Edwin Van der Sar reveals Manchester United paid more to pip Arsenal to Lisandro Martinez transfer
Manchester United icon and the current chief executive of Ajax, Edwin van der Sar, has revealed that the Red Devils paid more to pip Arsenal to the transfer of Lisandro Martinez.
The Argentina international joined the club in the recent transfer window from De Godenzonen. He reunited with Erik ten Hag in Manchester after several fruitful years under the Dutch manager in the Netherlands.
Speaking to The Athletic (Subscription Required) [h/t Manchester Evening News], Van der Sar, who played for the Old Trafford side between 2005 and 2011, has disclosed that United came to the negotiation table with a fair offer for the 24-year-old.
“When you want a player, you probably pay a little bit more. For me, it was a fair negotiation with Richard (Arnold) and John Murtough, and that was it.
“Arsenal came earlier for Lisandro, but it was an amount where we said, ‘Thank you very much for the offer, but we’d rather keep the player than start negotiating’. With United, it was a little bit different.”
Martinez has been a revelation in the backline for the Red Devils. His start to the campaign was rocky though, similar to the whole team. We lost against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
Thankfully, since then, Ten Hag has managed to turn things around. And the Argentine centre-back’s performances have made him a fan favourite. The 24-year-old’s tenacity and aggression have been welcomed by the majority of the supporters.
Harry Maguire lost his place in the starting lineup after the defeats in the first two fixtures. And the Dutch manager replaced our captain with Raphael Varane in the team, who has formed a solid partnership with Martinez.
The French and Argentine defenders managed to stabilise the backline. As a result, the Old Trafford side have been relatively more resolute at the back than last season.
Currently, the 24-year-old is with his national side to participate in the World Cup. The former Ajax centre-back is part of Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad that is set to participate in the prestigious competition in Qatar.
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Martinez did not play a massive part in La Albiceleste’s Copa America triumph in 2021. However, the 24-year-old will evidently hope to help his national side get their hands on the golden trophy for the third time in history.
