It's so great that we have a new signing, and a new signing done this early as well. For so long United used to dilly-dally when it came to transfers to the point where we wouldn't even give a shit when they actually held up the shirt.
And to an extent, that is the same here with Ederson as we have had several reports about this deal getting done over the last few weeks, but at least that didn't drag on too long.
Now that we do have him over the line, let's see what the Brazilian will bring to the team and whether he will be able to replace our Brazilian unc.
No pressure lad 😬.
Player Profile
Starting off with the basic, Ederson is 26 - soon to be 27 - stands at 1.83m tall, is right-footed and while he is more of a central midfielder, can play as a holding midfielder or attacking midfielder.
These type of players are always welcome because it's great to know that they can play a number of positions.
That versatility is invaluable.
Style of Play
Ederson is seen more as a box-to-box midfielder, someone who is great at covering ground and helping the team both offensively and defensively.
He has great strength and physicality which are ideal attributes when playing in the Premier League. We know how physical one has to be otherwise you can get left behind.
Something that I like about him is how composed he is on the ball especially in tight spaces. When you have that calmness in possession paired with his strength, it makes Ederson a difficult player to get the ball off of.
That is very Kobbie Mainoo of him. Our youngster displays the same level of composure and strength when in possession too.
The 26-year-old also has a decent range of passing whether it be long or short, on the ground or in the air.
As he is a box-to-box midfielder though, he will need to show some defensive qualities. And one of his strengths is the ability to anticipate and intercept passes by the opposition.
He often breaks up the play, uses his strength to keep the ball before that composure allows him to play the right pass. When winning the ball back in his defensive third, having such abilities can be key in killing the opponents' attacks.
I won't say that he is a player that I would want to take the ball off the defense and progress the play. This is something he can do but isn't a specialty.
Nor is he much of a goal threat. In 41 matches this season for Atalanta, Ederson scored just 3 and assisted twice.
However, having played under Gianpiero Gasperini, Ederson will have needed to work hard because that man wanted players to run their socks off. Again, this would be another advantage for him in a league as relentess and unforgiving as the PL. There will be no need for a settling in period. A HUGE positive.
Ederson also has a good disciplinary record as he's picked up just one red card in the past three seasons. We know that in England, they do like to brandish cards - yellow or red - to United players and particularly the South Americans.
While his record is good, we gotta be careful.
One of his best attributes though, is his availability. The Brazilian has missed just 10 games through injuries since the 22/23 season. He's played a total of 127 matches in the last three campaigns showing that not only is he ever-present but also a key player for his side.
Considering the amount of injuries we've had and the additional games coming next season, a player with this great an injury record is absolutely essential.
Final Thoughts
Look, I know that this wasn't much in terms of what he can bring to United. There isn't that much out there on him beyond the highlights we've all seen.
And those highlights are kind of what I based this analysis of him on if I'm being completely honest.
I didn't know much about him when we were linked with him a couple of years ago and that hasn't changed. I don't watch much of Atalanta so I can't tell you from my own eyes whether he's a good player or not.
But by the looks of him and what people have said, Ederson is not utterly shite. He's a solid option, and that's how I see him - a good squad option.
He's not going to be a starter as Mainoo and perhaps some of the other new midfielders will be ahead of him but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
And I find this to be a key aspect in this Ederson deal in that it might be the start of United addressing one of our main problems over the years: building a strong squad.
Squad players/rotational options (especially versatile ones) who you can rely on to come on and do a good job whilst keeping the level of quality relatively high is exactly how you build a squad.
These type of players are those who usually go unnoticed. You don't really pay attention to them but you truly appreciate them when they're on the pitch.
I think players like this is what United have sort of neglected over the years when it comes to signings. We tend to buy first team players and only first-team players.
While those are priorities, the squad players are very important as well because for so long we've had the issue where the drop off between the first team and second is massive. This results in overuse of certain players and underuse of others.
Ederson is the first signing that we've made that could finally indicate that United are bridging that gap.
There is one issue with this transfer though.
How desperate were United for him?
Reports have stated that both Michael Carrick and Jason Wilcox identified Ederson as a replacement for Casemiro back in April.
Firstly, he's no Casemiro replacement - let's get that straight. He doesn't even play in the same position and unc was just too class.
Secondly, we were linked to him in January as well. The reason why the deal didn't happen then - other than the fact that United don't like to do winter deals - was because Atalanta demanded a high price for a key player. We then decided to wait until now because his price would go down.
The real issue with that however, was the fact that Ederson had actually reached a preliminary agreement on his personal terms with Atletico Madrid in January. It's only because they couldn't come to terms on a fee that the Brazilian is not at Atleti.
This suggests to me that it just sort of worked out for United to sign him now rather than they did what was necessary to bring him to Old Trafford. Had things had gone a bit better between Atalanta, Ederson and Atleti, the Brazilian would probably be joining Diego Simeone.
I also don't understand why we went back in for a player that we wanted to sign under Erik ten Hag and the previous board. Not something that you usually see.
With all that being said, and I know that it does sound negative, this signing won't be a flop. Regardless of whether Ederson actually succeeds or fails, won't matter because at £35m, in today's market, that is chump change. United won't lose out on much.
The only way this transfer could be a problem is if he is that marquee signing, if he truly is that Casemiro replacement.
Other than that, I think this is a solid start to the transfer window and it gets the ball rolling.
Welcome to the greatest club in the world Ederson 🤝.
Ederson signs for Man Utd | Creator: PIERO CRUCIATTI | Credit: AFP via Getty Image Copyright: AFP or licensors - Goal