Manchester United's summer of change: Eva Olid takes over the women's team as transfer rumours swirl around Am

Manchester United Women have appointed Eva Olid as their new head coach, handing the former Hearts manager a two-year contract running until 2028 with the option of a further year. Olid, who won a trophy during her time in Scotland, described the appointment as a dream come true. She replaces Marc Skinner, who left the role on the Monday before the announcement. Olid takes over a side that plays in the Women's Super League, the top tier of English women's football, and that won the 2023–24 Women's FA Cup — the first major honour in the club's history. United were said to be impressed by her record of developing players. Her arrival comes during a restless summer for the wider club. Reports link the men's team with a string of deals ahead of the new Premier League season, including a reported bid for Bruno Guimaraes, for whom Arsenal have agreed a £75 million fee. Together, the moves point to a period of significant change at Old Trafford.

Eva Olid takes charge of Manchester United Women

Manchester United Women have a new head coach. Eva Olid has been appointed on a two-year contract running until 2028, with the club holding an option to extend the deal by a further year. She succeeds Marc Skinner, who left the role on the Monday before the announcement.

Olid made no attempt to hide what the job means to her, describing her appointment as a dream come true. It is a significant step up for a coach who arrives from Hearts, where she won a trophy during her time in charge. That success in Scotland, combined with her work on the training ground, was enough to convince United she was the right person to lead the side into a new era.

Player development was central to her case. United were impressed by Olid's ability to improve the footballers under her guidance, a quality the club clearly values as it shapes the direction of the women's team. Her track record of nurturing talent at Hearts weighed heavily in the decision to hand her the role.

The appointment marks a swift turnaround for the club. Skinner's departure on the Monday left the position vacant, and United moved to install his replacement without a prolonged search, unveiling Olid days later. The speed of the transition suggests the club had identified its preferred candidate and acted decisively once the vacancy opened.

Olid now takes charge of a side competing in the Women's Super League, the top tier of English women's football. It is one of the most demanding jobs in the domestic game, with expectations to match. Her contract, stretching to 2028 with the possibility of another year beyond that, gives her a defined window in which to make her mark — and signals that United view this as a project rather than a short-term fix.

For Olid, the move from Hearts to one of the biggest names in world football represents the opportunity of a career. Her own words — a dream come true — set the tone for what comes next.

The club Olid inherits: FA Cup winners seeking a new direction

Eva Olid walks into a club that has already tasted success. Manchester United Women play in the Women's Super League, the top tier of English women's football, and they arrive at this new chapter as holders of the Women's FA Cup. The 2023–24 triumph was the first major honour in the club's history, a landmark that raised expectations around a side still relatively young in its development.

Olid described the appointment as a dream come true, and the attraction is easy to see. United were impressed by her ability to develop players, a quality she demonstrated at Hearts, where she won a trophy before making the move to England. That track record fits a squad that will need to build on its cup success rather than treat it as a ceiling.

The circumstances of her arrival, though, underline how quickly things have shifted. Marc Skinner left the head coach role on the Monday before the announcement, and Olid's unveiling followed soon after. Her two-year contract runs until 2028, with an option for a further year, suggesting the club want stability after an abrupt change at the top.

What she inherits, then, is a side with a recent trophy, a place among England's elite, and a fanbase that has now seen what winning looks like. The task is to turn one cup into sustained progress in the league.

1. 2023–24 season

   Manchester United Women won the Women's FA Cup, their first major honour.

2. Monday before the head coach appointment

   Marc Skinner left the Manchester United Women head coach role.

3. Announcement of Eva Olid's appointment (

   Eva Olid was appointed head coach of Manchester United Women on a two-year contract until 2028, with an option for a further year.

4. August 4

   Sports Mole published a live round-up of Manchester United done deals, updates and rumours.

The £75 million Bruno Guimaraes race and United's reported rival bid

On the men's side, the transfer window has produced one of the summer's most striking developments: Arsenal have agreed a £75 million fee for Bruno Guimaraes. The deal represents a major outlay and signals the scale of Arsenal's ambition in the market.

