Manchester United chiefs not expecting the same level of transfer activity in future windows
- Planet Sport writer
- 22 September 2022
Manchester United's football director John Murtough is not expecting the club to splash the cash as much as they did this summer after the wage bill hit record levels.
Manchester United's football director John Murtough is not expecting the club to repeat their summer shopping spree in the future after the wage bill hit record levels.
In order to bolster the squad for new manager Erik ten Hag, the club bought Ajax pair Antony and Lisandro Martinez, Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, and Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, in addition to signing free agent Christian Eriksen.
In total the outlay was more than £200million and that will only add pressure to a wage bill which is now the highest in the Premier League after the previous year's signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane saw salary costs leap 19.1 per cent, a rise of £61.6m to £384.2m, for the financial year ending in June.
Manchester United chief financial officer Cliff Baty said those wage increases were "in line with expectations" but stressed savings as a result of not paying bonus clauses for failing to qualify for the Champions League would result in a reduction next year of "high single digits (of millions)."
Nevertheless, the wage increase contributed to the club making a net loss of £115.5m, £23m higher than 12 months previously, for the 2021-22 season.
Murtough said this summer's transfers represented exceptional spending and, as United's recruitment plans were now ahead of schedule, the same level of activity was not expected in future.
"During the summer, we made significant investment in the first-team squad with the permanent addition of five regular starters, including a balance of experienced international players and younger, emerging talent," he told a conference call with investors after United announced a net loss of £115.5million for the 2021-22 season.
"We also saw a higher-than-usual number of departures and this was an equally-important part of refreshing the squad after the disappointing 2021-22 season.
"We will continue to support Erik in ensuring he has players with the right quality and characters to achieve success, while ensuring that investment remains consistent with our commitment to financial sustainability.
"Overall, we are ahead of schedule in our recruitment plans as envisaged at the start of the summer, and we do not anticipate the same level of activity in future windows.
"As always, our planning focuses on the summer window."
The recruitment of Ten Hag, whose first four months in charge "bodes well for the future" according to Murtough, was an expensive one when all things are considered.
United spent £24.7m on pay-offs to former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sacked in November, Ralf Rangnick, who did not take up a two-year consultancy role at the end of the season having initially assumed interim charge, and their associated coaching staff.
Despite revenue rising by £89.1m (18 per cent) to £583m, the club's net debt also went up, from £419.5m in 2021 to £514.9m this year, an increase of more than 22 per cent.
United put the majority of that £95.4m rise primarily down to £64.6m of unrealised foreign exchange losses on the retranslation of borrowings in United States dollars.
Yet the club still paid out dividends of £33.6m.
