While the wrath of Manchester United fans, frustrated by the club’s lack of transfer activity, continues to be directed towards Ed Woodward, the lesser-spotted Matt Judge continues to go about his business quietly in the background.
That was until earlier this week at least, when Patrice Evra’s incredible 20-minute tirade put Judge, and his qualifications as United’s chief transfer negotiator, back under the spotlight once more.
Evra claimed that Judge failed to answer a call from a leading sporting director of another club during his busiest time of the season. Having come from a fans’ favourite, the suggestion was never going to go down well among supporters. United fans’ anger at the board and their failure to get deals over the line has reached boiling point yet again, with the club seemingly still struggling to come to terms with the departures of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill seven years ago.
This year, supporters’ ire regarding transfers has been directed at the uncertainty surrounding the pursuit of Jadon Sancho and the fact they have brought in just one new face in the form of £40m midfielder Donny van de Beek.
Borussia Dortmund have repeatedly insisted that Sancho will stay at the Signal Iduna Park this season, with United unwilling to match the Bundesliga side’s £108m valuation of the player. The current stalemate has left fans shaking their heads at the latest developments when just a few weeks ago they were full of excitement about their potential new signing.
The lack of movement on the Sancho deal was then compounded by a home defeat by Crystal Palace at the weekend in United’s first Premier League fixture of the season, and now Evra has joined in with fans voicing their frustrations by slamming Woodward and Judge for the role they have played in a quiet summer window.
“The only problem I would say to Ed is trusting people he should never trust,” Evra said in an astonishing attack on his former club, who he claims have started to ‘blow away their legacy’.
“He even trusts people outside the club that he shouldn’t. When we want a player and they cost say £20m, we end up trying to buy him for £100m.”
“Now those players don’t even want our money any more. A sporting director from a top club called me and asked me to tell Matt Judge to answer his phone.”
The Frenchman’s outburst on his own social media account on Monday is all the more shocking because he was considered to be a supporter of Woodward having sat alongside him in the directors’ box on a number of occasions.
But what of Judge, the tall, balding man who has just once been snapped walking behind Woodward in club suit and tie at Bournemouth two years ago. Well, the fact that only one image of him exists on the internet points to the secrecy of his general portfolio.
Judge joined United eight years ago and has been trusted by Woodward to negotiate transfer deals and contracts for four years after 13 years of experience in investment banking. But go online in search of further information and prepared to be largely disappointed.
The bio on his LinkedIn page contains no photo and reads simply and rather vaguely: “Managing Manchester United’s equity and debt capital structure – three equity offerings incl the IPO, totalling over $450m; and three debt refinancings ($1bn+) – debt private placement, term-loan and RCF. Also player negotiations (transfers and playing contracts).”
But as one fan highlighted following Evra’s outburst, the wording in his bio appears to suggest player negotiations are but a minor part, or afterthought, of his role as opposed to the fundamental role it should represent for every Premier League outfit.
