Finance guru: Man United ‘problem’ goes ‘right to the top’ as £1.4bn gamble fails
Man United have overspent so wildly on new signings partly because of both their declining prestige and operational failures behind the scenes.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest figures from CIES Football Observatory.
The industry experts revealed earlier this month (16 September) that United have, according to their metrics, overspent by £208milllion on transfers in the last decade.
The Red Devils have shelled out £1.4billion on new signings in that period but have simultaneously been in a near-constant state of decline.
They failed to qualify for the Champions League last season but still spent over £215million on the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Casemiro in the summer.
Plumley explained why United’s failings go “right to the top.”
“The club has spent big on transfers and wages,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“But the problem is that it hasn’t paid off with results on the pitch. You then have to ask, are they investing in the right players? Has something gone wrong with recruitment?
“But we also have to factor in the fact that the best players in the world want Champions League football as a minimum.
“If you’re not in that competition and United have been in and out of it over the last few years, you have got a problem in terms of attracting world-class players.
“So, yes, they have invested in players but there is a strategy that goes right to the top.”
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