“I’d have him at Manchester United tomorrow, today, whenever” - Paul Scholes names deadline day signing as best ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea arrivals

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named Manchester City's signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma as the best deal of the summer transfer window. The Italian shot-stopper joined Pep Guardiola's side from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on transfer deadline day for a reported £26 million.

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The recently concluded transfer window saw the Premier League's top clubs spend heavily to bolster their respective squads for the season. Liverpool were the biggest spenders of the summer, splashing a whopping £450 million on incoming players, including a British transfer record fee of £125 million for Alexander Isak.

Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal were also hugely active in the market, with each club spending over £200 million to strengthen their squads. Manchester City, meanwhile, also reinforced their roster with £185 million spent on transfers, including the capture of Donnarumma from PSG.

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While transfers like Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, Isak to Liverpool, and Benjamin Sesko to United were some of the notable signings of the summer, Scholes believes that Manchester City's capture of Donnarumma was the best deal of the summer.

The former Manchester United star made his feelings known with a post on his Instagram Stories where he lauded City's acquisition of the former PSG man. He wrote, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

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"Donnarumma for £26m surely has to be signing of the window... obviously apart from the 14 Salford City have signed."

Speaking recently on The Overlap podcast, Scholes reiterated his stance, admitting that he would have the Italian goalkeeper anytime at Manchester United. He said:

"I think that’s a really strange signing for Pep. I love the keeper [Donnarumma], I think he’s brilliant and I’d have him at United tomorrow, today, whenever. For £40m [Donnarumma's previously reported price], he's unbelievable."

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However, Scholes also highlighted a flaw in the City's signing of Donnarumma. He claimed that the 26-year-old is not a ball-playing goalkeeper and could struggle to fit into Guardiola's system.

"But for Pep, you’ve got to almost be able to play in central midfield as a goalkeeper.'I think that’s the reason [Luis] Enrique is getting rid of him at PSG, because he’s not great with his feet. I just don’t see him as a City goalkeeper," he added.

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With Ederson leaving to join Turkish outfit Fernabache, Donnarumma is expected to fight for the first-choice role with James Trafford. Meanwhile, Manchester United's goalkeeper issues have lingered, with Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir failing to impress so far. The Red Devils also completed the signing of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day.

Paul Scholes on Ruben Amorim and Manchester United's struggles this season

While speaking on the aforementioned platform, Paul Schles also addressed Ruben Amorim's and Manchester United's struggles in the 2025-26 campaign. Despite bringing in the likes of Bryan Mbuemo, Mathues Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko, the Red Devils have underperformed, managing just a win in four matches across competitions.

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Scholes admitted that he is fond of Amorim, but slammed him for his comments after the side's loss to Grimbsy in the Carabao Cup third round. He said:

"I quite like Amorim. He's very honest and can be too honest. He's saying what every manager probably thinks at some point, but I don’t think you say that out loud. There are so many experienced managers in the Premier League who will be thinking that, and I’ve thought that, but they won’t say it."

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"The worst comment for me was after the Grimsby game, where he said that the players spoke out loud – I thought that was a little bit damning for him," the Manchester United legend added.

United began the campaign with a 1-0 loss to Arsenal and shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Fulham. They then lost 12-11 on penalties to Grimbsy (after 2-2 in regulation time), before securing a hard-fought 3-2 win over Burnley last weekend. Upon returning from the international break, they will face Manchester City in the Manchester derby on September 14.

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About the author Okenna Okere Okenna is an football journalist at Sportskeeda. He has previously worked as a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia for 4 years, and as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria for around 2 years. As a successful modus operandi, he strictly sticks to publishing guidelines, double checks facts while writing, pays very close attention to details and prides himself on picking complex topics to write on.

A Chelsea fan, Okenna had his first tryst with Blues in 2006, after fellow countryman John Mikel Obi joined the west London club. He was immediately drawn to the brilliance of players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Didier Drogba.

Okenna is a huge fan of Lionel Messi for his exceptional talent. He also admires Jose Mourinho for his achievements with various clubs which proves he's a tactical and disciplined manger as well as a serial winner.

Some of Okenna’s prospective career landmarks include working as an international journalist and covering a FIFA World Cup game live from the stadium. When not writing, he loves watching, movies and reading books. Know More

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