Man Utd shamed as world’s largest spenders in high 10 record with Arsenal however not Liverpool
Manchester United have the highest net spend globally over the past decade, yet only five major trophies to their name.
The club has been on a spending spree in the transfer market over the last 10 years, shelling out massive fees on players in an attempt to recapture the glory days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. But they’ve only managed to secure two FA Cups, two Carabao Cups and a Europa League title during this time, with the game’s top honours eluding them.
The last summer transfer window perfectly illustrates United’s approach. They splurged £200million on Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Masraoui and Manuel Ugarte, but currently languish in 13th place in the Premier League, following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag after a record worst-ever start in the competition.
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Ten Hag, who was at the helm for two and a half years, had £600m of new players at his disposal, many of whom he’d previously managed at Ajax, but failed to deliver a significant return on that investment. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are reportedly planning a different strategy, informing Ruben Amorim that he will have to work with a considerably smaller budget.
This may be a case of too little, too late, as research from CIES Football Observatory and its data on transfer fees highlights United’s underperformance in recent years. The club has a staggering net spend of €1.3billion (£1.08bn) since 2015, more than any other football club, reports the Mirror.
A glance at their current team reveals a roster of high-priced players from Harry Maguire (£80m) in defence, through Casemiro (£60m) and Mason Mount (£55m) in midfield to Antony (£86m) and Rasmus Hojlund (£72m) leading the attack.
Incredibly, United’s net spend even surpasses that of Chelsea. The Blues have indeed splashed out more €2.78bn compared to United’s €1.95bn but they’ve managed to offset this with better sales. This results in Chelsea’s net spend over the past decade being €1.2bn (£1.07bn), with top signings like Enzo Fernandez (£106m) and Moises Caicedo (£115m) during the Todd Boehly era.
However, that has been rewarded along the way by the Blues lifting two Premier League titles, the Champions League, an FA Cup, plus a League Cup, Europa League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Paris Saint-Germain take the third spot with a net spend of €991m (£825m), bolstered by the acquisitions of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Sergio Ramos and the loss of their star player, Kylian Mbappe, to Real Madrid for free last summer.
Arsenal rank fourth, ahead of rivals Tottenham, with a net spend of €795m (£661m). However, all their investment under Arsene Wenger and now Mikel Arteta has only seen them capture four FA Cups and fail to lift the game’s biggest prizes domestically or in Europe.
The Gunners haven’t shied away from shelling out big bucks for key players like Declan Rice (£105m) and Kai Havertz (£65m). Meanwhile, their North London rivals Tottenham have spent €711m (£591m), including an estimated £65m fee on Dominic Solanke this summer, without winning anything.
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This puts them ahead of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, AC Milan, Newcastle, Barcelona and Al-Hilal, who complete the top 10. Liverpool sit 17th on the list with a net spend of just €366m (£304m) over the past decade, falling behind clubs such as Bournemouth (£318m), Aston Villa (£433m) and West Ham (£456m).
Despite finding themselves in such a low position, Liverpool’s shrewd use of resources with signings like Mohamed Salah for £36m and Jurgen Klopp‘s astute management saw the Reds capture the Premier League and Champions League, along with the FA Cup, two League Cups, a Super Cup and Club World Cup.
As expected, the Premier League outpaces other leagues when it comes to splashing the cash. Over the past decade, Premier League clubs have collectively shelled out a whopping €23.02bn (£19.18bn), more than twice the amount spent by Italy’s Serie A, which stands at €10.84bn (£9.03bn).
Portugal’s top-tier league, on the other hand, has proven to be the best at exporting players, boasting a positive net spend of €2.34bn (£1.95bn) over the same period.
