Man Utd owners the Glazers ‘overpaid by £210m’ on transfers

Erik ten Hag on Cristiano Ronaldo staying at Man Utd

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The Glazer family have wasted more than £200million by paying over-the-odds for new players at Manchester United over the last 10 years, according to a report. The Red Devils have long been among the Premier League’s biggest spenders and recently set a club record for their largest outlay in a summer transfer window by splashing £216m on no less than six new arrivals.

Erik ten Hag was backed heavily in the pre-season market by the Glazers, who sanctioned an £85m move for Antony from Ajax and the £63m signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid alongside other lucrative deals. United’s controversial owners have been widely criticised for a lack of investment in the club in recent years, but it has since been revealed by the CIES Football Observatory that they have paid in excess of £200m over true market value for new signings over the last decade.

The report claims that United have spent £1.4billion on players since 2012 when they were only worth a combined total of around £1.19bn. This would mean that the Glazers have wasted £210m by paying too much for new additions, more than any other club in Europe.

It was also found that Juventus have paid £208m over-the-odds for their 36 signings over the last 10 years, while Paris Saint-Germain have needlessly spent another £142m on 31 players during the same period. These figures can be attributed to the rapid inflation that has gripped the transfer market in recent seasons, with clubs having been forced into splashing mind-boggling amounts of money in order to snap up the world’s biggest talents.

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Aston Villa, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton also feature high on the list of teams to have overpaid in the market as of late, which serves as an indication that selling clubs demand larger fees than usual when dealing with Premier League suitors. United, meanwhile, have made no shortage of high-profile additions over the last decade, with the Red Devils paying more than £50m to bring players to Old Trafford on 11 occasions.

Paul Pogba remains United’s record signing after moving from Juventus to the tune of £89m back in the summer of 2016, while Harry Maguire’s lucrative £80m switch and Antony’s recent capture also feature as two of the most expensive deals in the club’s history. The likes of Jadon Sancho, Lisandro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Anthony Martial have also been signed for huge fees since the departure of legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

It remains to be seen whether the Glazers will continue to back Ten Hag by spending heavily over the next few transfer windows as the Dutchman aims to build a team with the ability to challenge for domestic and European titles in the near future. He is expected to be given an extra £75m to use as he sees fit in January, according to The Sun, which suggests that United’s big-spending philosophy will be maintained for the time being at least.

Ten Hag’s budget could reportedly be boosted to around £100m if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves United at the turn of the year, with the Portuguese forward having been eager to seek a new challenge since the end of last season. He will undoubtedly need to be replaced in the event of a January exit, which could see the Glazers dig into their pockets once more in order to land a new first-choice or back-up striker.

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