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Manchester United want to sign 24-goal striker this summer
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United shortlist expands with Brentford target
Manchester United’s recruitment department has widened its search, with Brentford striker Igor Thiago emerging as a serious option, according to Sports Boom.
“Manchester United have added Igor Thiago’s name to a long list of potential targets compiled by their recruitment department.”
This reflects a familiar pattern at Old Trafford, a desire to assess multiple profiles before committing significant resources. Thiago’s numbers speak clearly. “The Brazilian, who has scored 24 goals in only 35 starts for Brentford,” has impressed with both efficiency and presence.
Photo IMAGO
Profile suits United attacking requirements
Thiago’s appeal lies in his blend of attributes. “He is known to have impressed Old Trafford chiefs with his finishing skills and physicality.” Those qualities align with a forward line that has lacked consistency and authority in key moments.
At 24, his trajectory remains upward. Having progressed from Cruzeiro through Ludogorets and Club Brugge before arriving at Brentford, he has adapted to different leagues and demands. That adaptability often proves valuable in high pressure environments.
There is also a broader context. With Champions League football expected, United require depth capable of sustaining performance across competitions. Thiago offers a profile that could complement existing options while adding competition.
Financial caution shapes potential deal
The financial dimension is central. “Brentford’s financial model demands they would consider parting company… for nothing less than around £60million.” That valuation reflects both his output and his importance to the club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s approach introduces restraint. “He is wary of becoming involved in a bidding war for the centre-forward.” This caution follows previous high value pursuits and suggests a more disciplined strategy.
Structuring a deal could provide a solution. “The Red Devils could spread that fee over the course of any agreement.” Such flexibility has become standard practice, allowing clubs to balance ambition with sustainability.
Timing could prove decisive
There is also urgency linked to Thiago’s international prospects. “Expected to be named in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the forthcoming World Cup,” his profile may rise further. United may view this window as an opportunity to act before competition intensifies.
Recent dealings between the clubs provide precedent. United “lured Bryan Mbeumo away from west London last summer,” demonstrating an ability to negotiate effectively with Brentford.
Thiago’s recent form adds nuance. He “was unable to find the back of the net for the fourth time in as many outings” during a 2-1 meeting between the sides. Such fluctuations are part of any striker’s season, yet they do little to diminish his overall output.
Photo IMAGO
This is a calculated consideration rather than a definitive pursuit. United continue to weigh options, balancing performance data, financial parameters and squad needs. Thiago fits many of the criteria, but the final decision will depend on how those elements align in the weeks ahead.
 
Our View – EPL Index Analysis
Thiago represents a profile the club has been missing, a striker with physical presence who can convert chances consistently.
Fans have seen periods where United dominate possession but lack a focal point in attack. Thiago’s record suggests he could address that issue. His ability to score “24 goals in only 35 starts” stands out, particularly in a competitive league.
There will be questions about the price. £60 million is significant, especially for a player still proving himself at the highest level. Supporters remain cautious after previous investments that have not delivered expected returns.
However, there is encouragement in the club’s measured approach. Avoiding bidding wars and structuring deals responsibly indicates a shift in thinking. That discipline has been needed for some time.
Ultimately, this feels like a move that could strengthen the squad if executed correctly. Fans will want assurance that recruitment decisions are part of a coherent plan, not isolated gambles.



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LIFESTYLE
How a Single Mother Brought an Entire Species Back from the Brink of Extinction – The Marginalian
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This essay is adapted from Traversal.
“In the great chain of cause and effect,” Alexander von Humboldt wrote as he was teaching science to read the poetry of nature, “no single fact can be considered in isolation.”
When the first European colonists made landfall on New Zealand’s shores in Humboldt’s lifetime, the cats and rats that descended from their ships began decimating the native population of black robins — sparrow-sized birds with yellow-soled feet that had evolved without mammalian predators, mate for life in monogamous pairs, and raise only two chicks per year in cuplike nests close to the ground.
Bird by bird, claw by claw, there were only seven survivors within a century.
Black robin among other native birds (John Gerrard Keulemans, 1907)
Desperate to encourage the survivors to breed, conservationists moved them to Mangere Island, where twenty thousand trees were planted just to provide a hospitable habitat for the robins. But they would not pair — mysterious are the ways of even a bird’s heart, for it is all a single mystery.
Two of the seven died.
Among the five survivors there was a sole female capable of laying fertile eggs — a robin so aged that she came to be known as Old Blue. At eight, she had outlived the average black robin twofold. With the survival of the species resting on Old Blue’s near flightless wings, scientists thought that if her offspring were raised by surrogate parents, she would be able to lay more eggs.
Warblers were the first designated foster parents, but they failed to feed the chicks enough.
Tomtits were tried next, but they were too successful as foster parents — the black robin chicks grew up perceiving themselves as tomtits and wanted to mate only with other tomtits.
Finally, the chicks were returned to Old Blue, in whose care they thrived as black robins.
A single mother brought a whole species back from the brink of extinction.
Old Blue lived to be fourteen and raised eleven chicks. All the black robins in the world today, numbering around 250, are fractal emissaries of her genes — a winged reminder that immensities of harm can be undone by a single act of tenacious tenderness.



