Man City’s record-breaking summer of selling gives rivals even more to envy
By Dan Sheldon
Manchester City are already setting the standard on the pitch this season, but are also likely to be the envy of their rivals off it.
As other Premier League sides struggle to offload players this summer, City can boast a Premier League record for revenues generated in a single transfer window, bucking a trend that is troubling clubs throughout the top tier of English football.
While the Abu Dhabi ownership has afforded them an elite manager in Pep Guardiola and many of the world’s best players, questions have been asked about the income they receive from commercial deals, and the Premier League has been investigating the club over financial fair play since 2019.
This summer, however, is an important step in City’s drive for sustained growth, on and off the pitch.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak sets the strategy which is then carried out by Txiki Begiristain, the director of football; Ferran Soriano, the chief executive; and Omar Berrada, the club’s chief operating officer.
Their ability to sell while others struggle is a testament to clever recruitment, including signing players at the right time.
Manchester United, for example, signed Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 37, last summer to solve their goalscoring issues.
City, on the other hand, added Erling Haaland, then 21, to their squad this summer in a transfer worth £51million ($61.7m). One player — should they stay injury free and perform as everyone expects — will have significant sell-on value in several years, while the other will be retired.
The Haaland-Ronaldo example serves to highlight how City have been targeting the correct players at the perfect moment, which in turn leads to record revenue.
Two of the most eye-catching outgoings this summer were Raheem Sterling’s £47.5million switch to Chelsea and Gabriel Jesus’ £45million move to Arsenal.
It was felt internally that this summer could prove to be fruitful in terms of sales due to such players coming to the natural end of their cycle at City — and because they were standout names, there was always going to be a market for them.
There is also a willingness on the club’s behalf to negotiate and work with other teams to find a mutually agreeable deal. It does not matter whether it is Southampton or Chelsea, for example.
Manchester City's summer sales
Both Sterling and Jesus had a year remaining on their City contracts and had been at the club for several years; seven in Sterling’s case and six in Jesus’.
The £45million fee received for the Brazilian striker, who initially joined for £27million, represented a notable profit. They essentially recouped the £49million transfer fee it took to prise Sterling away from Liverpool in 2015.
And although they would have paid the England international a tidy sum over the past seven years, City won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, five League Cups, one Community Shield and finished runners-up in the 2020-21 Champions League final in that time.
While neither Sterling nor Jesus were guaranteed starters under Guardiola — not many are due to the talent pool at City — it could easily have been viewed as a risk by selling them to a Premier League rival.
But there is absolute confidence in what the club are doing, the success they are enjoying, and how they can remain on top while hitting the recruitment sweet spot.
As well as Jesus, Arsenal completed the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from City in a £32million deal. Those two transfers to Arsenal alone were worth £77million to City.
What is possibly more impressive, though, is how they have managed to sell players for good money who are yet to register a Premier League appearance.
Southampton committed themselves to spending £29million on two academy graduates, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and midfielder Romeo Lavia. Bazunu joined for an initial £12million (rising to £15million) and Lavia cost £10.5million (rising to £14million).
City also inserted buy-back and sell-on clauses into both contracts in a move that keeps them protected if the two players turn out to be brilliant. The club turned down a £16million offer from Southampton for Liam Delap.
Another academy player to depart was Darko Gyabi, who joined Leeds United in a deal worth around £5million. Between Gyabi, Bazunu and Lavia, City raised £34million for three players who had not played in the Premier League.
All three players were unlikely to feature this season and City can say Haaland’s £51million fee is on its way to being covered by academy sales.
Pedro Porro has been sold to Sporting Lisbon for £7million, Ko Itakura moved to Borussia Monchengladbach in a £5million deal, while goalkeeper Arijanet Muric joined Burnley for £3million.
In total, and including potential add-ons, it takes City’s summer of sales to a combined £167million. Their previous highest was £82million in 2017-18.
Taking the figures from Transfermarkt for their summer outgoings since they were bought by Abu Dhabi Investment Group in September 2008, the below table highlights each window’s sales:
Summer sales since Abu Dhabi ownership
“In part, I’m a little bit sad that these important players have gone, but it’s a business, it’s good for the club,” remarked Guardiola. “For the image of the club, always we buy, buy, buy, (but) always we sell. We sell important players for big, big money. For the club, it’s good.”
While City have been able to flourish in this context, others are struggling.
Manchester United have managed to sell only Andreas Pereira to Fulham in this window and still have a bloated squad that requires trimming.
Chelsea sold Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig for a loss and have loaned out Malang Sarr to Monaco, who have an obligation to buy him next summer.
Given their status as the best two teams in England, Liverpool, like City, have had a relatively good summer. Neco Williams joined Nottingham Forest in a £17million deal, Sadio Mane was sold to Bayern Munich for £35million, and they made a notable profit on Takumi Minamino when he was sold to Monaco for £15million.
Brighton will certainly feel they have had as good a summer as any in terms of generating sales, receiving £62million from Chelsea for Marc Cucurella and £25million from Tottenham Hotspur for Yves Bissouma.
Elsewhere, though, Southampton have been unable to sell a single player despite wanting to part company with several. Leicester City are also struggling to offload members of their squad who are deemed surplus to requirement.
Sources working within football are lamenting a slow summer in terms of player sales, yet many point to City as evidence that it is possible.
It certainly helps to have a squad and academy blessed with an unbelievable array of talent, but convincing clubs to invest sizeable fees into relatively unknown quantities is impressive.
