Manchester United set to appoint new director of football
The Sun have reported that Manchester United are set to finally appoint a director of football, with Lille’s Luis Campos the front-runner.
Campos currently holds the same position at the Ligue 1 club, where he’s been since 2017. Previously, he was also director at Monaco.
At the principality club, the 55-year-old Portuguese oversaw several successful transfers, including those of Radamel Falcao, Joao Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, James Rodriguez and Anthony Martial.
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Lille have also been successful during his tenure, managing to spot, develop, and sell promising young talent like Nicolas Pepe and Rafael Leao.
United have long been criticized for being one of the very few high-profile clubs to not have a sporting director. Chief Executive Ed Woodward has so far been filling the role, and has come under a lot of fire for his incompetency in football-related matters.
During his tenure following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, Woodward has seen several big-money arrivals like Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Alexis Sanchez flop, and has made very few decent signings.
He’s also managed to miss out on a lot of transfer targets that United prioritized. His managerial appointments have also been far from impressive – only Jose Mourinho can be classified as a minor success.
Reports at the end of last season claimed that Woodward was on the hunt for a new director, right after the confirmation of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as permanent boss. But fans were left frustrated yet again, as news of the search died out following the start of the current campaign.
The Sun have now claimed that Woodward has spent the last 18 months trying to finalize a candidate for the role. Mourinho wanted to bring his compatriot Ocampos to Old Trafford, but Woodward chose not to, as he thought it would give the current Tottenham boss too much power at the club.
But the former investment banker is now ready to hand the role to Campos, having been impressed by his track record in France.
The deal is far from done though, as Woodward’s shortcomings were once again highlighted in the Bruno Fernandes transfer saga. Sporting and United are yet to agree on a fee for the 25-year-old, and the transfer is in danger of collapsing even though the player has agreed personal terms.
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This is exactly the kind of situation that Campos could rectify if he’s appointed. He’s proven to be an expert at transfer negotiations, and could be exactly what United need to usher in a new era at Old Trafford.