Sir Alex Ferguson attacks 'kamikaze' purchases
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson today slated some of his club’s English Premier League rivals for their ‘kamikaze’ spending sprees this summer.
Manchester City have already spent more than £100m during the close season on recruiting the likes of Yaya Toure from Barcelona, David Silva from Valencia and Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan. With James Milner set to make the switch from Aston Villa too, City are on course to reach a shopping bill of abound £125m for the summer.
At a press conference, Ferguson said that: "It's amazing the amount of money that is being bandied about. Over the last two or three years we have seen very wealthy owners become part of football clubs and therefore go on this kamikaze effort to spend their money. Some people may think it could be dangerous, and I don't see it abating. The kind of spending we are seeing at the moment will be here for two or three years, until such time as they understand you can't necessarily achieve all the time by spending."
Along with City, several other clubs have seen wealthy owners arrive with large chequebooks ready to be wielded. Chelsea are perhaps the most prominent example of this, having won three EPL titles since owner Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003.
Instead of shelling out vast sums of money on proven talent, Ferguson emphasised the need to recruit younger players and allow them to develop. Last week, he purchased Portuguese 20-year-old striker Tiago Manuel Dias Correia (‘Bebe’) while Mexican international forward Javier Hernandez, 22, and England Under-21 defender Chris Smalling, 20, joined over the summer. Ferguson said that: "Young players develop if you are looking after them properly. They do have a loyalty because they appreciate the education you give them as coaches. How we treat players is important. It is difficult to know what other clubs think. We are just the type of club who can do it."
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