Dr Dan issues £354m Man United reveal after deep dive analysis
The “pressure is on” for Man United to turn their astronomical £354million wage spend into results on the pitch.
So says finance expert and new Football Insider columnist Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively about United’s latest quarterly results.
One of the headline figures for the accounts, made up to the three months up until September, is the club’s £88.5million wage spend.
United signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in big-money moves over the summer.
But the Red Devils are still trophyless under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who will have been in the job for three years in December.
Plumley contrasted United’s salary expenditure to the rest of the Premier League to illustrate the growing demand for success.
“It will put the pressure on,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider that
“At some point, people will naturally start to look at the amount you spend on wages and expect it to lead to some kind of sporting success.
“The other side of the coin is that they can afford these increases in wage costs without it really damaging the overall financial position of the club.
“The wages for the quarter are £88.5m. If you times that by four, you’ll end up with £354m. That is on a par with Man City and Liverpool.
“United’s figure in 2020 was a little bit lower than that, £284m. You can see the uplift with the players that they’ve signed, Ronaldo, Sancho, Varane.
“Chelsea spent £283m, Arsenal spent £275m. If you then drop down to that next tier of clubs, the likes of Everton spent £165m, Leicester spent £158m.
“Then drop down to the relegated clubs, West Brom and Sheffield United, who spent £67m.
“The wage spend is broadly reflected in the table. So increased wage spend puts pressure on sporting performance.”
In other news, five Man United first-team stars told they can leave in January.