Radamel Falcao to Manchester United: Louis van Gaal takes transfer spend beyond £140m - SIXTH most of any Premier league manager
Van Gaal is just £71m shy of Sir Alex Ferguson's total spend during his Premier League reign after signing the Colombian striker on a £9m loan
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Your support makes all the difference.The loan deal that brings Radamel Falcao to Manchester United will see Louis van Gaal’s Premier League spending surpass the £140m mark – making him sixth in the list of the highest transfer fees spent by any manager in the English top flight.
With Falcao set to move to Old Trafford on a season-long loan that will cost the Red Devils a £9m fee, United’s spending this summer will rise to just over of £141.7m – and that figure will increase further when the £14.25m deal for Daley Blind is confirmed.
United’s summer began with the £28m signing of England left-back Luke Shaw – who is yet to make his competitive debut for the club due to injury – and was quickly followed by the £29m acquisition of Ander Herrera.
With the World Cup taking centre stage through June and July, United’s transfer business appeared to grind to a halt, but the new faces continued last month as United announced a £16m move for Argentina defender Marcus Rojo, although the former Sporting Lisbon player is yet to arrive at the club after complications in being granted a work permit.
The spending showed no signs of slowing as United broke the British transfer record to land Angel Di Maria in a £59.7m deal from Champions League winners Real Madrid, although the blockbuster signing was unable to land Van Gaal his first competitive victory as United drew 0-0 against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
With United expected to address their defence as well as the central midfield area, the move for Falcao was nothing short of stunning on Monday morning, just 13 hours before the transfer deadline hits at 11pm tonight.
It means that United’s summer outlay could near the £200m mark by the end of the day if they are to further strengthen their side, and Van Gaal could even overtake Sir Alex Ferguson’s entire Premier League transfer expenditure which stands at £222.7m.
Even though chief executive Ed Woodward announced that United had between £150m-£200m to rebuild the squad this summer, few will have expected such major moves for the likes of Di Maria and Falcao, although fans of the 20-time English champions remain concerned that unless a central midfielder and defender is signed before the clock strikes zero, they will endure a second straight year out of the Champions League.
The Premier League’s Top 10 net spenders
Louis van Gaal’s spending currently totals £141.7m taking into account the Radamel Falcao fee alone (Daley Blind’s transfer has not been included as the deal is yet to be confirmed).
Mark Hughes - £224.6m (Manchester City only)
Sir Alex Ferguson - £222.7m
(Manchester United, Premier League only)
Roberto Mancini - £183.8m (Manchester City)
Jose Mourinho - £174m (Chelsea)
Claudio Ranieri - £167.13m (Chelsea)
Louis van Gaal - £141.7m (Manchester United)
Manuel Pellegrini - £120.71m (Manchester City)
Brendan Rodgers - £120m.13m
(Liverpool)
Carlo Ancelotti - £113.63m (Chelsea)
Rafa Benitez - £105.94m (Liverpool)
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