a nod to their appearance in the 1983 FA Cup final. Completely moving away from the usually chunky stripes is a really nice transition.

2. Nottingham Forest

Via Nottingham Forest

The patterning on Forest’s latest drop is what makes it so nice. While the actual material looks almost silky, which brings it down slightly, there can’t be a bad word said about the design. Those filling up the City Ground will be hoping it coincides with a much better campaign than last time out, which saw relegation become a genuine threat at one point.

1. Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town love to take the ‘royal’ in ‘royal blue’ and really accentuate it. Just like the last time they were in the promised land, the Tractor Boys will be fighting against the dropzone in style.

Arsenal fans have given their early thoughts on new signing Christos Tzolis after watching him make his debut in a pre-season win vs Girona.

The Greek winger was signed from Club Brugge to replace Leandro Trossard and add depth on the left-hand side of the attack. Mikel Arteta’s men secured a 4-1 win over their Spanish opposition, with Kai Havertz, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus all on the scoresheet.

Tzolis even managed to get in on the act, as his curling effort deflected into the net in the first-half. But what did Gunners fans make of his overall performance? Well, they’ve made their feelings very clear online.

Arsenal Fans Give Opinions on Christos Tzolis’ Debut

The north Londoners were dominant throughout, and Tzolis made a strong impression on the left wing. He managed two shots, with one blocked and the other going in.

The 24-year-old also completed two out of three attempted crosses and found a teammate with 19 of his 23 pass attempts. Despite losing the ball six times, Tzolis made the most of his 31 touches in just over an hour of football.

Supporters were happy with what they saw, with many taking to X (formerly Twitter) to express their strong opinions. One said: “Tzolis stocks are going to fly,” while another claimed: “Hmm this Tzolis guy is going to be a problem.”

“Tzolis IQ is top. Gonna be a class player for us,” was the conclusion of one happy Gunner. His dribbling ability was brought up as another fan added: “These Tzolis 1v1’s… they tried saying my boy lacks burst of pace and has no tech; you’re simply uneducated.”

Vinicius Junior appears to be Arsenal’s dream signing, but one supporter suggested, perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek manner, that the Brazilian is now not needed: “Tzolis asking uncomfortable questions about whether Vini is needed.”

Watch Tzolis’ highlights in Girona vs Arsenal below

There’s still a long way to go for Tzolis to prove he can be a regular starter for Arteta. But he did make a strong case to be a like-for-like replacement for Trossard. In fact, his solid display, with a goal on top, was remarkably similar to the performances the Belgian regularly produced for the Premier League giants.

Statistics in this article are courtesy of SofaScore. Correct as of 01-08-26.