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BUSINESS
AI Adoption Is a Challenge. Here’s a Solution.
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Goal
Help leaders reduce resistance to generative AI by addressing employees’ core psychological needs — competence, autonomy, and relatedness — through the AWARE framework.
Nano Tool
Organizations are investing heavily in generative AI, but adoption is lagging and resistance is rising. Recent cross-industry research shows that 31% of U.S. knowledge workers admit to actively working against their company’s AI initiatives, and 41% of Gen Z workers report the same. Meanwhile, while 85% of leaders and 78% of managers regularly use gen AI, only 51% of workers do. More than half of employees say they would use AI tools without formal approval, and nearly one-third keep their use hidden from employers.
This adoption gap erodes productivity gains, weakens trust, and delays return on investment. But it’s not simply a training deficit. It is a psychological one. Research on workplace motivation consistently shows that employees thrive when three core needs are satisfied: feeling capable and effective (competence), feeling in control of their work (autonomy), and feeling connected and respected (relatedness). Gen AI can strengthen these needs by expanding skills and reducing drudgery, but it can also threaten them by redefining expertise, mandating rigid workflows, or disrupting collaboration. When those needs are frustrated, resistance is predictable.
The AWARE framework offers leaders a disciplined way to address the human side of AI integration by acknowledging concerns, monitoring coping behaviors, aligning support, redesigning work for human-AI complementarity, and empowering employees through transparency and participation. Leaders who apply it treat AI implementation not as a technical rollout, but as an organizational transition — one that determines whether AI becomes a productivity accelerator or a source of division and disengagement.
Action Steps
1. Acknowledge psychological impact
Surface concerns instead of suppressing them. Openly recognize how AI may affect identity, skills, and job security. Name the competence threat (“This may feel like it’s redefining what expertise means”), address autonomy concerns (“We don’t want this to feel imposed”), and validate relatedness anxieties (“This changes how we collaborate”). Acknowledgment builds psychological safety and reduces quiet resistance.
2. Watch coping behaviors
Pay attention to how employees respond — both adaptively and maladaptively. Adaptive behaviors include skill building, workflow experimentation, and peer collaboration. Maladaptive behaviors include withdrawal, avoiding AI-related tasks, “shadow AI” use without disclosure, and passive resistance or open opposition. Monitoring usage patterns and listening carefully allows leaders to intervene early and empathetically.
3. Align support systems
Training alone is insufficient. Support must align with psychological needs. Build competence through hands-on experimentation and role-specific learning; preserve autonomy with flexible, personalized learning pathways; and strengthen relatedness through peer coaching and collaborative forums. Avoid one-size-fits-all training; instead, tailor development journeys to skill level and readiness.
4. Redesign roles for complementarity
Don’t simply “plug AI into” existing workflows. Redesign work to balance automation and augmentation by assigning repetitive, data-heavy tasks to AI; elevating human tasks requiring judgment, empathy, creativity, and ethics; and redefining roles to increase ownership and strategic contribution. End-to-end workflow redesign fosters engagement more effectively than tool deployment alone.
5. Empower through transparency and participation
Empowerment requires more than access — it requires voice. Communicate clearly about what AI will and will not change, involve employees in identifying high-value use cases, and provide inclusive access to tools and training. When workers help shape implementation, they become co-creators rather than reluctant adopters.
How Leaders and Organizations Use It
The following examples illustrate how acknowledgement of AI adoption as a leadership rather than a technical challenge redesigns work for the future while protecting competence, preserving autonomy, and strengthening connection:
PwC’s “My AI” initiative combines tools, hands-on experimentation (“prompting parties”), and peer “activators” embedded across the firm. The approach builds competence through practice, preserves autonomy through experimentation, and strengthens relatedness through social learning.
Moderna merged technology and HR into a unified People and Digital Technology function to redesign AI-enabled workflows collaboratively. Dell simplified sales processes before introducing AI tools, freeing teams for higher-value customer work. Both focused on human-AI complementarity rather than plug-and-play deployment.
BNY broadened access to AI tools across the workforce, enabling thousands of employees to build their own agents. Companies such as Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson involve employees directly in identifying AI use cases. Participation fosters ownership and reduces resistance.
Knowledge in Action: Related Executive Education Programs

Contributors to this Nano Tool
Erik Hermann, interim professor of marketing, European University Viadrina, Germany, is a researcher focused on the psychological and behavioral effects of emerging technologies in organizations. Stefano Puntoni is the Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School and co-director of Wharton Human-AI Research. His research examines how artificial intelligence reshapes decision making, consumer behavior, and the future of work. Carey K. Morewedge is a professor of marketing at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. His research explores judgment, decision making, and the psychological drivers of behavior in organizations and markets. This Nano Tool is adapted from their research and article in the Harvard Business Review.
Additional Resources
Access all Wharton Executive Education Nano Tools
Download this Nano Tool as a PDF



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