Make it Rain - Manchester United
As our series continues on spending in the Premier League over the last decade, today we take a look at Manchester United.
Spent - $866m
Received - $338m
Well what to say about Manchester United - the darling of the English football (depending who you ask, of course). Success is something that is expected by fans after their rich vein of form through the 90's and early 2000's with a certain Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm.
Whilst things haven't seemed to be as smooth since Sir Alex's departure, the Red Devils have carved out success whilst using some of the best players in the world to do so.
The most successful team in English football managed to win the most trophies over the time span we are covering and also smash the world transfer record fee for Paul Pogba. Some of the most iconic players in English football have played at Old Trafford and they continue to add top-shelf players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial.
The Red Devils have struggled to compete with the vast investment by Chelsea and their bitter rivals Manchester City. Sub-par signings like Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Memphis Depay have stunted their rise back to the heights of the Sir Alex era.
Instability also within the coaching ranks hasn't helped settle the squad, burning through David Moyes who did a stellar job at Everton and Louis Van Gaal who needs no introduction. They now have 'The Special One' Jose Mourinho at the helm and have started to steadily build solid foundations for future success.
Number of trophies - 15 (4 x English Premier League, 1 x FA Cup, 2 x FA League Cup, 6 x FA Community Shield, 1 x UEFA Champions League & 1 x FIFA Club World Cup)
Rare find - David de Gea ($35m)
Although expensive for a goalkeeper, De Gea has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers not only in English football but in world football. After a shaky start with the gloves, he is now arguably Manchester United's most important player. He won numerous games for them last season of his own back. Persistent rumours though do swirl around a switch to Real Madrid. Something that many Man Utd fans would not be happy to see.
Most expensive - Paul Pogba ($152m)
I still find this purchase very funny. A bloke they let go for virtually nothing only to purchase him back from Juventus for a world record fee. Granted he has improved immensely since his first stint at Old Trafford, though the hierarchy at the Theatre of Dreams must be wondering how this has all played out. He did though bang in this cracker back in November proving his worth.
Waste of money - Angel di Maria ($108m)
Di Maria came in from Real Madrid for a then English transfer record fee. His stay was brief, struggling for traction in Louis Van Gaal's side and he was eventually sold off to Paris St. Germain for a loss close to $17m. He did have some highlights though in particular this cracker against Leicester.
Next up - Tottenham FC
All prices shown are in $AUD
