Only Chelsea have spent more money than Manchester United since Erik ten Hag was appointed Red Devils boss in 2022.
Ten Hag has been criticised for failing to get a tune of United’s players, despite having been backed heavily in the transfer market across his two seasons at the helm.
The Dutch coach is reportedly set to lose his job as Manchester United manager, whether or not they win the FA Cup final, and failing to get a tune out of big-money additions such as Antony ultimately has to be seen as one of the key reasons why.
Manchester United have spent almost £400million new signings, a number of whom had worked under Ten Hag before elsewhere – Antony, Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez chief among them.
“The matches were dull and the supporters restless as they could see how quickly rivals were upgrading as we first stood still and then regressed on the back of a couple of poor transfer windows,” Jamie Carragher wrote in a recent Telegraph column back in December, comparing Ten Hag’s side to Liverpool in the miserable days when Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez were approaching the end.
“Everything felt like a grind.
“Such days are supposed to be typical for a coach several years into his tenure. It must be worrying for United fans that they are still spending so much time seeking excuses for this low standard. Mitigating factors such as boardroom uncertainty can only stretch so far.”
However, Chelsea – who have spent almost £1billion under Todd Boehly over the same period time – are another strong argument that it’s not what you spend, it’s how you spend it. The Blues finished nine places and 31 points behind Ten Hag’s men last season. They did recover to finish above Ten Hag’s Red Devils in 2023-24, but still missed out on Champions League football and ultimately only ended up three points ahead.
Premier League champions Manchester City have a net spend of more than £250million less than their city rivals since Ten Hag arrived. They’ve also spent considerably over that period, but they’ve also sold a number of high-profile players for large fees.
That’s another area in which United have struggled – raising funds for unwanted players. The rest of their traditional ‘big six’ rivals have recouped considerably more by selling players in recent years gone by.
READ NEXT: The Premier League table since Man Utd appointed Erik ten Hag
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player Erik ten Hag has used at Man Utd?
Here’s how the Premier League’s net spend table stacks up since Ten Hag’s appointment in the summer of 2022. Figures are via Transfermarkt.
1. Chelsea
Money Spent – £966.9m
Money Received – £274.4m
Net Spend – £692.4m
2. Manchester United
Money Spent – £384.2m
Money Received – £53.9m
Net Spend – £333.3m
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READ: Ranking every Premier League club by how much their 2023-24 squad cost
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3. Arsenal
Money Spent – £375.6m
Money Received – £100.2m
Net Spend – £275.4m
4. Newcastle United
Money Spent – £296.7m
Money Received – £42.2m
Net Spend – £254.5m
5. Tottenham
Money Spent – £394.6m
Money Received – £147.4m
Net Spend – £247.2m
6. Nottingham Forest
Money Spent – £273m
Money Received – £76.9m
Net Spend – £196.1m
7. Bournemouth
Money Spent – £183.7m
Money Received – £1m
Net Spend – £182.7m
8. Liverpool
Money Spent – £259.7
Money Received – £124.6
Net Spend – £135.1m
9. West Ham United
Money Spent – £300.2m
Money Received – £169.4m
Net Spend – £130.8m
10. Aston Villa
Money Spent – £189.7m
Money Received – £89.9m
Net Spend – £99.8m
10. Brentford
Money Spent – £108m
Money Received – £8.4m
Net Spend – £99.6m
12. Crystal Palace
Money Spent – £102.4m
Money Received – £5.7m
Net Spend – £96.7m
13. Manchester City
Money Spent – £358.7m
Money Received – £289.1m
Net Spend – £69.6m
14. Fulham
Money Spent – £124.6m
Money Received – £69.4m
Net Spend – £55.2m
15. Wolves
Money Spent – £236.8m
Money Received – £196.8m
Net Spend – £40m
16. Everton
Money Spent – £113.6m
Money Received – £150m
Net Spend – £36.4m (PROFIT)
17. Brighton
Money Spent – 136.1m
Money Received – £302.4m
Net Spend – £135.8m (PROFIT)
