I was having a conversation with a former Head of Talent Identification at a Premier League club.
He was telling me about one high-profile manager he worked with, who wasn’t particularly talented at his job. His own players would leave his training sessions saying how awful they were.
And yet those same players would follow him to several other teams in their careers because he would win. So I asked the big question: Why? And his response: “Because he brings in good players.”
Recruitment is the biggest determinant of success in any organisation and Manchester United have failed to recruit well, despite having the second-highest net spend in the Premier League since the summer of 2013, at around £850m, £300m larger than the next highest, Arsenal.
In addition, they are reported to have the largest wage bill in the league, as well at around £200m, with Chelsea’s second-largest at £160m. When you look at these numbers, it is inconceivable to imagine Manchester United are not competing for major titles, let alone struggling to qualify for European football.
So the question remains: Why? Let’s first take a look at some Premier League Rivals.
Manchester City
In the projected table given on top are all signings above £25m made under Pep Guardiola at Man City. You can see here that not only have they filled the squad with players who fit the desired style of play, but many of them are at a similar stage of development.
They are young players in their early 20s who are not quite world-class but certainly have world-class potential. For many of them, this is the biggest club they’ve played at so they haven’t worked with a top, top coach.
They are not prospects, they have played a lot of senior games so are ready to get straight into the team, but are still quite raw talents who need guidance. And this is exactly what Pep Guardiola offers. He teaches his players how to read the game, onfield positioning, movement, and decision-making to make in every scenario.
Because so many of these players join the club with developmental needs which are exactly what the manager offers, Man City are able to get the most bang for their buck in the transfer market. When you look at the likes of Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Joao Cancelo, it feels like they’re worth £100m now.
Liverpool
Once again, I have compiled a list of all signings above £25m made under the current manager Jurgen Klopp. This time, you’ll see a different pattern.
With perhaps the exception of Van Djik and Allison, none of these players were talked about as Champions League quality players when Liverpool signed them. Liverpool didn’t have the finances that other big clubs have, so their transfer strategy was to find players who were cheap on the market, but worth more to them because they suited their style of play.
Mohamed Salah was considered a ‘flop’ after his time at Chelsea, and £45m was seen as too much for him, but now it doesn’t seem nearly enough. A player not on this list is Andy Robertson, who was signed from Hull City for an astonishing £7m. Another player not highly rated but suited Liverpool so well.
In a different way to Man City, but equally effectively, Liverpool have a transfer strategy that has allowed them to get the most ‘bang for their buck’.
Chelsea
The reigning European champions have their own way of doing things. They like to spend big on world-class players, usually in their early 20s, who can give Chelsea 5+ years of high productivity, before being sold on for a sizable fee.
Eden Hazard and Juan Mata stand out as examples, having signed for about £30m and £25m respectively and helping Chelsea to several titles, before being sold for £100m and £40m and having a downturn in their performances.
The club then seeks out a tactically astute manager who can get the best out of those big players, while signing a few low-priced players to make the jigsaw fit.
This current Chelsea team holds a big market value, in Kepa, Chilwell, Jorginho, Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic, and Lukaku.
Manchester United
Now we turn to Man United and have to ask ourselves if there’s even a strategy here.
We have gone from Moyes to Mourinho to Van Gaal to Solskjaer to Rangnick, with Ten Hag coming in as the latest managerial appointment from June.
Each manager has a different profile of the player they’re looking for. Every manager has those players they like and gets the most from, but they also have those players they don’t trust. Just think about the market value currently sitting on our bench or out on loan: Bailly, Wan-Bissaka, Shaw(injury), Van de Beek, Martial…
We also are left wondering how many signings in the last 9 seasons can we say have actually been a success- Herrera, Zlatan, Bruno, who else? Think about Di Maria leaving after 1 season, and Lukaku leaving after 2, both for huge fees.
Currently, we have an underperforming, unbalanced squad incapable of competing for major titles. Whoever is in charge of recruitment at the club has to look back on the last 9 years as a failure. Until we have an actual strategy, we will continue to see the same problems.
