- Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United team lost for the third time this year on Saturday.
- The team spent more than 180 million dollars on four new players throughout the course of the summer.
- The Dutch national team’s head coach claimed that clubs had “inflated” the prices they were demanding for the players’ services.
Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, has expressed his anger at other teams for “inflating” the price of players on the transfer market when Old Trafford is interested in signing them.
With various add-ons, United spent well over £180 million on four new players. Jonny Evans was a free agent. The overall expenditure now totals well over £180 million. But these investments haven’t yet led to an improvement in the squad’s performance on the field, where Ten Hag’s team has played three of its first five Premier League games.
Ten Hag dismissed the comparison between Manchester United’s summer spending and Brighton’s, noting that Brighton departed Old Trafford on Saturday with a commanding 3-1 victory.
He said, “I think all the teams are spending a lot of money.
Numerous clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle, and even West Ham, unquestionably fall under this category. Brighton did spent more than £80 million, but because to players they had previously bought cheaply and then sold for a far greater price, the club really generated a profit of up to £100 million in transfer fees. Ten Hag learned later that the Seagulls side that competed on Saturday had been put together for less than £20 million.
In a statement, the CEO of United Airlines highlighted what seems to be a valid point of dispute.
“I think Brighton has spent money too, just like everyone else,” said the speaker. Ten Hag asserted that “this is also true: when Man United comes, the price goes up.”
It has become customary over the past few years to assume that selling clubs will demand a greater price when United is involved. Jadon Sancho’s asking price from Borussia Dortmund once exceeded £100 million, while Leicester’s 2019 asking price for Harry Maguire was previously set at £100 million as well.
Even as recently as this summer, United was having trouble convincing Bayern Munich to agree to a deal for Benjamin Pavard due to the asking price. Bayern’s demands have risen from £30 million to £34.5 million since the start of negotiations with the player, according to a 90min story from the previous month. Bayern ultimately reached a deal with Inter to sell the Frenchman for £28 million, which was less than what they had originally asked United for.
