Manchester United is taking a disciplined approach to player transfers to avoid financial setbacks, according to club CEO Omar Berrada. 🛡️
Berrada emphasized that during the summer transfer window, the club remained financially sustainable by sticking to carefully evaluated player valuations. \"We were quite disciplined about the valuations we were giving to the players who were going to come in. We stuck to those valuations,\" he stated. 🧠
Sporting director Dan Ashworth and his team were praised for their negotiation skills, ensuring that the club did not overextend financially.
Both Berrada and Ashworth joined United this year, bringing experience from Manchester City, where Berrada held roles like group commercial director and chief football operations officer.
\"The reason I mention that is if you make a mistake and if you overspend or get a player who can cost you too much, it can set you back,\" the CEO added. \"Which is why you need to be able to take those decisions and make the right ones consistently over time to be in a position to win consistently.\" 💡
United have faced criticism in the past for overinvesting in transfers, spending hefty amounts on transaction fees and player salaries. For instance, the club invested 243.28 million euros in the 2022-23 campaign and 202.3 million euros in the 2023-24 season but finished third and eighth respectively.
\"You have to be quite brave and make decisions that maybe you don't want to make,\" Ashworth commented. \"But you can't have a bloated squad, and you're also dealing with players that ultimately want to play football. So you want to make sure that the squad is lean, but you have enough depth.\" 🏋️♂️
This summer, United spent 214.5 million euros to acquire five players and loaned Jadon Sancho to Chelsea, while continuing to evaluate the expensive contract of Casemiro, who cost the club over 150 million euros in transfers.
Currently, Manchester United stands at 14th place in the Premier League after losing two of their first three games this season. ⏳
