Yet Ferguson’s most successful period came 2006-2013 arguably came (factoring in Champions League performances too) while being annually outspent by the likes of Chelsea and then City.
Look at the number of academy graduates who featured in that time, even in Champions League finals- Sir Alex created a dynasty with identity, youth and intelligently acquired talent. Even the few big investments like Ferdinand and Rooney served the club for 12 years each - City are stockpiling £50m defenders, and that’s circa the amount on average of each of Pep’s starting eleven. It renders any success they achieve (buy) incomparable to anything Ferguson achieved with the likes of Evans, Welbeck and Cleverley featuring heavily in his final few seasons among declining veterans like Scholes, Giggs, Vidic, Evra, Ferdinand etc...
Chelsea stole a number of Ferguson’s targets in 2004; Robben, Cech and Mikel, while the likes of Joe Cole, Scott Parker and Damien Duff were also on the radar before Abramovich’s investment absorbed them. To imply that Ferguson monopolised the English market ala Bayern is ultimately flawed.
Ronaldo, Vidic and Evra were acquired for relative pennies, yet Ferguson developed them into among the best in the world in their positions - nothing like this ‘Pep makes £50m signing play well’ hyperbolic love-in we’re seeing now....and that’s without factoring in the dubious stamina increases.
Pep is an ideal match for both Sheikh Mansoor and City - all were ‘born’ into infinite resources and therefore have never had to work to attain anything meritocratically. Their ‘achievements’ are hollow and aren’t respected by anybody with the intellectual capacity to understand that they’ve never accomplished anything organically.
