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England forward and world-class striker Alessia Russo was all set to stay at Manchester United until the club went back on a verbal agreement.
According to an article published in The Athletic, which assessed the situation behind the scenes at Manchester United Women, the club had a verbal agreement with Russo after turning down Arsenal’s record breaking offer.
The outlet claims that “according to sources close to the club, during the January transfer window, United shook hands on a deal for their star striker to stay, only to renege on several conditions, leading to it collapsing.”
Russo subsequently left on a free transfer to Arsenal at the end of last season.
The striker was not the only one to leave as Ona Batlle also left on a free transfer to Barcelona.
According to The Athletic’s sources, when it comes to negotiations for other players, United would drive “hard bargains, made disrespectful, lowball offers and tried to find ways to save nominal figures.”
It looks like the club will lose goal keeper Mary Earps in the summer in a similar way to Russo after contract negotiations have been ongoing for the best part of 18 months with no resolution.
The article examines the key issues which INEOS will need to address when it comes to the women’s team, who are currently 12 points adrift of top of the table Chelsea.
The Athletic article points to a convoluted process behind contract negotiations as being the primary problem for the breakdown in transfer deals and extensions.
Sam Barnett moved from the men’s side to the women’s last year to help with contract negotiations despite having a lack of experience in the women’s game.
He left the club at the end of 2023, with Matt Hargreaves assisting the women’s team since Barnet’s departure, but they did not manage to strengthen in the January transfer window despite repeated calls from manager Marc Skinner that the team needed more depth, particularly in defence.
Ultimately, Polly Bancroft had autonomy on decisions of this nature, although the board would have final sign off.
The departure of Bancroft at the end of this season as she takes up a role as CEO of Grimsby Town FC could be seen as a bump in the road by the club or a blessing in disguise if the Russo saga is anything to go by.
As INEOS look to conduct a full audit of how the women’s team is set up and run, Bancroft’s departure may not be the only one as they prioritise the process behind contract negotiations. Losing one of the world’s best players for free is bad enough, but when it comes to light that Russo was lost due to United breaking a verbal agreement with her, it speaks volumes of the chaos inside the corridors of power at Old Trafford and the desperate need for change.
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