Later this Friday, it was revealed that Manchester United and Leicester finally reached an agreement about the transfer of Harry Maguire. The deal reportedly concluded with a record-breaking fee of €87 million, making the 26-year-old defender the most expensive defender in history.
Harry Maguire, Leicester City (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
Harry Maguire has been heavily linked with a transfer to the Red Devils since the summer transfer window opened and while it seemed like he could end up in Manchester any day, the two clubs could not reach an agreement on the price for several weeks. Despite the fact it took Leicester and Manchester United a couple of months to finally shake hands, the transfer deal has reportedly finished on Friday, meaning Harry Maguire only needs to complete the medical before he can join Man United squad on their quest to the 21st EPL title
A less known fact is that Manchester United had a long-lasting interest in Maguire, who they wanted to sign last year, however, decided to back away after Leicester asked for €76 million (£70 million), which back then seemed like too high of an asking price. Man United’s decision to wait in the end cost them additional €11 million (£10 million). As it was reported Manchester United agreed to pay approximately €87 million (£80 million) for Harry Maguire later last week, which is as of now the new record fee for a defender, surpassing that of Virgil van Dijk, who cost Liverpool about £75 back in 2018. With that transfer, Maguire also tied with Cristiano Ronaldo as the 10th most expensive transfer in history.
While paying €87 million (£80 million) for a defender might seem a lot, Harry Maguire arguably justified the price with his performances in the last couple of years.
As a player, he began his football career at Sheffield United in 2011, where he made a total of 139 league appearances before he switched to Hull City in 2014. Only 2 years after joining Hull, Maguire helped his team reach a promotion into the Premier League via playoffs. Unfortunately, the 2016/17 season did not go as planned for Hull, who found themselves relegated only 12 months after reaching the Premier League. In 2017, Maguire also left the club for Leicester in a £17 million deal, meaning he got a chance to remain in the EPL, where he continued to gain valuable experience which made him the player he is today. As years passed, Harry Maguire improved and is as of today considered to be one of the best defenders out there. While we can talk about how good he is, the number speak for themselves. Last season, Harry Maguire achieved the following statistic per 90 min:
4.1 aerial duels won
6.3 duels won
5.3 clearances
61 passes
Those numbers, bear in mind, are miles better compared to those of Manchester United defenders (Lindelöf, Smalling, Jones and Bailly), making it rather obvious Harry Maguire will be a huge addition to the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side who has made some big plans for the next season, as they look to reclaim the EPL title, which they last won in 2013/14 season.
How big of an impact will Harry Maguire have on the Red Devils is yet to be seen, however, adding a player of such a quality to the team will surely prove to have a highly positive result, especially in the defensive end, where Manchester United failed to impress last season.
