If you want to see how bad United have been in the last decade, compare their spending in the transfer market to Chelsea's. This was perfectly articulated in a study published this week by a football website in the United States. The study's most striking conclusion is that United's net transfer spending over the past 10 years has far exceeded that of other clubs in European football, at more than €1 billion (€1.075 billion to be exact). In contrast, Chelsea's net expenditure is 413 million euros, which means that they have only ranked tenth in Europe in the past decade.
In fact, the Blues' total spending is higher than Manchester United's, with the former at €1.614 billion and the latter at €1.545 billion. Looking at the whole of Europe, only Manchester City and Barcelona spend more. But since 2012, Chelsea has managed to recoup an incredible €1.2 billion in sales. This is largely due to their successful loan policy, which first loans young players and then sells them to make a high profit. But it's also the result of savvy business and selling players at the right time. Hazard is the best example. In 2019, he was sold to Real Madrid for 100 million euros, after which his performance in La Liga proved to be a complete failure. Morata and Diego Costa were sold to Atletico Madrid for more than €100 million, while oscars were sent to China for more than €60 million.
United, meanwhile, are a disaster when it comes to selling players. Since 2012, they have brought in only €470 million in sales, which is €731 million less than Chelsea's revenue. It's no surprise that Chelsea have been more successful than Manchester United. Over the past decade, the Blues have won two Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, two FA Cups, one League Cup and one European Super Cup. On the other hand, Manchester United have not been close to winning the Premier League title and have not reached the champions league quarter-finals since 2013. It's been almost five years since they last won the trophy, and their most recent trophies have been smaller trophies such as the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.