Omar Berrada pays Man City the ultimate compliment with a £9.7m move to Manchester United

Omar Berrada announced his official start as Manchester United’s new CEO on Saturday and it didn’t take long for his fingerprints to appear at his new club.

Manchester City may not be as active as some fans would like in the summer transfer market, but their sales have continued. Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle are the only Premier League clubs to have earned more than the £60m the Blues have collected so far.

Liam Delap, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Lewis Fiorini and Tommy Doyle have all been sold, money also coming from a sell-on clause inserted in the deal that took Douglas Luiz to Aston Villa in 2019. Being able to pay a bank additional pounds. 5m from a deal completed five years ago is one of the reasons why City have built such an impressive reputation in the transfer market, which allows them to continue to invest in their squad without breaking spending rules.

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United and City have spent similar amounts over the past five, ten and 15 years, but their net spending is not even closer. Since the start of the summer window in 2021, United have spent around £25m more, but have net spent around £280m more as they generate a tiny amount in sales.

Part of that is because United have made poor investments, players who have little or no resale value. Donny van de Beek arrived for £40m in 2020 and Girona signed him this summer for an initial £430,000 (plus almost £8m in potential add-ons, while a deal of £70m for Casemiro didn’t seem like good value beyond the first year.

However, City have also done a much better job of selling assets at the right time – including young players where retaining future control over the deal can be invaluable. Sell-and-buy clauses have become a must for clubs and agents looking to strike a deal with the Blues for one of their young players, with City benefiting either directly or indirectly from any potential sell-on that furthers his career.

It was interesting then that on Berrada’s first day at United after leaving City earlier this year, a deal was agreed for Villarreal to sign young centre-back Willy Kambwala in a deal worth up to £9 .7 million pounds which also includes a buyback option and a sale. -on clause. Former Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth and former City academy director Jason Wilcox appear to be using the model that helped City’s finances so much that Berrada is trying to close the gap on his former colleagues.

City will be alerted that United appear to be improving in the transfer market, but they can also feel vindicated by their approach. It was taken as a compliment when United poached Berrada and they can feel even more pleased that their nearest rivals are paying attention to their practices as well as their personnel.