According to a UEFA report, Manchester United had the most expensive squad in Europe at the end of the 2023 financial year. The report analyzed top-tier clubs and revealed that the Red Devils spent a total of $1.52 billion in transfer fees for their players, making them the most valuable squad in Europe.The list of United’s most expensive signings includes Antony, who cost them $107.73 million; defender Harry Maguire for $100 million in 2019; Jadon Sancho for $92 million two years later; and Casemiro for $75.60 million in 2022.Antony has been a big disappointment for United, considering his huge price tag. He has only scored four goals in 44 league appearances. Maguire has recently reclaimed his position in the starting lineup. However, Sancho is now on loan at Borussia Dortmund after a disagreement with Erik ten Hag, and Casemiro has been struggling with injuries this season. Additionally, it’s worth noting that last close season transfers were not part of UEFA’s data collection.Man United’s 2023 squad has overtaken Real Madrid’s 2020 squad as the most expensive ever, says UEFA report 💶🤑 pic.twitter.com/wbFxJd5s7Z— 433 (@433) February 15, 2024 Ahead of this season, Manchester United made some major signings, including Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, and Andre Onana. The combined transfer fees for these players were over $220.50 million. Hojlund has recently shown his worth by scoring five goals in his last five matches, proving that the club’s faith in him was well-placed. On the other hand, Mount has struggled with injuries for most of the season and has not been able to play regularly. Meanwhile, Onana has had a rough start to his time at United, making several costly mistakes in their unsuccessful Champions League campaign.Despite having the most expensive squad in the world, United could only manage a third-place finish in the Premier League last season, trailing the champions Manchester City by 14 points. This season has gone even worse for them, as they currently sit sixth in the table and are in danger of missing out on Champions League football.##NAJAVA_MECA_7873850##Three clubs, namely City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, had squads that cost over $1.1 billion at the end of the last financial year. City’s squad was the most expensive, costing $1.38 billion, followed by Chelsea at $1.48 billion and Madrid at $1.40 billion. City’s big-spending strategy paid off as they won the Treble last season, making history. However, the same cannot be said for Chelsea. Despite spending over $1.31 billion since Todd Boehly arrived at the club almost two years ago, they could only finish 12th in the 2022/23 season. Under Mauricio Pochettino, they are still stuck in mid-table this year. It should be noted that Chelsea’s transfers from January and August 2023, which saw them break their transfer record twice by signing Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for $135.32 million and $144.90 million, respectively, were not included in the list. The top three spots in UEFA’s list are occupied by English clubs, with six other Premier League teams also featuring in the top 20 when it comes to transfer costs. Liverpool and Arsenal are sixth and seventh, respectively, with Tottenham in ninth place, Newcastle in 12th place, Aston Villa in 15th place, and West Ham in 17th place. Newcastle have a more expensive squad than Bayern Munich in 13th after bringing in players such as Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak in recent transfer windows. This does not take into account the $126 million that the German giants paid Tottenham for Harry Kane in August, though.AC Milan – a force to be reckoned with in the Europa League?UEFA’s report also highlighted the dominance the Premier League has when it comes to revenues. The total revenue of the 20 Premier League clubs was $5.7 billion, which was almost equal to the combined revenue of the next two leagues, La Liga and Bundesliga, both generating $2.9 billion. Nine out of the top 20 revenues were earned by English clubs, including Brighton, which had an income of $332.64 million.Real Madrid topped the list of revenue-generating clubs with $1.06 billion, followed by Manchester City with $901.5 million, Barcelona with $878.22 million, and PSG with $869.4 million.
