Wayne Rooney’s allegations against Manchester United right or wrong statistically?
Wayne Rooney accused Manchester United of failing to give him assurances that the club still has the power and resources to attract the best players in the world, players that match his own ambition and ability. Sure, every player
wants to win but the question over here is that whether United have ever been a club which signs big name players and then proceeds onto win trophies? People might accuse the Manchester club of being heavy spenders but is that claim valid as well?
Rooney joined Manchester United in the summer of 2004 for 25.6 million pounds, so let’s take a look at what the club has done in terms of transfer activity over the last six years, since 2004 till 2010.
In: Alan Smith (£7m), Guiseppe Rossi (£200k), Gabriel Heinze (£6.9m), Edwin Van Der Sar (£2m), Tomasz Kuszczak (£2.125m), Rafael Da Silva (£2.5m), Patrice Evra (£5.5m), Fabio Da Silva (£2.6m) Nemanja Vidic (£7m), Ben Foster (£1m),
Chris Smalling (£10m), Owen Hargreaves (£17m), Michael Carrick (£18.6m), Anderson (£15m), Ji-Sung Park (£4m), Nani (£13.5m), Gabriel Obertan (£3m), Mame Biram Diouf (£2m), Antonio Valencia (£16m), Javier Hernandez (£6m), Bebe (£7.4m), Dimitar Berbatov (£30.75m),
Michael Owen (Bosman), Carlos Tevez (£9m), Zoran Tosic (£5m). Total: £194.075m.
Out: Nicky Butt (£2.5m), Diego Forlan (£2m), Eric Djemba-Djemba (£1.35m), John Obi Mikel (£12m), Phil Neville (£3.5m), Kleberson (£2.5m), Jonathan Spector (£500k), David Bellion (undis), Quinton Fortune (free), Ruud van Nistelrooy
(£10.3m), Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (£200k), David Jones (£1m), Tim Howard (£3m), Giuseppe Rossi (£6.7m), Alan Smith (£6m), Gabriel Heinze (£8m), Phil Bardsley (£2m), Ryan Shawcross (£1m), Gerard Pique (£6m), Chris Eagles (£1.25m), Mikael Silvestre (£750k), Louis
Saha (undisc), Carlos Tevez (undisc), Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m), Lee Martin (£1.5m), Frazier Campbell (£3.5m), Richard Eckersley (undis), Manucho (undis), Danny Simpson (£750k), Kieran Richardson (£5.5m), Ben Foster (£6m), Zoran Tosic (£7m), Craig Cathcart
(£350k). Total: £175.15m.
These transfers bring United’s total net spending to £18.925m. In this time, they won the Premier League thrice in 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, the Carling Cup in 2009-2010, Community Shield in 2007, 2008, 2010. The Red
Devils also won the 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.
Conversely, Chelsea have been quite active themselves in the transfer market. Since the summer of 2004, Chelsea have brought in; Petr Cech (£7m), Ross Turnbull (free), Hilario (Bosman), Arjen Robben (£12m), Mateja Kezman (£5m),
Tiago (£8m), Ricardo Carvalho (£19.85m), Jiri Jaroski (£3m), Lassana Diarra (£1m), Asier Del Horno (£8m), Shaun Wright-Phillips (£21m), Michael Ballack (free), Andriy Shevchenko (£30m), Branislav Ivanovic (£9m), Jose Bosingwa (£16.2m), Paulo Ferreira (£13.2m),
Ashley Cole (£5m), Alex (undis), Jeffrey Bruma (£100k), Tomas Kalas (reportedly £5.2m), Michael Essien (£24.43m), John Obi Mikel (£16m), Ben Sahar (£3.2m), Ramires (£18.3m), Yossi Benayoun (£5.5m), Salomon Kalou (£8m), Florent Malouda (£13.5m), Yuri Zhirkov
(£18m), Didier Drogba (£24m), Daniel Sturridge (£4m), Nicolas Anelka (£15m), Nemanja Matic (£1.5m), Deco (£8m), Franco Di Santo (£3m), Khalid Boulahrouz (£7m), Scott Sinclair (£300k). Total: £336.88m.
On the other hand, the Blues have sold; Jesper Gronkjaer (£2.2m), Celestine Babayaro (£1m), Scott Parker (£6.5m), Mikael Forssell (£3m), Mateja Kezman (£5.3m), Juan Sebastian Veron (undisc), Tiago (£6.5m), Eidur Gudjohnsen (£8m),
Alexei Smertin (£1m), Robert Huth (£6m), Asier Del Horno (£4.8m), Damien Duff (£5m), Lassana Diarra (£4m), Glen Johnson (£4m), Arjen Robben (£25m), Ben Sahar (£1m), Claudio Pizarro (£5m), Andrei Schevchenko (free), Miroslav Stoch (£2.5m), Scot Sinclair (£500k),
Ricardo Carvalho (£7m), Franco Di Santo (£2m). Total: £102.3m.
Chelsea’s transfers since 2004 till 2010 bring their total net spending to £234.58m. During this period, they won Premier League in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2009-10. The F.A Cup in 2006-07, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. The Blues also won
the League Cup in 2004-05 and 2006-2007 as well as the Community Shield in 2005, 2009.
All these statistics show that Manchester United have not always indulged in high bidding wars or bought players that have been on the top of their game. Sir Alex Ferguson's team has always bought young stars and turned them into
world class players. Something that Wayne will do well to realize.
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