What makes the situation more intriguing for United supporters is a report that Manchester United have also made a bid for the midfielder. That claim is not confirmed. According to reports, United have entered the race, but the timing and value of their bid are not specified, and it is not clear how any United offer relates to the fee Arsenal have already agreed. Readers should treat the reported bid as unverified until more detail emerges.

If accurate, the reported interest would set up a direct contest between two Premier League clubs for the same player, with Arsenal holding the clearer position given the agreed £75 million figure. United's reported move, if it exists at all, would appear to have come either before or alongside that agreement, but the briefing available does not establish the sequence of events.

For now, the only firm fact is Arsenal's agreed fee. Everything concerning United's involvement rests on unattributed reporting, and neither the size nor the timing of a United offer is known. Whether the club pursues Guimaraes further, or shifts attention to other midfield targets, remains to be seen as the window progresses.

Left-back hunt and midfield targets: Hall, Kone, Tchouameni and the Fernandes question

Much of the noise around Manchester United's summer centres on the left side of defence. Reports suggest the club are seeking to sign a left-back, with Lewis Hall among the names linked. A potential move for Hall has been described as complicated, however, and the picture is further clouded by claims that one of United's alternative targets in the position favours a move to Barcelona instead.

Midfield is the other area generating headlines. Manu Kone and Aurelien Tchouameni have both been linked with transfers involving United ahead of the new Premier League season, according to reports, though neither name has moved beyond speculation at this stage.

Then there is the question hanging over the club's captain. Bruno Fernandes remains central to United, but reports indicate the club are already thinking about what happens if he departs. Morgan Gibbs-White is reportedly under consideration as a possible successor should that scenario unfold — a contingency plan rather than an active pursuit, at least as things stand.

Taken together, the links sketch out a club working through several positions at once: a left-back search complicated by competition from Barcelona, midfield targets on the continent, and succession planning for the most influential player in the squad. How many of these threads turn into actual bids remains to be seen, and none of the reported interest has been confirmed by the club. For now, the names circulating — Hall, Kone, Tchouameni and Gibbs-White — reflect the breadth of United's reported recruitment thinking rather than any settled shortlist.

Departures taking shape: Zirkzee, Rashford and the Middlesbrough sale

The clearest movement at Old Trafford this summer may be in the opposite direction. Juventus are reported to be pushing to sign Joshua Zirkzee, with the Serie A side said to be pressing ahead in their pursuit of the Manchester United forward. Zirkzee is among several players whose futures at the club appear uncertain as the window develops.

Marcus Rashford is another. The forward is reported to have attracted interest from a new club, handing him a fresh option away from United should he choose to leave. No destination has been confirmed, but the development adds to the sense that Rashford's time at his boyhood club could be drawing towards its conclusion.

Meanwhile, United are reported to be finalising the permanent sale of a player to Middlesbrough. The identity of the player involved has not been disclosed, but the deal is said to be close to completion. According to the reports, it would be the first of as many as six transactions the club is expected to complete before the window closes, suggesting a busy period of squad reshaping lies ahead.

None of the moves has been confirmed by the club, and the details remain subject to change. But taken together, the reports point to a significant clear-out as United look to trim and reshape their squad ahead of the new Premier League season.

Romano's 'here we go' and what comes next in the window

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has reportedly given his signature "here we go" confirmation to at least one Manchester United deal, according to reports, though which specific transfer he has confirmed has not been identified.

Elsewhere, a medical has reportedly been booked in connection with a United-linked move involving Myles Lewis-Skelly, with the player said to have agreed to the switch. The details of that deal remain unclear.

Sports Mole has been tracking the flurry of activity, publishing a live round-up of United done deals, updates and rumours on August 4.

With reports suggesting as many as six deals could be in the pipeline, the coming weeks promise further movement at Old Trafford as the window develops and the club reshapes its squad.

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