Manchester United’s football director John Murtough told a conference call with investors the level of spending seen this summer will not be repeated in future transfer windows.
Several players were signed this summer to bolster Erik ten Hag’s squad.
Some of the new recruits include Ajax pair Antony and Lisandro Martinez, Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, and Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord. Christian Eriksen was also brought in as a free agent.
Chief financial officer Cliff Baty says the wage increases were “in line with expectations”, however, we must remember that United waved goodbye to over 11 players due to expiring contracts. Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard all had big deals at the club.
The biggest headline from United’s recent conference call with investors is that the club made a net loss of £115.5m, £23m more than 12 months previously.
Another hit is expected for failing for qualify for the Champions League.
Murtough told investors he does not expect the same level of activity in future transfer windows, which may come as a blow to Ten Hag, who will be planning to take United back to the top in the coming years.
“During the summer, we made significant investment in the first-team squad with the permanent addition of five regular starters, including a balance of experienced international players and younger, emerging talent,” Murtough said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“We also saw a higher-than-usual number of departures and this was an equally-important part of refreshing the squad after the disappointing 2021-22 season.
“We will continue to support Erik in ensuring he has players with the right quality and characters to achieve success, while ensuring that investment remains consistent with our commitment to financial sustainability.
“Overall, we are ahead of schedule in our recruitment plans as envisaged at the start of the summer, and we do not anticipate the same level of activity in future windows.
“As always, our planning focuses on the summer window.”
This may also be used as a tactic in the future to warn clubs — like Borussia Dortmund and Ajax — that there shouldn’t be special premium cost for Manchester United. And I don’t expect anything to change on that front.
A club like Manchester United shouldn’t feel financial insignificant when it comes to other football clubs that spend whatever it takes to be success.
