Man Utd and Liverpool's net spend comparison since Klopp's arrival, 2015
Manchester United and Liverpool are worlds apart, both in the quality of their squad and in their success over the past five years. But both clubs are financial powerhouses, so we've taken a look at their net transfer spend since Jurgen Klopp took over at the Merseyside club in October 2015.
United are notorious for spending huge sums of money, but their inconsistent transfer policy means their huge squad are overpaid and underperforming.
Liverpool have leapfrogged their rivals since Klopp's arrival at Anfield, partly thanks to the club's more cautious transfer decisions.
Liverpool won the Champions League in 2018-19 with a squad that included smart acquisitions like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, then eventually won their first Premier League the following season.
They then struggled with injuries in 2020-21 but came back strong last season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup, progressing to the Champions League final and leading the Premier race League until the last day.
This summer, they have gone even further, bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica as their star signing. But Klopp also lost a big hitter to Mane.
Meanwhile, United have managed to pull considerable wages off the book in 2022, but they've also spent big on arrivals, with £63.5m Casemiro the latest through the door .
United have been criticized for their seemingly scattered approach to the transfer market - for example, they pursued Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot before pursuing Casemiro - but new manager Erik ten Hag recently explained how they pick targets for transfer.
Ten Hag told United's official website: "It starts with the basics. [You have to be] reliable, have drive, have drive - [be] very motivated.
"You want to fight and you bring it to the training ground every day. You want to strengthen the team. You [are] a unified club, a unified team and, above all, you are ready to win."
We'll have to wait and see how Ten Hag's summer signings - Casemiro, as well as Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia - fare throughout the season.
But what about the difference in transfer spending between United and Liverpool in recent years?
We've taken a look at Transfermarkt figures and selected the five biggest buys and five biggest sells for both clubs since Klopp's arrival in October 2015, as well as the net spend for both clubs.
>Look away now, United fans.
liverpoolFive Biggest Buys 1. Virgil van Dijk – £76.19m2. Darwin Nunez – £67.5 million3. Alisson – £56.25m4. Naby Keita – £54.00m5. Luis Diaz – £42.30m
Five biggest sales 1. Philippe Coutinho – £121.50m2. Sadio Mane - £28.80m3. Christian Benteke – £28.08m4. Mamadou Sakho – £25.38m5. Danny Ings – £22.59m
Total spent: £637.81mTotal sold: £438.84m
Total net spend: £198.97m
Manchester UnitedFive Biggest Buys 1. Paul Pogba – £94.50m2. Harry Maguire – £78.30m3. Jadon Sancho - £76.5m4. Romelu Lukaku – £76.23m5. Casemiro - £63.59m
Five Biggest Sales 1. Romelu Lukaku – £66.60m2. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – £30.60m3. Daniel James – £26.19m4. Morgan Schniderlin - £20.70m=5. Memphis Depay - £14.40m=5. Daley Blind - £14.40m
Total spent: £960.95mTotal sold: £237.77m
Total net spend: £723.18m
More from Planet SoccerMan Utd 3-2 Liverpool recall, craziest FA Youth Cup game ever
Comparison of the illustrious trophy cabinets of Liverpool and Man United
Can you name the 30 most expensive transfers between PL clubs?
...
Manchester United and Liverpool are worlds apart, both in the quality of their squad and in their success over the past five years. But both clubs are financial powerhouses, so we've taken a look at their net transfer spend since Jurgen Klopp took over at the Merseyside club in October 2015.
United are notorious for spending huge sums of money, but their inconsistent transfer policy means their huge squad are overpaid and underperforming.
Liverpool have leapfrogged their rivals since Klopp's arrival at Anfield, partly thanks to the club's more cautious transfer decisions.
Liverpool won the Champions League in 2018-19 with a squad that included smart acquisitions like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, then eventually won their first Premier League the following season.
They then struggled with injuries in 2020-21 but came back strong last season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup, progressing to the Champions League final and leading the Premier race League until the last day.
This summer, they have gone even further, bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica as their star signing. But Klopp also lost a big hitter to Mane.
Meanwhile, United have managed to pull considerable wages off the book in 2022, but they've also spent big on arrivals, with £63.5m Casemiro the latest through the door .
United have been criticized for their seemingly scattered approach to the transfer market - for example, they pursued Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot before pursuing Casemiro - but new manager Erik ten Hag recently explained how they pick targets for transfer.
Ten Hag told United's official website: "It starts with the basics. [You have to be] reliable, have drive, have drive - [be] very motivated.
"You want to fight and you bring it to the training ground every day. You want to strengthen the team. You [are] a unified club, a unified team and, above all, you are ready to win."
We'll have to wait and see how Ten Hag's summer signings - Casemiro, as well as Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia - fare throughout the season.
But what about the difference in transfer spending between United and Liverpool in recent years?
We've taken a look at Transfermarkt figures and selected the five biggest buys and five biggest sells for both clubs since Klopp's arrival in October 2015, as well as the net spend for both clubs.
>Look away now, United fans.
liverpoolFive Biggest Buys 1. Virgil van Dijk – £76.19m2. Darwin Nunez – £67.5 million3. Alisson – £56.25m4. Naby Keita – £54.00m5. Luis Diaz – £42.30m
Five biggest sales 1. Philippe Coutinho – £121.50m2. Sadio Mane - £28.80m3. Christian Benteke – £28.08m4. Mamadou Sakho – £25.38m5. Danny Ings – £22.59m
Total spent: £637.81mTotal sold: £438.84m
Total net spend: £198.97m
Manchester UnitedFive Biggest Buys 1. Paul Pogba – £94.50m2. Harry Maguire – £78.30m3. Jadon Sancho - £76.5m4. Romelu Lukaku – £76.23m5. Casemiro - £63.59m
Five Biggest Sales 1. Romelu Lukaku – £66.60m2. Henrikh Mkhitaryan – £30.60m3. Daniel James – £26.19m4. Morgan Schniderlin - £20.70m=5. Memphis Depay - £14.40m=5. Daley Blind - £14.40m
Total spent: £960.95mTotal sold: £237.77m
Total net spend: £723.18m
More from Planet SoccerMan Utd 3-2 Liverpool recall, craziest FA Youth Cup game ever
Comparison of the illustrious trophy cabinets of Liverpool and Man United
Can you name the 30 most expensive transfers between PL clubs?
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