It's honestly so hard to rate this window.
We needed a CB and we got a 10/10 CB and a 10/10 bargain basement price. With the right tactical nouse we should now be able to push forward our defensive line and close the void between defence that only McFred appear to be able to fill. Assuming we do this the ball should then be more actively engaged around our forward line and with a little tempo in our play we could really start beating the teams we failed against last year.
A RW was a need, but Greenwood has been making it his own. In terms of potential Sancho looks a 10/10 signing and given the previous pricing and other players of his talent id say the price is also 10/10. Sancho is also very versatile and once he has settled in I can see him taking up a good range of positions and doing what Ronaldo and Nani used to do with quality interchange. Greenwood and Sancho are ripe for this and the solution doesn't need to be one on one side one on the other, we should be swapping it around, keeping teams guessing.
I dont think Rashford has the flex, but I'm sure there are games Ronaldo can also still interchange on the wings for example where we want Cavani and Ronaldo on together. Even as a tactical change with 20-30 minutes to go it's a nice option.
A striker was in the nice to have category given we can use Rashford there, albeit with a big drop off. We can use Martial there, albeit with inconsistency and we can use Greenwood there, albeit missing the best of him from the RW.
The point is if Cavani wasn't playing, and that was pretty regular, we are missing someone elite to keep the momentum. It doesn't get more elite than Ronaldo.
Some may see Ronaldo as temporary, but it genuinely wouldn't surprise me of we had him ticking along into his mid 40s. He is a supreme athlete, beyond any previous athlete. Giggs is one of the few comparatives who did all the right things and the yoga sustained him to 40. Well Ronaldo has done all the right things his entire career, perfect diet, perfect training plan and touch wood has been pretty clear of significant injuries.
What Ronaldo gives for these reasons goes way beyond Ronaldo. That level of dedication and professionalism sets the tone for the whole squad and all the youngsters rising up. That rubbing off on everyone just a little bit should seriously lift our energy and performance levels for years to come.
Coming at the time he is he might also go on to be an elite coach for us. He is one of the few profiles where even Ole's stubborn ways might be cast aside in favour of listening to what Ronaldo says makes sense.
He has a serious profile, is a serious leader and anyone underestimating his impact is an idiot.
So its fair to say that again Ronaldo is a 10/10 signing and at a 10/10 price point who frankly should earn his cost including wages many many times over commercially and even more so on the multiplier effect to the squad.
And after talking about a triple hit 10/10 performance and the potential for us to now be serious players we get on to the big BUT....
Every man and his dog can see the limitations of our midfield. Fred is a tirelessly working midfielder and helped Brazil get to the Copa America final. He isn't shite, but what he also isn't is a DM or playmaker. He doesn't dictate the tempo, he doesn't even get the basic passes right. He can't shoot. He is a very limited work horse who alongside more talented, but low mobility midfielders can help fill that void.
Pogba is that more talented low mobility midfielder. Not low mobility because he can't move, but because he just isn't a combatitive ball winner. Pogba can work with Fred, but you still need a DM and then you can make it work.
McFred form a kind of DM/CM combo as in reality they are 2 CMs whose work rate just about gets us by. Pogba then slots in anywhere around these as a fairly free style creator.
The problem is as a LM, Pogba often operates in the same space as Rashford and they don't work well together. Pogba can't operate at AM, because Bruno is there and I'm just not sure he shifts around quick enough to open up channels.
A big part of why Pogba has shined at LWF is because there is no one in his way. Roles are clear. He doesn't really need to do the hard graft. He has the space and time to do the Hollywood work.
The problem is we have Rashford, Martial and maybe even Greenwood and Sancho to rotate from the LW now so putting Pogba there is costing us from using some of our match winners.
Given the abundance of talent there we thus need another solution for Pogba. That solution might just be bringing in a playmaking natural DM and having Pogba sitting central in and around Bruno....working the channels and through balls with some clever interchange.
In reality I'm not sure this would work anyway. I still think Pogba is just a LCM.
Either way though that DM would seriously improve our ability to control the midfield and dominate in a way that we otherwise can't do. McFred do a job, but one that only gives us a handful of chances a game.
A DM would at least mean we could try different CM options and ensure we have the opportunity to change the way we play.
Instead I'm concerned the lack of a signing will mean that all our signings become a bit irrelevant. Varane didn't stop Wolves creating 5 good chances to score. Sancho is still settling in, but there were no real midfield options for him to get the ball moving. Ronaldo like our all recent strikers will be on a graveyard shift waiting for a chance that only comes once or twice a game at best.
For all these complications around DM and maybe even still needing another CM, I just can't rate this window more than a 5/10.
We had players that could go both from a wages and value perspective....VdB, Mata, Matic, James, Lingard, one GK, Bailly, Jones, Pereira.
There were players available at reasonable prices who could have made a difference. Neves being probably the most suited. Camavinga might have been more the CM option and not the solution, but im sure his quality would have made a difference. Similarly Saul has a good range of talents. Any of these would improve what we have and could be funded from exits.
The reason for the low rating is thus not out of a disregard to the great work done, but more because we are so close and by not finishing the job we risk wasting a year with Cavani heading closer to retirement, Pogba potentially going on a free transfer, Ronaldo closer to retirement. Sancho having a confidence hit. All the great momentum is at risk over something very solvable.
It might not go this way, Ole might find a way to make it work, but there is significant risk that didn't need to be there and thus the way I see it half the job has not been done and therefore it's a 5/10.
For anyone that is doubting my 5/10 rating ask these simple questions...
1) if we didn't sign Ronaldo or Sancho would your expectation be dramatically different to what it is now in terms of potential to win a trophy this year?
2) on a pendulum of opportunity to win trophies how much more confident would you be with a DM?
3) Given the transfer activity of other teams and returns from injuries do you see our chance at winning trophies changing significantly from last year?
4) Do you believe this could have been resolved this window?
