Man Utd Transfer 2024 Analysis and Overview
The English Premier League club Manchester United are the biggest and most successful football club in the world. Ever since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, Man United have dominated the world football scene — carrying a long history and rich past.
The club was labelled as the best team in the world, but since then they have fallen to the ground in recent history post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Man United are currently fifth on the list of generating most revenues being one of the richest football clubs in the world in 2024.
Last year in 2023, their financial books recorded a gross revenue of €745.8 million euros. Historically United have always remained among the most famous and richest football entities. Hence, spending big on transfers from bringing in huge names to young talent prospects, over the years during the SAF era.
United have won a staggering 20 Premier League titles, three UEFA Champions League, 13 times FA Cup, six League cups and 21 FA community shields – the most by any club in English football and Europa League are silverware in their trophy cabinet.
Man Utd Transfers Club Performance History
During the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United were renowned for signing big players from 1992 to 2000 such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Garry Neville Eric Cantona, Teddy Sheringham Jaap Stamp were some notable names who carved their names as Legends at Old Trafford.
In the early 2000’s the club witnessed another string of successful signings — welcoming the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rudd Van Nisterlooy, and Rio Ferdinand Cristiano Ronaldo brought enormous success to the club such as successive Premier League titles, Domestic triumphs and Champions League.
In 2005, the US business tycoons Glazer family took over the entire ownership of the club which had a significant impact on their transfer policies. However, Sir Alex in charge supervised the majority of transfer plans under his guidance.
He brought Edwin Ven sar, Patrick Evara, Park Ji-sung, Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick were the last set of players to have made a remarkable impact for the Red Devils.
Man Utd Transfer 2024 Challenges & criticisms
Following an unprecedented success, Sir Alex Ferguson retired from the post of Manchester United manager leaving behind an unparalleled legacy as Red Devils manager. Since then United have spent millions on transfers up until now in the transfer market. However, hardly any of them have stood out in terms of performance.
The likes of Antony, Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba are the names which have gone down in history as the worst signings, as they failed miserably to impress. The Glazers family operating the management, has come under light for the unstructured transfer plans.
Over the decade, fans have regularly demonstrated their protest against the owners and club authorities which forced Glazers to sell the minority stakes of the club along with the sporting operations to the IENOS group.
Along with Management, the managers also had a fair share of criticism from David Moyes to Jose Mourinho they have been constantly called out for transfer and players. This was still the case even in 2024 with recently sacked Erik Ten Hag.
Man Utd Transfer Strategy and Philosophy
Recent trends have shown that United recruits players at inflated prices – prime examples are Antony for £85 million from Ajax, and Jadon Sancho for £73 million unfortunately both of them endured a difficult start and subsequently failed to deliver their promises. This has been the trend in the past decade, which remains a key factor in their downfall.
During the SAF era the club was focused on blending homegrown academy talents and high-profile acquisitions, this strategy proved to be successful for the English giants. However, the number of homegrown players in the team has decreased while they are mostly dependent on transferred players to form the core of the team.
The current management of the club lacks planning and structure, and promising players have continuously failed to live up to expectations. While change of managers in a short span has also affected their strategy which could also be cited as a crucial reason for the big signing to work out at Old Trafford.
Most Expensive Man Utd Transfers
Now coming on the names from whom United have splashed millions, ranking among the Premier League teams that have spent the most in the transfer market — they are only second on the list behind Chelsea. The Red Devils have spent a staggering £ 514.66 million in the last five seasons which is equivalent to the club’s 2022-23 seasons revenue.
Paul Pogba tops the list for being the club’s most expensive transfer, the French international moved to Old Trafford from Juventus for a world-record fee in 2016. The club paid €105 million to acquire his services to return to his boyhood club but his stint was marred by injuries and inconsistency. Subsequently, the midfielder returned to Juventus in 2022.
Antony is the second most expensive transfer for United, and also the most disappointing signing of the Premier League. The promising Brazilian had a stellar start to life at Ajax but unfortunately, he struggled to find his feet in England. Manchester United paid €95 million to Ajax for Antony in 2022
The third most expensive player is Harry Maguire the club paid €87 million for the centre-back from Leicester City making him the most expensive defender in football history. Maguire has been receiving criticism over his performance by the fans and his involvement in first-eleven has drastically reduced under Erik Ten Hag.
