Manchester United Need to Focus on One Transfer at a Time to Ensure Success

Yesterday we were struck with the news that David Moyes had launched an unsuccessful bid (Telegraph) for Everton's star left-back, Leighton Baines.

This came as somewhat of a shock to many fans who—despite perhaps not being surprised by United's continued interest in the England International—may not have been aware that a transfer bid had been launched by the Premier League Champions.

It is no surprise that with the departure of long-term manager Moyes from the club, Everton were always going to struggle to hold onto their best assets.

Many expected that both Baines and central midfielder Marouane Fellaini would find themselves moving away from Goodison Park, with a swap to Old Trafford being their likely destination.

So far no notable efforts have been made to bring Fellaini to the club, but with this news of a potential swoop for Baines, it appears as though the footballing hearsay has at least been partially accurate.

However, with the bid falling flat, Manchester United are left in a position that most fans of the club will remember from this time last year.

United have made a habit of sticking their fingers in a lot of pots at once in recent years, and last summer was the epitome of this. 

At one stage, the Red Devils were on the hunt for Shinji Kagawa, Eden Hazard, Lucas Moura and their current and continued transfer target, Leighton Baines.

This period of activity would eventually culminate in United signing only Kagawa, with the deals for Moura (Independent) and Hazard (BBC Sport), despite both supposedly nearing completion, falling through at the last minute.

It was a huge blow for United as Hazard and Moura would both go on to have stellar seasons with their new clubs.

Whilst the acquisition of Kagawa was a huge positive, and the later addition of United's new "chosen son" Robin van Persie ensuring that they wrapped up their 20th English title, things could have been so much better in the long-term for the Devils.

Moura and Hazard are the future of world football, and having players like this in your team at such a tender age would have been fantastic going forward in years to come.

This summer, Manchester United have a huge chance to rectify that with the potential arrival of Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona. 

Much like with Hazard and Moura, the club appears to be entering into the final stages of negotiations, with the likelihood of a move drawing ever nearer.

However, with teams like Manchester City and Bayern Munich also ready to pounce for the 22-year-old, United have to focus all of their concentration on this move.

Whilst bringing Leighton Baines to the club would be a brilliant signing for David Moyes, it is crucial that he learns from the mistakes of last summer, and firstly ensures the acquisition of Thiago.

The club is falling into the same trap that saw them miss out on two critical occasions 12 months ago.

If and when the move for Thiago is finally completed, then Moyes and the board should then turn their focus towards either Baines or Kevin Strootman.

I'm aware that when adopting a policy like this there is the obvious risk that during the time spent focusing solely on one player, another transfer target could potentially be shepherded away by a rival club.

And that is precisely why speed is of the essence. It would appear as though the Alcantara deal is near its conclusion (Daily Mail) and so as little time wasted on this as possible is in the club's best interest.

If United can get this move finished by as early as next week then attention can be turned back fully to this approaching Baines saga.

By dilly-dallying around and making bids that simply test the waters more than anything else, United are wasting precious time which could be spent on making a definitive transfer deal.

This policy needs to change.

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