Manchester United’s Tielemans Deal: Mikel Calls It a Steal

Manchester United have made plenty of expensive mistakes in midfield over the past decade. This time, according to two men who know the Premier League and Belgian football inside out, they might just have pulled off the bargain of the summer.

Youri Tielemans to United for £35 million. To John Obi Mikel, that price is almost an insult to the player’s talent.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, the former Chelsea midfielder didn’t bother to dress it up.

“For me, it’s Youri Tielemans. Honestly, how the f*ck did Manchester United get him for £35m? That’s a f*cking steal,” Mikel said, still half in disbelief. “I watched him before and during the World Cup, and you can see that this is a player.”

Mikel has seen elite midfields from the inside. He shared dressing rooms with Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Cesc Fàbregas. When he talks about a midfielder’s toolbox, he knows what he’s measuring against.

He loves Tielemans’ range.

“Obviously, we all know how Tielemans plays, he can play as a six, an eight or a ten,” Mikel explained. “When you have a player that can play anywhere, it gives you the variety to change the way you want to play. Tielemans is that guy.”

Goals. Set pieces. Security in possession. Mikel ticked them off one by one.

“He scores goals, he’s dangerous from set pieces, he’s brilliant on the ball, and he rarely gives it away. The only thing people can say is that he’s not the quickest, but he reads the game so well. He is very intelligent with and without the ball.

“When I look at all the midfielders that have transferred to different clubs [this summer], the best one is Tielemans.”

For a club that has lurched from one midfield rebuild to the next, that is exactly the profile United have been accused of lacking: someone who can sit, drive, or create, depending on the game’s demands.

Alderweireld: The Risk-Taker United Have Been Missing

If Mikel focused on Tielemans’ versatility and intelligence, Toby Alderweireld zoomed in on something else: courage.

Not the sliding-tackle kind. The kind that shows up when the ball arrives under pressure, Old Trafford is restless, and the easy option is sideways.

In an interview with Hajper, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender argued that Tielemans’ true value can’t be captured by the numbers alone.

“The problem with modern football is that sometimes we look too much at stats like assists and goals,” Alderweireld said. “Of course, Youri Tielemans creates assists and scores goals, and can shoot from outside the box and score free kicks, but he is so much more than that.”

The numbers are there, but Alderweireld insisted the real story lies in how Tielemans knits teams together.

“Tielemans is a link up player, and you have to watch him to understand why he is so important to his teams, not just look at his stats, because he is always trying to play the ball forward,” he explained.

That is the line that will resonate most with United supporters.

“You have some midfield players who have a pass success rate of 98% but they are always playing the ball backwards,” Alderweireld added. “Tielemans is a guy who turns, opens up and plays the ball between the lines, and that’s very important for a club like Manchester United who need to break other teams down.”

At Old Trafford, where visiting sides often sit deep and dare United to unlock them, that willingness to punch passes through tight spaces is gold. It also comes with risk. Alderweireld doesn’t shy away from that.

“Even when he’s playing in a deep role, he’s playing it in an attacking way. He’s thinking about going forwards, always,” he said. “Sometimes he will lose the ball but that’s what happens when you take some risks in games to make things happen, and I think that’s something United need, and he has the mentality to be brave and positive under the big pressure of the shirt.”

This is not a player who hides.

“He will put in ultra big effort and say to his team-mates, give me the ball and let me change the game for you,” Alderweireld concluded. “He will take the responsibility to take Manchester United forward.”

Between Mikel’s incredulity at the fee and Alderweireld’s admiration for Tielemans’ mentality, a clear picture forms: United have not just bought another midfielder. They have brought in a player expected to grab the ball, demand the game, and drag a giant of English football back onto the front foot.

Now the question is simple: can Old Trafford give him the platform to match that ambition?