 |
| Louis van Gaal and his Man United side have been accused of wasting the most money on transfers |
MANCHESTER UNITED have been accused of wasting more money in the transfer market than any other club in Europe.
And it is claimed they paid three times over the odds for French teenager Anthony Martial.
United stunned football on the eve of the transfer deadline by making Martial football’s most expensive teenager by paying Monaco £36m, with another £22m due in add ons.
But an independent transfer review found Martial's real transfer value to be £11.6m just weeks before the deadline day deal that took him to Old Trafford.
Former Barcelona director Esteve Calzada, now chief executive of Prime Time Sport, conducted a European-wide transfer review in conjunction with Soccerex and claimed United paid way over the odds for Martial, a virtual unknown outside of his native France.
“The week before [United signed Martial] there were rumours Barcelona would take him for £14.6m,” said Calzada, speaking at Soccerex in Manchester. “We made a list of the value of the top players in Europe under 21, and Martial was on the list.
“We valued him based on statistics and we valued him at 16m Euros [£11.6m]. That means one of two things – either we made a very bad valuation or, on the other side, the market has gone crazy!
“On paper I would say it's a very expensive signing for a very young player but, over time, we will see whether or not it is a good buy. Martial's name would have come up top on any scouting list for any of the top clubs in Europe.
"But on the other side, you would not say you're competing with other top clubs, meaning that you have had to pay over the odds. So whether it [the Martial deal] was a case of last-minute, last day of the market, I don’t know.
 |
| Manchester United were believed to have paid three times over the odds for Anthony Martial |
“I could be proved wrong, he turns out to be great and people will say ''you said he was only worth 16m Euros [£11.6m].
“With John Stones [the Everton defender who is wanted by Chelsea] as well, the numbers being discussed were far higher than we valued him on the list, so it has to do with market situations.”
Calzada also claimed his research shows that United wasted the most money on transfers in the Premier League over the past three years, with assessments based on cost in relation to actual time on the pitch.
His survey found £560m worth of players signed by Premier League sides over the last three seasons were used in 50 per cent or less of the total minutes of their club’s season.
United, with an outlay of £117.7m, topped the list of clubs with players who failed to succeed.
And the biggest flop, according to the survey, was Angel Di Maria, who cost United £59.7m but who was sold after just one season to Paris St Germain for £44m.
Marouane Fellaini, who cost United £27m from Everton transfer deadline day in August 2013, was second on the list of big-money failures, event hough he scored several vital goals for the club last season.
United trio Ander Herrera, Di Maria and Luke Shaw, who spent most of last season injured, played just 55 per cent, 48 per cent and 33 per cent of the minutes respectively.
Tottenham, with a spend of £100.9m, came second in the “failures” review. Manchester City (£53.3), Liverpool (£50.4m), Arsenal (£34.3m] and Chelsea (£32.9m) also spent highly on players who, accroding to the review, failed to deliver.
Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez was the most profitable signing last season in Europe (playing 86 per cent of the total minutes of his club's season.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus