Jose Mourinho rarely gets it wrong in the transfer market (Picture: Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho rarely gets it wrong in the transfer market (Picture: Getty Images)

There would have been plenty of sceptics had David Moyes, Louis van Gaal or even Ryan Giggs signed Eric Bailly for Manchester United.

The youngster has relatively little experience having had just one full season at Villarreal, and few can genuinely claim to have known much about him before his big-money transfer to Old Trafford.

Yet Jose Mourinho’s reputation in the transfer market means there is a sense of complete confidence in the Portuguese manager.

The former Chelsea boss seems to always get it right in the market.

Of course, he has always worked at clubs with a fair budget, but the only times when signings haven’t seemed to work has been when players have been forced on him, such as Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea or Emmanuel Adebayor at Real Madrid.

If we look towards the players Mourinho has identified and asked his clubs to sign then you’re looking at a long line of success stories. Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Samuel Eto’o at Internazionale were all hits, and you wonder how successful he could have been at Stamford Bridge had Roman Abramovich acquiesced to his intense desire to sign Wayne Rooney in 2013.

Manchester United’s transfer strategy has been a shambles over recent years. From Sir Alex Ferguson’s sheer unwillingness to spend over £30million on a player in a market ruled by billionaires right through to Moyes and Van Gaal bumbling their way through transfer windows.

Not many Manchester United fans had head of Eric Bailly before he signed (Picture: Getty Images)
Not many Manchester United fans had head of Eric Bailly before he signed (Picture: Getty Images)

The Dutch coach was said to be surprised at United’s transfer structure, and didn’t expect how much he would have to do himself in terms of identifying players. In the end he would provide Ed Woodward with a long list of players who he believed would fit into his system.

This became the crux of the problem, players have to be signed on individual merit for them to work or else you end up with a selection of players who are comfortable in numerous positions but excel in neither, rather like United do at present.

Mourinho is operating in a far different manner with the help of Jorge Mendes.

There is likely to be three targets for each position with the third player the easiest to attain.

For example, in central midfield it may well be that the list reads: Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Andre Gomes.

The signing of Bailly was quick and clean, there was no drama involving agents or parties purporting to represent the player. There was a leak from Spain and it was announced within days.

This is the Mourinho way and, whilst many supporters won’t necessarily have watched the Ivorian defender regularly, there is faith that the Portuguese coach simply knows what he is doing.

Where there was always a sceptical eye when Van Gaal purchased a player, there is not when Mourinho does the same.

It might change should Bailly have a ropey start to life at Old Trafford but for the moment the club’s business once again feels quick, clinical and most importantly, clever.