Man United’s €85 million player Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 with a promising stint in Germany. He was regarded as the best player in England back then. However, with a series of injuries and poor form, he had difficulties in securing game time.
In addition, to the feud with Erik Ten Hag, the forward was outcasted from the team and missed 8 months of the 2023-24 season until January 2024. Sancho return to Dortmund on loan and played six months and has now returned to old trafford with unclear picture of his future at the club.
The Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku cost €84 million when he was signed by Man United from Everton after not managing to become a favourite, he was sold to Inter milan in 2022. United bore substantial loss in the deal. He played 96 games for the club during which he scored 54 goals.
| Player | Transfer Amount (In Euros.) | From (Club Name) | Year |
| Paul Pogba | 105 million | Juventus | 2016 |
| Antony | 95 million | Ajax | 2022 |
| Harry Maguire | 87 million | Leicester City | 2019 |
| Jadon Sancho | 85 million | Borussia Dortmund | 2021 |
| Romelu Lukaku | 84 million | Everon | 2017 |
Man Utd Transfer New Signings 2024/25
The Red Devils signed Los Lille’s centre-back prodigy Leny Yoro on a £58 million transfer fee. The forward sensation, Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna £36 million to bolster their attacks The defensive duo of Mathijis De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bundesliga club Bayern Munich combined £60 million fee. Alongwith the former Ajax duo, The Red Devils signed Losc Lille’s centre-back prodigy Leny Yoro for a £58 million transfer fee.
The forward sensation, Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna £36 million to bolster their attacks. The defensive duo of Mathijis De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bundesliga club Bayern Munich for a combined £60 million fee. On top of that. They also agreed to sign Manuel Ugarte from PSG for a £50 million transfer fee, on deadline day.
| Player | From | Transfer fee (In Euros.) |
| Leny Yoro | Losc Lille | £58 million |
| Joshua Zirkzee | Bologna | £36 million |
| Matthijs De Ligt | Bayern Munich | £42 million |
| Noussair Mazraoui | Bayern Munich | £17 million |
| Manuel Ugarte | Paris Saint-German | £50 million |
Man Utd Transfers All Outgoing 2024/25
Man United parted ways with Mason Greenwood permanently following a successful loan spell at Getafe. French giants Olympique de Marseille paid £22 million to secure his signature. Also, the United Academy graduate and Scottish International Scott McTominay joined Serie A giants Napoli for £30 million alongwith full-back Arron Wan Bissaka who completed HIS £15 million move to the Premier League club, West Ham United. while Raphael Varane left to join Como for free and eventually announced his retirement at the Italian club earlier this year.
| Player | To | Transfer fee |
| Mason Greenwood | Olympique de Marseille | £22 million |
| Arron Wan Bissaka | West Ham United | £15 million |
| Scott McTominay | SSC Napoli | £30 million |
| Anthony Martial | Free Agent | Released |
| Raphael Varane | Como | Free |
| Donny Van de Beek | Girona | £423,000 k |
Top Signings for Manchester United in 2024/25
It’s been more than a couple of months since the 2024/25 season kicked off, and the new signing has plenty of opportunities to show their skills and reliability. Among all the incomings, Moroccan International Noussair Mazraoui has impressed the most, with his versatility of operating on either flank and even playing in the midfield.
He has guaranteed his place in the starting eleven at Old Trafford while other signings are still adapting their roles in the club and now with a new head coach arrival, it would be interesting to see what new roles and responsibilities the top transfers will be assigned to the likes of Ugarte, Zirkzee, De Ligt and Mazraoui.
Worst Signings for Manchester United in 2024/25
It would be unfair to label any of the signings worst, as it has only been a few months into the 2024/25 season. Leny Yoro has not played since suffering a serious foot injury during the pre-season tour in the United States.
Matthijs De Ligt endured to tough start despite being a sure starter in his performance did not meet the expectations of the club and the same goes for Joshua Zirkzee. The Uruguayan International Manuel Ugarte is still finding his feet at Manchester United after arriving as last minute transfer on the deadline day.
