How Can Manchester United Afford So Many Players?

Manchester United. The name alone conjures images of football glory—Busby Babes, Sir Alex’s Treble winners, a sea of red in the Stretford End. For generations, United have been synonymous with both history and ambition.

But today, as the football world debates its transfer spending, many wonder: How can Man United still afford to spend so big, even as the club seems so far from its former heights?”

How did Man United End Up Being So Miserable?

“Let’s wind back. Manchester United’s rise began in the 1950s, fueled by Busby’s faith in youth. Through tragedy and triumph, the club became an icon. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United reached the pinnacle—winning 13 Premier League titles and the famous treble in 1999. But since Sir Alex’s departure in 2013, United have struggled to keep up on the pitch.

Boardroom conflicts, questionable transfers, and changing managers have led to a ‘broken system’—at least by the standards of Old Trafford’s glory days.”

We can all trace this back to 2014, right after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, who was the core engine of Man United that was running.

After his departure, Man United was the shell of its former self. After changing more than 6 managers they just could not replicate what Fergie had done for United.

And with the 2025 season, United were hopelessly just above relegation; they were not just a mid-table club, but they had transformed themselves into a bottom-of-the-league club.

Managers like Eric Ten Hag and Amorim could not do anything to change United's fortune overnight; the managers were not backed by the board properly and were left with little or no support throughout the season.

They lost 18 matches in the All Competition and finished last, in 15th place. At times during the season, it looked like there was a relegation fight.

So, Even After Having a Miserable season like this, how is Man United able to spend so much money

For that, we need to understand where Man United makes money, not player sales but their raw money, their ultimate business model

Now, for just this bit, we are not adding the player's transfer amount, and the figures are approx, not the total amount(approximately)

Commercial Power: United’s commercial deals are the envy of world football. The 2025 kit deal with Adidas is worth £90 million per year.

Their main shirt sponsor, TeamViewer, adds another £47 million per year. Add secondary sponsors across tech, finance, and travel—the income soars. Now, "TeamViewer" was their main sponsor from 2021 to 2024, and just imagine racking up £47 million per year just from the shirt sponsor.

Now, the latest stat regarding the shirt sponsor is even crazier as of 2025

Manchester United's current main shirt sponsor for the 2025/26 season is Snapdragon, the technology brand owned by Qualcomm.

The Snapdragon logo is prominently featured on the front of United’s kit, replacing TeamViewer from previous seasons, and the deal is reported to be worth more than £60 million per year, with a contract running through to 2029 after Qualcomm extended the agreement in August 2024.

We can just attribute this to the pulling power that "Manchester United" has all around the world.

If you add this up with matchday revenues, then Old Trafford holding over 74,000 fans, United routinely earn over £160 million per season from ticket sales and hospitality—by far the most in England.

Now that is not just it, Man United also earn from the broadcast income, TV streaming rights in vast sums, especially crucial for Premier League clubs

In just a broad comparison, Manchester United earned £172.9 million from broadcasting rights in the 2024/25 season. This was a decrease of £48.9 million from the previous year, primarily because the club played in the UEFA Europa League rather than the more lucrative UEFA Champions League.

It might be a bit disappointing that Manchester United are out of every major UEFA tournament. But we can just get an idea of what the revenue might be if United could have played in Europe.

But if you ask about 2024/2025, then,

Despite the drop in broadcast revenue, Man United achieved record total revenues of £666.5 million in 2024/25, thanks to strong increases in commercial (£333.3 million) and matchday revenue (£160.3 million), which helped offset the broadcasting decline

Now, Manchester United makes a significant amount of money when it comes to merchandise sales. The point to remember is that they have global fans all around the world, and Adidas, being a prime sponsor handles all the delivery sales across the globe.

Globally, Manchester United earned approximately €146 million (about £128 million) from kit and merchandise sales in the 2023/24 season, ranking them among the top clubs worldwide—just behind leaders like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool

So now let's break down the sum of money that United has earned altogether for the 2024/25 season and

Here is the summary of Manchester United’s key revenue streams for the 2024/25 season, with an estimated total revenue breakdown:

Revenue Stream	Amount (£ million)
Commercial Revenue	333.3
Matchday Revenue	160.3
Broadcast Revenue	172.9
Merchandise Revenue	140 (approximate average)

Total Revenue Estimate (2024/25):

333.3+160.3+172.9+140=806.5 million GBP (approx.)

