Carrick’s case: the money is not the answer
Manchester United spent about £148m on players this summer. Manchester City spent a record £458m. Chelsea and Tottenham each went past £300m. United’s net outlay was smaller than that of newly promoted Ipswich Town. Asked before Sunday’s trip to Everton whether a squad assembled on that budget could challenge, Michael Carrick did not hedge: “I certainly feel we can compete.”
His argument is not that the gap does not exist, but that it is not decisive. “The actual amount of money in the end, I understand it can be a big thing,” Carrick said. “It doesn’t always have to be the answer. Money is one thing, what you do with it is another thing, how you make the most of it is another thing. It’s about what happens on the pitch at the end of the day.” He described himself as “largely happy” with the squad after deadline day, and pointed to dynamics and balance rather than volume: “The challenge is just getting the right dynamics, getting the right balance, getting the right group together.”
Chief executive Omar Berrada made the institutional version of the same case at the club’s Fans Forum on 30 July. “We have shown that with debt, we can not only be profitable, but more importantly, win trophies,” he said. “And our aim is to do that again.”
Where the money went — and where it did not
United’s window was narrow by design. Having spent 2025 rebuilding the forward line, the club concentrated almost the entire 2026 budget on midfield:
- Carlos Baleba, up to £70m from Brighton — the summer’s marquee signing
- Andrey Santos, around £50m from Chelsea
- Youri Tielemans, around £35m from Aston Villa
- Tynan Thompson, £8m from Tottenham, plus goalkeeper Karl Darlow on a free
Outgoings funded part of it. Rasmus Hojlund went to Napoli for £38m; Jadon Sancho, Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia left on frees, clearing wages from the pre-Carrick era. Carrick also cites the emergence of 19-year-old forward Shea Lacey as evidence the squad is stronger than the one that finished last season.
The unaddressed areas are obvious. No left-back arrived to push Luke Shaw. No senior support was added behind Benjamin Sesko. Carrick has said the club has a “clear idea” of what the squad should look like, with defensive reinforcement earmarked for 2027 — a sequencing argument that only works if this season’s results hold up while the plan runs.
Debt, a stadium, and a season that has already tested the theory
The financial backdrop explains the restraint. United’s total borrowings, including outstanding transfer fees, stand at roughly £1.29bn. The club has paid around £852m in interest since the Glazer takeover in 2005. A proposed new stadium carries a price tag beyond £2bn. Berrada’s “profitable and win trophies” line is a statement of intent, but it is also an acknowledgement that United will be operating inside constraints their rivals are not.
Carrick has credit to spend. Appointed in January and confirmed permanently in the summer, he won 12 of his first 17 matches, dragged United to third and returned them to the Champions League after a season without European football. That is the strongest evidence for his thesis: the recovery happened without a squad overhaul.
The early evidence this season is mixed. United lost their opener 2-0 at newly promoted Hull City despite 71.6% possession and 21 shots — the first time in their league history they have lost an opening fixture to a promoted side. They answered it with a 5-2 win over Ipswich in front of 74,148 at Old Trafford. Sunday’s visit to Everton is the third data point, with a Champions League campaign starting shortly after and a squad that has not been built for a 50-plus game season.
That is the real vulnerability in the plan. A midfield of Baleba, Santos and Tielemans should raise United’s floor in the Premier League; what it does not do is give Carrick two credible options in every position when European nights start stacking up against weekend fixtures. City, Chelsea and Liverpool bought depth as much as quality. United bought a spine.
Carrick and Berrada are betting that coherence beats accumulation — that £148m spent on three players who fit one system is worth more than £458m spread across a squad still being assembled. Third place and a Champions League return earned them the right to make that argument. Only the next nine months will settle whether it is correct.
**Sources:** [BBC/Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/man-utd-plan-compete-top-215754760.html) · [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49837387/michael-carrick-manchester-united-compete-premier-league-outspent) · [Sports Mole](https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/transfer-talk/feature/man-united-summer-transfers-all-confirmed-ins-and-outs-for-2026_599075.html) · [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/manchester-united-everton-live-stream-michael-carrick-premier-league/)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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