While Manchester United stomach a horrid start to the Premier League campaign, an under-pressure sporting department plots behind the scenes.
Ineos, like the Glazers, has plenty to answer for, and decisions taken in the summer transfer window have already been felt in September.
A lack of defensive focus has left Michael Carrick feeling the sting of conceding eight goals in just five league fixtures, with questions surfacing about his suitability for the task at hand.
The club has revealed a £43 million loss for the year, with a full-year revenue of £677.6 million. Nevertheless, foundations are already being laid for further recruits to solidify Project 150.
Despite agreeing to renewed terms at Newcastle, Lewis Hall remains the primary target. Additionally, United officials are also looking at potential signings on the opposite flank.
Amongst the many players under consideration is Roma’s Wesley, a flamboyant attacking full-back with age and natural ability on his side.
For connoisseurs of the continental game, it’s unsurprising that United would admire the Brazilian.
At just 23, Wesley possesses obvious talent and a massive ceiling for further growth at the highest level, having taken to the European game like a duck to water.
His sole season in Serie A earned widespread praise, with his attacking output ranking among the best in the division—placing in the 85th percentile or above in expected assists (xA), completed crosses, and progressive carries.
So much of the modern game involves inverted full-backs who add to central congestion. For the football romantic, Wesley thrives on overlapping runs while marauding down the touchline.
He is very much a classic wing-back, moulded by agility and athleticism, with an apparently bottomless engine to complement the expectations of a contemporary defender.
The former Flamengo star played a crucial role in Roma’s third-place finish last season and has proven integral as Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have sailed to their current first-place standing.
Chart and figures available at DataMB
Naturally, finances play the biggest role in any pursuit for this Ineos department. As recent history has highlighted, the Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox pairing will not wilt under pressure.
Wesley signed a five-year deal at Roma in July 2025, and Gasperini will not be keen to lose his Brazilian star at this stage of his planning for the Stadio Olimpico.
Having arrived in Italy for a modest fee of €25 million, United would be expected to double that valuation at the very least.
Carrick is striving for an attacking identity—one that embodies the cavalier mentality of so many of the great United sides of old.
In Wesley, he would inherit an ambitious throwback, a vintage-style defender who could endear himself to the Stretford End with an uncompromising brand of attack-first football.
Our sources indicate that Michael Sansoni’s department rates the Brazilian very highly and believes his skill set and engine are tailor-made for the Premier League.
The São Luís native is a major client at the MCL Agency—an operation United officials have become deeply familiar with through their ongoing work in the Brazilian youth market.
Let us know your thoughts about a potential move for the Roma star in the comments or across our social channels. Photo by m.iacobucci.tiscali.it via depositphotos.com.
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