As Guardiola remarked: “Everyone can sell, (but) not everyone can do it.”
https://theathletic.com/3508898/2022/08/17/man-city-transfers-record-revenues/
Man City’s record-breaking summer of selling gives rivals even more to envy
By Dan Sheldon
Manchester City are already setting the standard on the pitch this season, but are also likely to be the envy of their rivals off it.
As other Premier League sides struggle to offload players this summer, City can boast a Premier League record for revenues generated in a single transfer window, bucking a trend that is troubling clubs throughout the top tier of English football.
While the Abu Dhabi ownership has afforded them an elite manager in Pep Guardiola and many of the world’s best players, questions have been asked about the income they receive from commercial deals, and the Premier League has been investigating the club over financial fair play since 2019.
This summer, however, is an important step in City’s drive for sustained growth, on and off the pitch.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak sets the strategy which is then carried out by Txiki Begiristain, the director of football; Ferran Soriano, the chief executive; and Omar Berrada, the club’s chief operating officer.
Their ability to sell while others struggle is a testament to clever recruitment, including signing players at the right time.
Manchester United, for example, signed Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 37, last summer to solve their goalscoring issues.
City, on the other hand, added Erling Haaland, then 21, to their squad this summer in a transfer worth £51million ($61.7m). One player — should they stay injury free and perform as everyone expects — will have significant sell-on value in several years, while the other will be retired.
The Haaland-Ronaldo example serves to highlight how City have been targeting the correct players at the perfect moment, which in turn leads to record revenue.
Two of the most eye-catching outgoings this summer were Raheem Sterling’s £47.5million switch to Chelsea and Gabriel Jesus’ £45million move to Arsenal.
It was felt internally that this summer could prove to be fruitful in terms of sales due to such players coming to the natural end of their cycle at City — and because they were standout names, there was always going to be a market for them.
There is also a willingness on the club’s behalf to negotiate and work with other teams to find a mutually agreeable deal. It does not matter whether it is Southampton or Chelsea, for example.
Manchester City's summer sales
Both Sterling and Jesus had a year remaining on their City contracts and had been at the club for several years; seven in Sterling’s case and six in Jesus’.
The £45million fee received for the Brazilian striker, who initially joined for £27million, represented a notable profit. They essentially recouped the £49million transfer fee it took to prise Sterling away from Liverpool in 2015.
And although they would have paid the England international a tidy sum over the past seven years, City won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, five League Cups, one Community Shield and finished runners-up in the 2020-21 Champions League final in that time.
While neither Sterling nor Jesus were guaranteed starters under Guardiola — not many are due to the talent pool at City — it could easily have been viewed as a risk by selling them to a Premier League rival.
But there is absolute confidence in what the club are doing, the success they are enjoying, and how they can remain on top while hitting the recruitment sweet spot.
As well as Jesus, Arsenal completed the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from City in a £32million deal. Those two transfers to Arsenal alone were worth £77million to City.
What is possibly more impressive, though, is how they have managed to sell players for good money who are yet to register a Premier League appearance.
Southampton committed themselves to spending £29million on two academy graduates, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and midfielder Romeo Lavia. Bazunu joined for an initial £12million (rising to £15million) and Lavia cost £10.5million (rising to £14million).
City also inserted buy-back and sell-on clauses into both contracts in a move that keeps them protected if the two players turn out to be brilliant. The club turned down a £16million offer from Southampton for Liam Delap.
Another academy player to depart was Darko Gyabi, who joined Leeds United in a deal worth around £5million. Between Gyabi, Bazunu and Lavia, City raised £34million for three players who had not played in the Premier League.
All three players were unlikely to feature this season and City can say Haaland’s £51million fee is on its way to being covered by academy sales.
Pedro Porro has been sold to Sporting Lisbon for £7million, Ko Itakura moved to Borussia Monchengladbach in a £5million deal, while goalkeeper Arijanet Muric joined Burnley for £3million.
In total, and including potential add-ons, it takes City’s summer of sales to a combined £167million. Their previous highest was £82million in 2017-18.
Taking the figures from Transfermarkt for their summer outgoings since they were bought by Abu Dhabi Investment Group in September 2008, the below table highlights each window’s sales:
Summer sales since Abu Dhabi ownership
“In part, I’m a little bit sad that these important players have gone, but it’s a business, it’s good for the club,” remarked Guardiola. “For the image of the club, always we buy, buy, buy, (but) always we sell. We sell important players for big, big money. For the club, it’s good.”
While City have been able to flourish in this context, others are struggling.
Manchester United have managed to sell only Andreas Pereira to Fulham in this window and still have a bloated squad that requires trimming.
Chelsea sold Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig for a loss and have loaned out Malang Sarr to Monaco, who have an obligation to buy him next summer.
Given their status as the best two teams in England, Liverpool, like City, have had a relatively good summer. Neco Williams joined Nottingham Forest in a £17million deal, Sadio Mane was sold to Bayern Munich for £35million, and they made a notable profit on Takumi Minamino when he was sold to Monaco for £15million.
Brighton will certainly feel they have had as good a summer as any in terms of generating sales, receiving £62million from Chelsea for Marc Cucurella and £25million from Tottenham Hotspur for Yves Bissouma.
Elsewhere, though, Southampton have been unable to sell a single player despite wanting to part company with several. Leicester City are also struggling to offload members of their squad who are deemed surplus to requirement.
Sources working within football are lamenting a slow summer in terms of player sales, yet many point to City as evidence that it is possible.
It certainly helps to have a squad and academy blessed with an unbelievable array of talent, but convincing clubs to invest sizeable fees into relatively unknown quantities is impressive.
As Guardiola remarked: “Everyone can sell, (but) not everyone can do it.”
https://theathletic.com/3508898/2022/08/17/man-city-transfers-record-revenues/
