If it weren’t for the death threats, I’d have thought that the circus had rolled into Old Trafford.
It’s been an eventful last week of Januworry for Manchester United fans.
Pressure was building on the club in a slow transfer window.
They had lost main attacking threat Marcus Rashford for up to four months with a broken back- from carrying his teammates, said the Twitter doctors.
And there was nobody coming in to replace him.
Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed to make things worse when he smiled too broadly after United’s 6-0 FA Cup win at Tranmere Rovers.
Did he think that that was all the proof that United fans needed that their team was headed back to glory?
He got his answer on Tuesday night when some 20 United superfans rocked up at CEO Ed Woodward’s mansion, minus the pitchforks and torches, but with smoke bombs.
They probably thought they needed something less subtle than a plane flying over Old Trafford to get their message across.
Now, I get their frustrations. Fans’ voices aren’t heard by clubs.
But Woodward gets a bad rap. He has made £1bn available for transfers since 2013. Can you really blame him for all that waste and not the managers?
BOOST: Bruno Fernandes, right, will join Man United. Picture: Rafael Marchante/Reuters.
New signing Bruno Fernandes looked destined to be a Spurs player since last June already – now he is a United player.
Amazingly, Solskjaer also revealed Alexis Sanchez will return from Inter Milan in June to prove YOU and those superfans from Tuesday night all wrong.
It hits differently when you realise that Ole sent him to Inter on a year-long loan deal without a recall clause in his option-to-buy move to Italy.
On a £500 000-a-week contract, Sanchez scored just five goals in his 18 months at Old Trafford.
So just who is Alexis going to prove wrong exactly? Sound like it is you, Ole mate.
They are not the only club that made a mess of their transfer window as it shuts today.
Firstly, Chelsea were celebrating the new year knowing that their Fifa transfer ban was over.
They were supposed to get the star names and backup they needed in defence and attack.
Boss Frank Lampard has probably exceeded expectations with the likes of Tammy Abraham scoring up front and the likes of Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori impressing at the back.
But mistakes in both areas of the pitch has hampered their push for a Champions League place.
So far they have sukkeled to bring in anyone at Stamford Bridge.
TOUGH AND GO: Arsenal new boy Pablo Mari. Picture: Fabio Motta/AP.
In December, Mikel Arteta saw from the Manchester City bench just how swak Arsenal were defensively.
And when he took the Gunners job before Christmas, he should have had his transfer targets lined up already.
Centreback Pablo Mari had a medical at the Emirates last weekend, but his £7.5m move from Flamengo almost never materialised.
The Copa Libertadores champions accused the Gunners of changing the terms of sale at the last minute and that was that.
Seems like Shkodran Mustafi was in charge of the negotiation, only he has the consistency to proverbially shoot one’s own foot with such ease.
But they resurrected that deal and got it over the line on Wednesday.
And they could get the bonus of Portugal international Cedric Soares as cover at fullback today.
Then we have Manchester City who failed to land that defender they have been lacking since Vincent Kompany left at the end of last season.
After seeing their chase for a Premier League title hattrick go up in smoke by September, you think they would have learned their lesson.
Instead, Pep Guardiola will watch Liverpool, with Takumi Minamino as their signing, take the title by a record points margin if the Reds can stretch that ridiculous 19-point lead.
Jose Mourinho at Tottenham will be happy to be rid of Christian Eriksen as Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn arrived from PSV.
He will, however, still be wondering how he is going to cope without Harry Kane, with they don’t get a last-minute ace through the door.
FOCUSSED: Cape Town City coach Jan Olde Riekerink. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
ON THE HOME FRONT
Cape Town City and Stellenbosch have also been busy with their transfer business.
City have been cleaning house, getting rid of the deadwood as coach Jan Olde Riekerink realises what he is working with.
The Citizens have already released veteran Mark Mayamabela earlier this month and are expected to confirm Riyaad Norodien’s exit.
I have been impressed with newboys Stellenbosch’s work in the market.
KNOWHOW: Granwald Scott of Stellenbosch. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix.
Steve Barker’s focus is improving his squad in every window and he did with Granwald Scott and Nathan Sinkala.
The experienced duo add calm and quality to Stellies’s midfield options.