Manchester United currently boast the most expensive squad ever assembled surpassing Chelsea and Manchester City, according to new research from the CIES Football Observatory.
The CIES Football Laboratory was established in 2005 and it specializes in the statistical analysis of football.
The research group is a part of the International Centre for Sports Studies, established in 1995 through a collaboration between FIFA, the University of Neuchatel, and the city and state of Neuchatel in northwest Switzerland.
According to the latest research from CIES released on Wednesday, September 13, The Red Devils have spent €1.15 billion (£989 million) on their current squad.
Since Erik ten Hag took over the Old Trafford club in May 2022, nearly £400 million has been spent on transfer fees.
The figures compiled by CIES include add-ons, regardless of whether they have been effectively paid.
In his first summer at Manchester United, the Dutch boss made some significant signings spending over £120m to bring in Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, and Tyrell Malacia.
Additionally, he recommended the £85m acquisition of Antony, which positioned the Brazilian as the third-most costly player in Manchester United’s history, following Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku.
Paul Pogba joined United in 2016 for a then Premier League record fee of £89.5m, while Romelu Lukaku joined in 2017 for £75m.
Another notable signing was that of Harry Maguire in 2019, who joined for a world record fee of £80m, making him the most expensive defender in history.
Out of the trio, only Maguire remains at Manchester United club with Lukaku joining Inter Milan for £74m in 2019, which stands as their biggest sale of the past 10 years.
Pogba, on the other hand, left on a free transfer last summer after his contract expired.
Furthermore, United’s summer signings include Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a fee of £72m, Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60m, and Andre Onana from Inter Milan for £47m.
The Blues are currently in close pursuit of United, having invested £975m on players since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over from Roman Abramovich 18 months ago.
Last month, Chelsea made a significant signing by acquiring Moises Caicedo from Brighton in a deal valued at a British record of £115m, surpassing their previous record of £105m, which was set in January when they signed Enzo Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Manchester City complete the top three, having spent £900m on assembling their squad.
Just under a quarter of this amount was invested in four summer signings this year that paved the way for Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku, and Mateo Kovacic into Etihad Stadium.
The Red Devils have negative spending of more than £1bn in the last decade
According to a recent study, Manchester United have spent a staggering £1.19 billion more on transfers in the past decade than they have earned through player sales.
According to the Swiss-based research institute, CIES Football Observatory, Manchester United have spent approximately £1.67 billion on new players since 2014.
In contrast, they have brought in around £481 million during the same period.
What’s next for Manchester United?
Manchester United will resume premier league action this Saturday, September 16 in a fierce encounter with Brighton at Old Trafford. Kick-off time is 3:pm.
According to data obtained from the CIES Football Observatory, below are the most expensive squads in the Premier League.
- Manchester United – £989m
- Chelsea – £975m
- Manchester City – £896m
- Arsenal – £718m
- Tottenham – £713m
- Liverpool – £661m
- Newcastle – £568m
- West Ham – £434m
- Aston Villa – £418m
- Everton – £359m
- Nottingham Forest – £313m
- Wolves – £312m
- Bournemouth – £296m
- Crystal Palace – £235m
- Fulham – £210
- Brighton – £194m
- Brentford – £187m
- Burnley – £180m
- Sheffield United – £128m
