Onana’s Emergence and De Gea’s Departure-
The general consensus both inside and outside of Old Trafford was that David de Gea would stay when Andre Onana first learned Manchester United would be interested in signing him.
After months of negotiations, an agreement had been struck on De Gea’s new deal. The 32-year-old left on vacation, assuring his buddies he would see Carrington when he got back to England.
Ten Hag’s Interest in Onana: A Future Reunion-
Erik ten Hag’s ideal custodian would have fit his playing style, but given the necessity for a new striker and midfielder, he had already come to terms with the fact that United’s summer spending cap of over £100 million net would be used elsewhere.
Initially, Ten Hag had been speaking with Yalcin Sarica, an experienced agent at Wasserman Media Group, regarding his client Denzel Dumfries. But later in the conversation, Sarica mentioned Onana, a player he had been acquainted with since 2019 and was now working to represent. Ten Hag was curious. The fuse had been lit.
Onana: “To join Manchester United is an incredible honour — and I have worked hard all my life to get to this moment”. 🔴 #MUFC
“Walking out at Old Trafford to defend our goal and contribute to the team will be another amazing experience”. pic.twitter.com/2gMj1rkIyV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 20, 2023
Together, Ten Hag and Onana spent four and a half years in the Netherlands, where they won three Eredivisie championships and advanced to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals. He described Onana as a “masterful custodian” towards the conclusion of their time together.
Onana’s Move to United: Crafting It Through Negotiations and Obstacles-
Onana’s performance versus City in Istanbul, a performance that supported the United manager’s choice to pursue a reunion with the 27-year-old, did not, therefore, surprise Ten Hag. A week after marriage, De Gea informed United that he would be making his leave on July 8 in the morning. After that, United was allowed to craft its own good-bye tweets on social media.
Before the June 10 Champions League final, Onana was aware of United’s interest. Then, on June 22, the day after United’s second offer for Mason Mount was turned down, Albert Botines, the agent who secured Onana’s free transfer to Inter this past summer, soared to Manchester to meet with Steve Brown, United’s head of recruitment. Botines asked Brown to attend the meeting.
However, negotiations stagnated, and substantial progress wasn’t made until Sarica and John Morris, another top agent at Wasserman, took charge of the situation.
Before joining Wasserman in December, Sarica had previously collaborated with Onana while a partner at SEG, the organisation that handles Ten Hag. As the person in charge of Graham Potter’s appointments at Chelsea and Brendan Rodgers and Enzo Maresca’s to Leicester, Morris has vast understanding of both United and English football.
The Financial Aspect: United’s Contracting Policy for Players-
Ten Hag visited Onana with Sarica at Wasserman’s headquarters in Amsterdam, where they had fruitful conversations, to make sure the manager and player were completely on board with the transfer.
United and Inter employed the CAA Base agency, which was also engaged, in their club-to-club negotiations. The early discussions between United’s football director John Murtough and Inter’s sports director Piero Ausilio were aided by Frank Trimboli, co-founder of Base, and the two executives met in Milan. As the days passed, the two executives had several phone conversations regarding costs, including the suggestion of United players who may be of interest to Inter in order to reduce the cost.
All facets of the move were a daily slog for everyone engaged over the following two weeks. United made it clear that the financial fair play regulations severely constrained their ability to spend. Some questioned whether that wasn’t just a tactic for negotiation. Additionally, there were rumours that United, led by co-owner Joel Glazer, only wanted to be able to claim that they had pressed Inter as hard as possible. Anyone engaged in the takeover would identify this strategy.
Hargreaves pushed for a harsh deal with Onana because United wanted to stop giving out large basic contracts, which may result in years of paying players hefty money regardless of performance. United wants to encourage deals instead and add extra bonuses.
Morris, who is representing Onana in the negotiations, disagreed with the original suggestions since the Cameroonian international will fundamentally alter United’s ability to play. Chelsea was given the opportunity to participate in the bidding process but rejected, giving United influence over pay. However, Morris and Sarica suggested a creative framework to raise Onana’s status to a level befitting of his abilities.
Contract and Pay of Onana: Increasing His Status at United-
After a few days of mostly silence during which United considered their options, negotiations resumed on July 13 and culminated on July 17 with a victory that pleased all sides. Onana’s five-year deal with an additional year of option was finalised on Sunday. He will make about £200,000 a week, more than doubling his Inter salary.
Club to club negotiations resumed last weekend, with Murtough once more speaking directly to Ausilio, although it took some time to reach an agreement on the ultimate amount.
Tuesday, after flying from Milan to Turin, the plane that was supposed to take him to Birmingham—the only route open—was cancelled as the pilot had already flown his authorised number of hours for the day and was worn out. Onana would have been transported by car from Manchester to Birmingham. Onana’s medical examination was proposed to take place in Paris during the delay.
Future of United with Onana: Looking Forward to Exciting Results-
His trip the next day briefly looked in risk due to a problem with his visa at the Cameroon end, but Italian officials ultimately let his entry.
If Onana fulfils the appearance requirements and the squad wins specific titles, United will pay €55 million for him. After leaving Ajax last summer, they could have acquired him for free, but the club was preoccupied with other positions at the time. A custodian to rival De Gea was what Ten Hag claimed he wanted in the team, but no such signing ever happened.
Now that he has a legitimate No. 1, Ten Hag’s club will be able to play differently. Those at United anticipate exciting outcomes following an often arduous process.
