Man United’s £1.2bn squad is the most expensive EVER assembled as UEFA reveal Real Madrid have slipped behind English trio into fourth… but has Saudi cash helped Newcastle break the top 10?
A UEFA report has revealed that Manchester United had the most expensive squad ever at the end of the 2023 financial year.
The report looked at the figures for top clubs across Europe and found that the Red Devils’ players have cost a total of a whopping £1.21 billion in transfer fees.
These figures include the £85.5m they spent on Antony, £80m on defender Harry Maguire in 2019, the £73m they spent on Jadon Sancho two years later and the £60m they paid for Casemiro in 2022.
Former Ajax winger Antony has perhaps been United’s biggest flop in recent years, given his high price tag. He scored just four league goals in 44 games.
Maguire has recently regained his place in United’s starting XI, but Sancho is now on loan at Borussia Dortmund after a falling out with Erik ten Hag. Casemiro has been struggling with injuries this season and will turn 32 later this month.
Antony cost £85.5m in 2022 but has arguably been Man United’s biggest flop
Harry Maguire cost £80 million in 2019 but was heavily criticized during his time at Old Trafford
Jadon Sancho has returned on loan to Borussia Dortmund after costing £73m in 2021
Casemiro cost £60million in 2022 but has struggled with injury problems in recent months
Last summer’s transfers were not part of UEFA’s data collection.
The Red Devils have also spent big this season, signing Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Andre Onana for a combined fee of more than £175 million.
Hojlund is beginning to repay the faith the club has shown in him by scoring five goals in his last five appearances, but Mount has spent most of the season on the treatment table after multiple injury setbacks, while Onana has had an indifferent start after a bad match. number of mistakes in United’s disastrous Champions League campaign.
Despite having the most expensive squad in the world, United still only finished third in the Premier League last season, 14 points behind champions Manchester City.
This season has gone even worse for them as they currently sit sixth in the table and are in real danger of missing out on Champions League football.
Three other clubs – City, Chelsea and Real Madrid – also had squads costing more than €1 billion at the end of the most recent financial year.
City are second on the list with a squad costing €1.286 billion, followed by Chelsea at €1.084 billion (£927 million) and Madrid at €1.031 billion (£882 million).
City’s big spending paid off when they achieved a historic Treble last season, but the same cannot be said for Chelsea.
Erik ten Hag’s team is in danger of missing out on the Champions League, despite having the most expensive selection in the world
Man City have spent the second most money on transfer fees, but managed to win the Treble last year
Chelsea have spent big under Todd Boehly but have struggled on the pitch in the last two years
Real Madrid are currently behind the English trio, despite signing Brazilian pair Rodrygo (left) and Vinicius Jr (right)
The Blues have spent well over £1 billion since Todd Boehly joined the club just under two years ago, but they could only finish 12th in the 2022/2023 season and are back in mid-table this year under Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea’s transfers last January and summer 2023 were also not included, when they broke their record transfer fee twice by signing Enzo Fernandez and then Moises Caicedo for £107m and £115m respectively.
The top three places on the UEFA list are all occupied by English clubs, with six other Premier League teams also in the top twenty when it comes to transfer fees.
Liverpool (905 million euros) and Arsenal (890 million euros) are ranked sixth and seventh respectively, with Tottenham ninth, Newcastle twelfth, Aston Villa fifteenth and West Ham seventeenth.
Newcastle have a more expensive squad than Bayern Munich in 13th place, having brought in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak in recent transfer windows.
However, this does not take into account the £100m German giants Tottenham paid for Harry Kane in August.
The UEFA report also highlighted the dominance that the Premier League has when it comes to revenue.
The total turnover of the twenty Premier League clubs was €6.5 billion (£5.7 billion), which was almost equal to the next two leagues combined, with LaLiga and the Bundesliga both €3.3 billion (£2. 9 billion) generated.
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool is sixth on the list when it comes to transfer fees
They are just ahead of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who are seventh in the UEFA table
Newcastle have spent a lot of money on players like Bruno Guimaraes but are yet to crack the top ten
Nine of the top 20 revenues were generated by English clubs, including Brighton, which had an income of €264 million (£226 million).
Real Madrid led the way in terms of revenue with €841m (£719m), followed by City (£715m), Barcelona (£697m) and PSG (£690m).
PSG were also the most expensive team to watch, with the average match fan spending €140 (£120) on tickets and hospitality.
Juventus and Tottenham were the only other clubs with average matchday prices above €100 (£86).