Tyler Stearns |
Manchester United has been one of the more disappointing teams this season. It comes from all aspects of the team as well. The coaching staff, the players, and even the trainers are not “United level.” However, the deepest lying issue comes from their management, more specifically their financial management. The club has found itself in major breach of the Premier League’s FFP rules since their signings have outweighed the money they brought in for sold players. The Glazer’s ownership is certainly at fault for this. They have signed relatively unproven managers and unproven players who have potential but haven’t proved it. This comes in the form of the Brazilian winger from Ajax in Antony, who has been arguably the worst signing in football history. Jadon Sancho was supposed to be a star at United, yet he was never properly prepared for the Premier League. Manager Erik Ten Hag was a good coach at Ajax but was never proven in a top-five league. Numerous other signings throughout the years have led to the demise of the Red Devils.
FC Barcelona has undergone a similar predicament. They signed Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, and Philippe Coutinho each for upwards of 100 million Euros. None succeeded at the club to the level they were expected to and they didn’t bring in any major trophies (other than Dembele who played a small role in Barca’s 2022-2023 La Liga campaign). They haven’t sold any players for a high price since then and they have begun multiple sporting projects on their stadium in recent years. This has left them in massive debt which has become more apparent since they haven’t been able to make a signing if it isn’t a loan. Their financial management in the years prior to Messi have set the Blaugrana back five years.
On the contrary, Bayer Leverkusen has dominated the transfer market. They signed Alex Grimaldo, Victor Boniface, and countless other players for relatively cheap prices and have made them completely world class. They trusted Xabi Alonso with the job considering his managers throughout this career. They have built a brand around their invincible season which has made them the hottest team in Europe. This Summer will be a record offload for the team since it is likely that Grimaldo and Frimpong will leave along with Palacios, Tabsopa, Tah, and most notably Florian Wirtz. They built star players from their academy or from cheap deals into the best players in the world which will help them stay in financial stability for the future years.
Teams in the past who have succeeded financially, such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea (before recent ownership), and Liverpool has led to their success. This is why investing in a solid financial staff and a good sporting director can only help one’s cub.
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