United fans still reeling from an awful end to last season were dealt another blow this week, as the online bookies released their latest odds to win the Premier League next season. Incredibly, the Red Devils start as just 5th favourites to win the title, with some online bookmakers offering odds as long as 50/1 before a ball has even been kicked.
The data was released following a market study by the Which Bookie website, which is published at https://whichbookie.co.uk/best-football-bookies-online/.
It’s yet another sign of how far United’s standing in the game has fallen over the last few years. Not long ago it was inconceivable for us to be anything other than first or second favourites. Now we’re seen as not that much more likely to be Champions than Wolves!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs a huge summer in the transfer market. He’s already moved quickly to secure the signing of Daniel James last month, as reported by the BBC here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48613872. But as good a prospect as James looks, most observers feel that a lot more is needed to prove the bookies wrong make the team competitive again.
One of the main problems (apart from Ed Woodward of course) is that we really need to shift some players to make room in the squad before we can buy. The squad is bloated and unbalanced, and there are too many players who don’t want to be at the club, or who don’t deserve to be.
Pogba, Lukaku, Sanchez, Lingard and Fred all fall into one or both of those categories. But finding a buyer is not going to be easy, especially when you take the wages into consideration.
The online football bookies make City favourites and Liverpool second, and as painful as it is to say, it’s hard to argue with that conclusion. But to be so far behind the likes of Spurs and Chelsea in the market is just painful.
It’s also not necessarily something I’d agree with, given that Chelsea have lost their best player. But United as a club can’t be happy with anything but top spot, and that just seems so far off right now.
The bookmakers have been wrong before of course (as Leicester fans will tell you) and so this might not mean much other than an opportunity to get great odds on backing United. But I wouldn’t be risking the rent money on it unless I see some very serious intent in the transfer market, and also signing the right players, not just the expensive ones.
But can we trust Ed to do that? History says not, but time will tell.