Manchester United transfer Spend Till Now.
After the ownership takeover of Jim Ratcliffetcliffe the club is planning to restructure their financial accounts by offloading surplus and high-paid players. While also establishing a clear plan for transfers. As a result, they have signed Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte, the three talented players as per their long-term plans.
However, the involvement of the team’s manager in the recruitment process is reduced which implies that the management has been the key player in deciding who they are targeting in the transfer window. However, it might change following the arrival of Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP to succeed Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Unlike in the past, when Sir Alex Ferguson used to take care of transfers by supervising the process by himself. Another reason is that the signing of Erik Ten Hag also didn’t have much impact which led to cutting his power to influence the club’s transfers.
Manchester United’s recent movements in the transfer market show efforts to reclaim their lost status to challenge for the League titles and compete with fellow top six English clubs. That too considering the FFP finances. Now they need to follow the guidelines mapped by new owners and management under IENOS and Jim Ratcliffe. The Red Devils managed to account for £94 million as their total net spend in 2024,
| Total Spend – £200 million | Total Received – £22 million |
FAQ
Q. What are the most significant transfers in Manchester United’s history?
A. In Every transfer window, Manchester United are heavily active for business and transfers and over the years, they have hosted some of the greatest players in their squad. However, there are top five names who have brought major success to the club with their excellence. These Iconic names are Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, Denis Law, Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Peter Schmeichel.
Q. Who is responsible for transfers at Manchester United?
A. Back when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of Manchester United, he was the main character heading the club’s recruitment policies SAF used to recruit and scout players having a significant role in the transfers alongside Les Chapman the Chief Scout and Head of Recruitment then. And, David Gill the former CEO of the club. However, currently, the manager’s involvement has surely reduced with the IENOS group’s management led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe overseeing the transfers of the club.
Q. Some of the most expensive transfers in Man United transfer history?
A. Manchester United are one of the richest football clubs in the world so spending a substantial amount of cash on transfers is quite accessible. They have signed some of the most expensive players in the world in the last decade — though not many of them have managed to make a significant impact such as Paul Pogba (£89m), Antony (£81m) Harry Maguire (£80m) and Romelu Lukaku (£79m).
Q. What are Manchester United’s top transfers this season?
A. The Premier League club have made four key reinforcements to their squad this summer. In defence, €62 million long-term investment Leny Yoro, promising Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt for €45 million and Noussair Mazraoui on €15 million both from Bayern Munich. In midfield, they have brought Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint Germain on a €50 million deal and In the forward line another Dutch international Joshua Zirkzee by paying €42 million.
Q. How do Manchester United transfers affect the team’s performance?
A. The main objective of the transfers and signing of new players is to ultimately improve the overall performance of the team. The transfers tend to make necessary reinforcements to bolster their squad depth and strength with more and more quality players with plenty of experience. Additionally, it extended the scope of tactical flexibility — any team can implement with a set of players and increases competition within the squad.
Q. What are Man United’s most profit-generating sales?
A. United might not have the best record in selling their players to make good profits. Yet, there are few notable sales that the Premier League club have made to generate hefty profits. In the 2009 transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo’s sale to Real Madrid for a €94 million transfer fee remains the most profitable transfer in the club’s history, followed by Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan in 2019 for €75 million and Angel Di Maria’s departure to PSG on record €63 million.
Q. What are the youngest signings in Man Utd history?
A. Manchester United have secured some of the world’s finest young talents, who have etched history wearing club colours. The most notable name on the list of youngest club singing, Wayne Rooney from Everton the age of 18 in 2004 became the most expensive teenage signing. Second, it’s again Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Sporting CP in 2003, as an 18-year-old and third is Luke Shaw, 18 from Southampton in 2014.
Q. Which is the most shocking Man Utd transfer in history?
A. Undoubtedly, Manchester United are a high-profile club thus every incoming and outgoing during the transfer window grabs significant attention from fans and media. Some of their transfer even shocked the fans such as David Beckham leaving United for Real Madrid following a fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo following a similar path and Carlos Tevez joining City rivals Manchester City after a brilliant stint at Old Trafford a few moves that left Red devils perplexed.
