Manchester United Transfer News: Ed Woodward Hints at Future Spending Plans

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has indicated the club won't continue its extravagant spending in the near future, with the Red Devils' wage bill set to rise by almost 20 percent.

United have spent large chunks of money on signings like Angel Di Maria, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin during the past two summer transfer windows, and Woodward believes the club won't sustain that kind of spending, via ESPN FC's Richard Jolly: "We have seen a large number of ins and outs in the last two summer windows. We were used to more modest numbers. Maybe we will go back to more normalised numbers."

The club's financial results for the 2014-15 campaign were released on Thursday, and as expected, the club's revenue took a hit due to their failure to qualify for last year's Champions League. Rob Harris of the Associated Press shared the numbers:

As reported by Jolly, head of corporate finance Hemen Tseayo weighed in on the club's net spending in the transfer market, clocking in at £97 million last year and £78 million this year, barring any signings or departures in the winter transfer window.

The Premier League's new TV deal is set to hand clubs a massive boost heading into next season, per the BBC, but judging by Woodward's statement on Thursday, it won't lead to even more spending from the Red Devils.

United acquired plenty of talented players during the summer, as did other Premier League clubs, but the very biggest stars in the sport all stayed put, something Bayern Munich honorary president Franz Beckenbauer gladly reminded everyone of.

As reported by Goal's Peter McVitie, he said: "Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller—of the best players in the world, the English clubs did not get any.”

The Red Devils' biggest piece of business this summer wasn't an acquisition, however. David De Gea's decision to sign a new deal with the club has to be considered one of the top deals of the year, and something few fans will have expected after the transfer saga surrounding the star goalkeeper reached an absurd end on the final day of the La Liga transfer window, via ESPN FC's Gabriele Marcotti.

As shared by the Manchester Evening News' James Robson, Woodward seemingly agrees the De Gea deal was a huge win for the club:

While United's revenue took a hit in 2014-15, it's a testament to the club's popularity and financial strength that the actual losses were limited, as indicated by Harris' numbers.

The Red Devils remain among the most valuable clubs in the world, and backed by the new Premier League TV deal, they could realistically continue their incredible spending if they choose to.

But the quantity of players the club signed in the past two summer windows may no longer be a necessity, and a focus on talent development combined with a handful of key signings should be a sound financial strategy moving forward.  

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