Manchester United Spends $115 Million While Chelsea, City and Tottenham Blow Past $130 Million a Player

While Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham are writing checks worth more than $130 million for a single player, United is checking its wallet and doing much smaller math. And even though Michael Carrick puts on a brave face in public, it's clear he wants more.

The manager is heading into his first full season in charge at United, with the added challenge of competing in the Champions League as well, and he doesn't hide the fact that this summer's transfer window fell short of what he needed. The club has spent roughly $115 million in total on three new additions: midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, and goalkeeper Karl Darlow. On top of that, Marcus Rashford is back after his loan spell at Barcelona.

To put it in perspective: Chelsea alone spent more than $450 million on transfers this summer. And while the Blues were signing Morgan Rogers, City paid more than $130 million for Elliot Anderson, and Tottenham did the same for Sandro Tonali. Three deals, each one, cost more than everything United has spent combined.

Carrick didn't want to sound like he was complaining, but he didn't hide his frustration either:

"I think we've done really good business and we have really top, top, top players. We're delighted with that. We always want to improve. We want more, we need more, we're still looking for ways to make that happen."Michael Carrick

He was a bit more direct afterward about the financial gap with his rivals:

"It's clear that the situation is what it is, whether that's down to finances or whatever else. For now we have to make the most of it, but we have to keep pushing and stretch every limit we can so we can start winning again."Michael Carrick

Rashford Returns Without a For-Sale Sign

Rashford's return came this week, after the World Cup, once Barcelona decided not to exercise the purchase option following his loan spell. Asked directly whether the English forward is on the market to leave, Carrick was blunt:

"He's our player, and he's a good player who gives us something different within the group. Marcus can offer us a lot. He's done it before and he can do it again, so in that sense it's pretty exciting."Michael Carrick

United has won 20 English league titles, a mark it shares as the record, but the club hasn't lifted the Premier League trophy since 2013. Twelve years without a title weighs heavy, and with a transfer budget well below its main rivals, the question hanging in the air is whether what United has is enough to close that gap, or whether it will be another season of rowing uphill.