Getting close to Raiola could prove expensive for MUFC

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  • Powerful figure: Super-agent Mino Raiola.

    Manchester United are a club slowly but surely learning from their mis- takes; or, more specifically, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is slowly but surely learning from his mistakes.

    After three summers of bold promises, bungled bids, vastly inflated fees and last-minute signings that resulted in an imbalanced and patchwork quilt of a squad, already things are starting to shape up a little more orderly for United.

    The appointment of Jose Mourinho, as bizarrely delayed as it was, has obviously helped given the Portuguese coach’s eye for detail and organisation on and off the field. But with Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining Mourinho, just uttering those names for United fans generates more excitement than the majority of the football served up by Louis van Gaal’s side last season.

    And although you can argue those additions are largely open goals for a club with almost infinite wealth – where else were Mourinho or Ibrahimovic realistically going to go? – it’s what’s potentially on the horizon that will really give us a proper indication of where Woodward is in terms of his new found recruiting acumen.

    Henrikh Mkhitaryan was one of the best players in the Bundesliga and is the sort of goal-scoring attacking midfielder United have craved; as talented as the likes of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata are, they don’t possess a consistent goal threat. While Paul Pogba is a player every elite club in Europe has designs on at present.

    What unites Pogba, Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic is not only the

    prospect of them all wearing red and taking to the field against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season; it’s agent Mino Raiola.

    The rambunctious Italian got his big break facilatating Pavel Nedved’s transfer from Sparta Prague to Lazio in 1996 and has since grown in stature to become one of Europe’s ‘Super Agents’, in the mould of another of Woodward’s favourite, some would say only, go-to guys: Jorge Mendes.

    Raiola has traditionally operated in the Italian market but in recent years has expanded his portfolio beyond those borders, most specifically at Paris Saint-Germain with Ibrahimovic.

    But now he is beginning to make a dent in England with Pogba his potential golden goose and also the acquisition of Everton and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku as a client.

    It’s no surprise he’s steering his clients towards United. The Red Devils cannot afford another season in the twilight zone of the Europa League and Mourinho will simply not suffer the sort of summer of frustrating inactivity experienced by David Moyes and Van Gaal. He had enough of that at Chelsea 12 months ago and look how that ended up.

    Not unlike PSG, they are prepared to spend big, not just in transfer fees but also wages and despite growing interest from Real Madrid, the belief is Raiola would prefer Pogba to return to Old Trafford rather than move to the Bernabeu.

    There is also the position of Woodward and this being a make or break summer for him. He’s leaning on Mourinho to deliver on the field which, history tells us, should happen, certainly in the coming season.

    But with that he needs to provide some stellar names that go well beyond United’s status as a fallen giant and a team not operating in the Champions League. The only way to tempt Pogba away from European champions Madrid and Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo etc, is to work with the man whose advice and negotiating so far in his career has been exceptional.

    Which is why Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan are not only common sense signings in a tactical sense, but also a relationship-building one. Raiola may be getting very wealthy from his new-found relationship with United but it’s a mutually exclusive partnership.

    Not just to United, but Woodward as well.

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