So why have they spent £1.2b on players since 2013?
This is the argument that goes back and forth. They do invest money but only when revenue is going to be effected. I.E when Champions League qualification is a threat two years in a row. That reduces the Adidas contract and also the huge loss in revenue from the Champions League itself.
There is a trend that (a lot) more money is spent when we haven’t made the Champions League. The last time were in a position to push on, having finished second, we purchased only Fred and Dalot. There were a number of player sales which meant our net spent that summer was well below £40m. And José has said many times Fred was not his signing.
I know we cannot spend huge sums every season but there are ways around that. Targeting players with contracts ending soon or the loan system. We never utilise this at all and it’s a huge loss to us. We end up paying huge amount on players because we spend the bucks when we are out of the Champions League. This means hiked up salaries to persuade a player to sign us and clubs demanding more for players because we know we are desperate. This is on top of the United inflation.
When was the last time you can say we got an absolute steal of a player? Maybe Chicharito, which is prior to Woodward. The guy doesn’t know what he’s doing. So many anecdotes have come out regarding his incompetence and general demeanour. He’s the problem along with the owners.