Thus, Manchester United earned approximately £806.5 million in total revenue for the 2024/25 season when combining commercial deals, matchday income, broadcasting rights, and merchandise sales.

This figure aligns with the club’s record-breaking financial performance reports despite operating losses in some departments.

Now, to better understand where United stands than other clubs we need to compare the revenue with other clubs.

Now, let's Compare What Other Clubs earned to get a good example of how Man United can spend so much even though it might finish last in the Premier League

The club we need to compare has to be a club that finished above Manchester United in the Premier League.

This way, we could have an idea about how much United can pull in money commercially and financially.

Nottingham Forest set a club record revenue of around £190 million in 2023/24, expected to rise above £220 million in 2024/25 due to Premier League prize money, increased commercial income (sponsorship), and UEFA Conference League participation next season.

Like if we talk in more detail then,

Forest nearly doubled their commercial income from around £15 million to £30 million in 2023/24.

This includes roughly £8.6 million from merchandising and other commercial activities such as sponsorships and retail

Comparing this with United's £47 million per year, they had struck with just a shirt sponsor is crazy, with United having increased this amount to £60 million per year from Snapdragon starting in 2025.

Merchandising accounted for about £7.1 million in revenue in 2023/24, contributing a significant share of the commercial income. Jersey sales are driven through deals with top sponsors and retail outlets

Gate receipts rose by approximately one-third, from £11 million to around £14 million, reflecting increased attendances and ticket prices at the City Ground, which has an average attendance of about 28,800.

The matchday Income is mere compared to United because of United's +60000 seating capacity.

Broadcasting income increased slightly from £125 million to £130 million between 2022/23 and 2023/24, reflecting Premier League TV rights distribution and participation in European competition

Nottingham Forest’s front-of-shirt sponsorship deal is now with Bally’s Corporation, worth an estimated £8–10 million per year starting in the 2025/26 season. This deal replaced previous sponsors and aligns with some of the highest sponsorship values outside the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs.

Even if we get an approx of all these, then we have around ~£220–250, which is still a very low number compared to Man United's £665 a year approx.

Aston Villa’s revenues were expected to surpass £340 million in 2024/25, boosted by Champions League participation and prize money, plus substantial player sales (estimated £72 million in January 2025 window). Commercial revenue grew strongly due to new deals with Adidas and Betano and enhanced sleeve sponsorships.

Despite rising revenues, Villa's costs remain high, leading to operating losses, but the financial scale is rising rapidly.

Club	Total Revenue (£m)	Key Revenue Drivers	2024/25 League Position
Manchester United	666.5	Commercial, Matchday, Broadcast	16th
Aston Villa	~340	Champions League, Commercial	Above Man United*
Nottingham Forest	~220–250	Premier League prize money, UEFA Conference League	Above Man United*

*Exact positions may vary, but both clubs finished above United in 2024/25.

Now, if we add Players' sales for the 2025 transfer window, then

Manchester United’s player sales revenue in the 2025 summer transfer window was approximately £61.6 million. Key outgoing transfers included:

• Alejandro Garnacho was sold to Chelsea for around £40 million (considered pure profit).

• Antony was sold to Real Betis for about £21.6 million, though it likely involved a loss compared to his purchase price.

• Other departures on loan or free transfers include Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelöf, and Rasmus Højlund (loan).

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Despite high spending of £219 million on new players like Matheus Cunha (£62.5m), Bryan Mbeumo (£65m), and Benjamin Šeško (£66.3m), the total income from player sales was significantly lower, leading to a net transfer spend of roughly -£157.4 million.

Now, all these transfer fees were covered by the revenue that United generated from last season's commercial assets.

Despite finishing lower in the Premier League table than Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa in 2024/25, Manchester United generated approximately twice the revenue.

This illustrates how United’s global commercial power, premier stadium, and historic brand put them in a completely different financial league, enabling continued heavy spending on players despite recent poor league form