20 September 2023 , 08:07
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that club bosses prevented him from making five signings worth over £450m including Declan Rice.
The Norwegian spent just under three years at Old Trafford. He initially took the reins on an interim basis in December 2018 before being given the job permanently.
Solskjaer spent heavily during his stint with the club. Harry Maguire became the most expensive defender in world football with his move from Leicester City, whilst Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes also arrived for big-money fees. However, he has now claimed that club bosses prevented him from spending even more.
In an interview with The Athletic, he has suggested that England stars Declan Rice and Harry Kane were high up on his shortlist. The 50-year-old said: “We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club.”
Probed about who specifically Solskjaer wanted to signed, he explained: “ Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer.
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“We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then. Brighton are very good at letting players come from abroad and find their feet for a year and a half. At United, you don’t have that luxury and that has cost the club loads of players.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to sign Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane for Man United (Getty Images)“We wanted Jude Bellingham badly — he’s a Man United player, but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible. But it’s why I respect Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dan James and Jadon. Young players prepared to come into a team that wasn’t 100 per cent there like it was when I arrived.
“I would have signed Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come. But the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from Covid-19, there was no bottomless pit.”
Ironically, four out of the five players targeted by Solskjaer were on the move for big fees this summer. England midfielders Rice and Bellingham completed switches Arsenal and Real Madrid respectively - the pair accounting for a joint transfer fee of £193m.
Declan Rice was among Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's targets during his time at Man United (Getty Images)England colleague Kane also completed a big-money move to German club Bayern Munich for a record-breaking fee of £104m. The final player on the move this summer was Moises Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian midfielder became the most expensive signing in British football history as he completed a £115m deal from Brighton to Chelsea. Erling Haaland was actually the cheapest of the bunch with his switch to Manchester City in 2022 costing just £51m.
Solskjaer’s compatriot has proven to be an inspired signing with 59 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions for the reigning European champions.