Ed Woodward makes transfer promise to Manchester United fans ahead of the summer transfer window. However, he also issued a warning.
The Coronavirus pandemic has affected the world in many ways. The disease has not only compromised the health of people around the world but has also had global financial ramifications, the impact of which has been felt even by the richest of the football clubs.
Also read: Premier League return cleared by the government
Manchester United chief Ed Woodward has reminded fans that the club is no different to the economic strains of the disease. However, he has promised that as soon as the club has a visible path through the crisis it aims to be highly competitive in the transfer market.
In an opening statement at the United fans’ forum last Friday, Woodward reiterated Manchester United’s commitment to backing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while also reminding the fans of the grim reality of the impact of coronavirus.
Ed Woodward makes transfer promise to Manchester United fans
“It’s always a top priority for us to strengthen the team and build on what Ole is very clearly achieving in terms of bringing us back to the top,” Woodward said. “But we’ve got to have clarity on what the future holds.
“What will happen with the remainder of this season? What is the impact on next season? Is it behind closed doors or in front of fans? What’s the impact on broadcast deals, sponsorship deals? What’s the impact on domestic cups?
“Also, we don’t yet know what’s going to happen with regards to the FA Cup. We’re obviously still in that in the quarter-finals. What’s going to happen to that next season if the season is truncated a little bit to squeeze in Premier League games? Does that have a knock-on on domestic cups? There are many, many moving parts.
“It is not necessarily going to be business-as-usual for clubs this summer. It feels somewhat inappropriate to see speculation about transfers for hundreds of millions in current circumstances. There’s a big disconnect between those stories and the economic realities facing football clubs in general.
“Clearly, it’s true we are fortunate to be in a strong financial position compared to many clubs, but we are not immune from the financial impact of what this virus is doing. I would say that once we have that visibility of a path through the crisis and coming out of the other side to relative normality then, of course, we aim to remain highly competitive in the market.
“As I said before and I’ve said this many times, we remain committed to backing Ole to win trophies. That’s our core objective as a club.”
Click here for more football news
