Manchester United have made a habit out of spending recklessly in the transfer market and it can be argued that it came back to haunt them this summer.
United spent in excess of €200m this summer and their deadline-day move for Antony, the former Ajax winger, was their second most expensive transfer of all time.
United’s careless spending has been a common theme since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 and now, they have been ranked higher than any other European club in terms of overspending.
According to a study by CIES Football Observatory, United have beaten off competition from Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain to sit top of the table in this regard.
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As per the study, United have spent in excess of €1.5bn in the last 10 years and their incoming transfers have exceeded players’ transfer values by a whopping €238m.
The markup of €238m is said to be spread across 33 players, with Juventus sitting second at €234m overpaid over 36 transfers.
United are said to be the only Premier League club to have surpassed the €1.5bn mark in this list, with Chelsea a close second at roughly €1.3bn.
SN’s verdict…
United’s chaotic and frantic business-making every summer is no secret – it was as calamitous as ever this year. United failed to get their business done early and they were made to overpay in the final weeks of the window.
The Old Trafford hierarchy will hope that this changes soon because although United can currently afford to spend money like this, it’s not a sustainable model.
They will need to sell better in the market as well, having struggled to offload unwanted players in the past. Only time will tell whether they are able to bridge that gap in comparison to their rivals, though.
