Manchester United secure the Premier League Signing of the Week
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If it was a lack of goals that proved the final straw for Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, new Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has quickly gone about fixing it with the signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and it’s a deal we reckon is the best of the week.
With Chelsea snatching Michy Batshuayi, Crystal Palace welcoming highly-rated French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, and Liverpool going big for Southampton’s Sadio Mane, it’s been a busy week for Premier League transfer.
But it’s Man United who we reckon have landed the best deal of the lot with Mkhitaryan.
The Armenian winger cost the 20-time English champions around £26m, but if he can bring his goal-conjuring magic to Old Trafford, that fee will quickly feel like a bargain.
Mkhitaryan hit a stunning 20 assists last season in the Bundesliga, in addition to 11 goals.
From just 31 appearances, the winger directly contributed to a goal a game.
The stats don’t end there. In all competitions the 27-year-old produced 32 assists and 23 goals, numbers which United fans will be praying are repeated this term.
Old Trafford was rather barren on the goal front last season, with the Reds consistently unable to find the net under Van Gaal, especially in the first half.
United ended the year with just 49 goals in the Premier League, their lowest total for 26 years.
Even worse was their record at home, with the Theatre of Dreams leaving their fans dreaming of anything other than the football they were watching.
Under Van Gaal’s watch United hit just 10 first-half goals last season, and went through October, November and December without a strike in the opening 45 at Old Trafford.
But with Mkhitaryan’s wondrous creative ability, those days could quickly become distant memories.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
