What is it that is said about title-winning teams? What they do, where they do it, and what the weather is like on that particular day of the week?
If it’s true, then it is time to take Manchester United seriously. This was a big result, hard-fought and hard-won against Burnley, the Premier League’s awkward squad. It is a victory that puts them top of the league in January for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson was manager and claimed his final league trophy in 2013.
Manchester United suffered a £70m drop in revenue in the period to 30 June 2020 as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.
United’s overall revenue was down 18.8% from £627.1m to £509m, but part of this was due to the club not qualifying for last season’s Champions League. In last year’s statement, United had estimated revenues could reach £580m.
Overall, United made a net £18.9m profit in 2018-19 and a net £23.2m loss in the most recent financial year.
It was also confirmed within the results that the Glazers still took an additional £23.23m out of the club in the form of share dividends.
Manchester United scored three late goals at Newcastle to earn victory and help ease the misery inflicted by the heavy defeat against Tottenham.
It was an incredible final few minutes for a team who looked as if they had blown their chance of three points following Bruno Fernandes’ failure from the penalty spot in the 58th minute.
United needed a positive reaction following that 6-1 thumping by Spurs before the international break, but their hopes suffered a blow when Emil Krafth’s cross came off defender Luke Shaw and beat keeper David de Gea.
In a transfer window where COVID-19 really impacted player sales, who won the window in the Premier League. And what teams did not buy well?
Aston Villa
Aston Villa only secured their Premier League status on the final day of last season – now the club’s owners have backed manager Dean Smith in ambitious fashion to make the most of that escape.
The biggest signing was record buy Ollie Watkins, brought in from Brentford for £28m potentially rising to £33m, the 24-year-old well known to Smith from his time in charge at Griffin Park.
Harry Maguire scored in extra-time winner as a poor Manchester United beat 10-man Norwich 2-1 to book their place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
With penalties looming, the United captain broke the Canaries’ resistance with a drilled close-range effort with two minutes remaining at Carrow Road.
Odion Ighalo had given United the lead early in the second half but Todd Cantwell’s 20-yard drive, and an inspired performance from goalkeeper Tim Krul, forced extra-time after Timm Klose’s dismissal for a last-man challenge on Ighalo.
Premier League clubs have agreed to restart the season in just three weeks’ time in what is a huge breakthrough for their Project Restart plans.
The Premier League have desperately been trying to finalize plans to get the season back underway again following its suspension at the beginning of March amid the coronavirus crisis.
June 20 has been lined up as the first round of fixtures following the Premier League’s resumption although Manchester City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United are set to go ahead on Wednesday June 17.
Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, addressed the club’s investors on Thursday to discuss the club’s latest set of financial results, the numbers sounded bleak.
Over a 40 per cent increase in net debt, revenues down and an estimated £23 million ($28m) already lost due to Covid-19 made up the headlines, and the worst is yet to come as these numbers are through only the end of March.
Games behind closed doors, the club’s shop and museum remaining closed and a huge reduction in broadcast revenue will ensure the next quarter’s results have a similarly negative impact.
Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward is the latest executive to tell fans that this will be a quiet transfer window saying “It may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market.”
We have heard the same from Barcelona and Inter Milan, but United have been strongly linked with a €100m+ deal for Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho as well as a €200m deal for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
But Woodward seemingly has thrown cold water on these deal saying on a videoconference call with Manchester United fans.
French politician Daniel Cohn-Bendi started off making sense when he said that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic will cause transfer values to plummet. I think everyone agrees with that statement. Then he showed his naivety when he tried to use PSG forward Kylian Mbappe as an example of the impending price drop.
“Tomorrow, Mbappe will cost around €35-40M at most, not €200M, he told an interview with French outlet Ouest-France, reported via the Evening Standard.
“Who is going to be able to buy him?
“There is going to be new regulations, and this will affect wages and image rights.”
Brighton owner Tony Bloom says he cannot see how clubs can be relegated from the Premier League if the season is not completed.
On Friday, the Premier League met to go through several scenarios to finish the campaign, but uncertainty still hangs over a season that has nine rounds to go.
“It would be very difficult to relegate somebody, particularly from the Premier League, if the season hasn’t played out,” said Bloom.
In the ‘scheduling model’ possibilities looked at on Friday, the earliest would start on 8 June. While it was not discussed as expected at that meeting, there are clubs who think 30 June should be the cut-off date for the season to end for contractual reasons.