When Sir Alex Ferguson stepped off as the manager of Manchester United, the club was struggling to get back into its former glory, but after several years of changing tactics and managers, United may be on a brink of winning a title with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In the 2020/2021 season, the club had a fantastic run as it finished second on the PL table, right before their city rivals Manchester City. As the new season unfolds, Ole has managed to bring a few players to the club and thus, increase the chances of lifting the PL trophy.
Speaking of bringing players to the club, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane and look at the most expensive signings by Manchester United. Let’s check them out.
Jadon Sancho
The one interesting fact about Jadon Sancho was that everyone was aware that he will be leaving Dortmund. Since he’s a talented youngster, all of the top teams in the world, including Manchester United were interested in purchasing him.
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The debate on who will sign him went so far that online sportsbooks even opened betting odds on his next destination. Punters registered at reputable sites such as novibet.co.uk, and they were casting their predictions in.
What’s even better is the fact that online sportsbooks, like the one we just mentioned, have massive sports coverage and since they are superior to land-based sportsbooks, punters decided to stay there and continue placing bets online.
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After numerous speculations and rumours circulating, Jaden Sancho signed for Manchester United on July 23, 2021, for a price of £76.5 million, making him the third most expensive player in the club’s history.
Harry Maguire
Next up, we have a player that many consider to be the best English defender in the Premier League. Although Maguire’s form varied, in the last season, he managed to show some stability and reminded everyone that he is a solid player that has tons of qualities.
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After the Euro 2020, many fans praised him for his contributions, which is why they expect Maguire to continue working hard and help Manchester United finally win the PL title. He was purchased from Leicester on August 9, 2019, for a price of £78.3 million.
Paul Pogba
The most expensive player in Manchester United’s history is actually coming from the club’s youth academy. Pogba failed to live up to the expectations at his young age, which is why he joined Juventus as a free agent.
During his time with the Old Lady, he reinvented himself and was praised for his adaptability, control, shot power, etc. That is why United was keen on bringing him back – the club thought that he may be the missing link in the squad. So, United ended up purchasing him for a whopping price of £94.5 million on August 9, 2016.
Honourable Mentions
Other expensive players that United purchased and are worth a mention are Romelu Lukaku (£76.23 million), Angel Di Maria (£67.5 million), Bruno Fernandes (£56.7 million) and Anthony Martial (£54 million).
Sport
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
The Manc -
20th August 2021 
