Man Utd had agreed a deal with West Ham for Harry Maguire but the deal is now off and the defender could stay at Old Trafford.
The figures of Harry Maguire’s reputed potential pay-out being bandied about range from £6million to £15m. Whatever Manchester United offered, it was seemingly insufficient for their deposed defender.
Maguire’s situation is nuanced. By paying an inflated fee for Maguire in 2019 and putting him on inflated wages, United have perhaps given him an inflated sense of self-worth. He was good enough for an unsuccessful United side but not for a successful United side.
West Ham is Maguire’s level. A biggish English club playing in European competition with London living to offer. West Ham have recovered from a sedate start to the transfer window with the impressive additions of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse to incentivise any other would-be signings.
But Maguire’s move has collapsed. West Ham’s £30million offer was accepted and then it went quiet. Maguire’s shortfall in wages were said to have scuppered the deal.
Maguire, 30, is under contract at United for two more years, so he is seeking a form of compensation as his salary would be reduced elsewhere, bar Saudi Arabia.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have been tactically inept and Ralf Rangick powerless, but Maguire’s decline is on him. Solskjaer and Rangnick were not in control of Maguire, as if he was a player on Fifa, for his dilatory reactions when he received a pass. Or when he pulled Luke Shaw off his feet to allow Tanguy Ndombele to equalise and start the ball rolling for Tottenham’s 6-1 stroll at Old Trafford.
Concern over a reduced salary when Maguire would still be on six figures per week is not going to wash with supporters. Inflation may have fallen but there is a cost of living crisis and the empathy footballers showed during the Covid-19 pandemic already feels a distant memory.
United do not owe Maguire anything. They made him the world’s most expensive defender, he became the club captain and he lifted the first major trophy of his career. As much as he may relish England duty more, he has been more successful during a tumultuous time at United.
Maguire is done at United and regular playing time hinges on injury or suspension to teammates. The next two weeks will determine how ambitious he truly is.
Gareth Southgate could countenance three months of limited playing time prior to the World Cup but two seasons ahead of the European Championship would be extreme. Southgate has practically said as much and competition is mounting at centre half: Levi Colwill, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Marc Guehi were all namechecked by Southgate in June.
The booing that has followed Maguire across land and sea from Melbourne to Dublin, via Houston and Las Vegas, was risible and unwarranted. Some sections of the crowd in Dublin belonged at an adult pantomime and Maguire had the resilience to assist United’s added-time equaliser.
Should he continue to dig his heels in and stay beyond the window’s closure, the goodwill might erode. Maybe Maguire is sitting tight as Raphael Varane has not had a durable two years in England, Lisandro Martinez sustained another ankle injury on Monday evening and Victor Lindelof, his replacement, hardly covered himself in glory.
Yet Lindelof was chosen over Maguire. So was left-back Luke Shaw against Aston Villa, Brighton and West Ham for the run-in last season. When Shaw returned to the flank, it was to accommodate the fit-again Varane, whose return got United over the line for the top four.
Maguire was only recalled when that spot was assured.