Five reasons why Mourinho’s tenure at Manchester United wasn’t a complete failure

#3 Club economics

United signed Paul Pogba for a world record fee

Whether one accepts it or not, money governs football. Fans are no longer the only priority for the clubs. We live in a time where sponsorship deals, social media, merchandise sales, cross-continent league matches and TV deals are pertinent to a club’s success.

Ed Woodward has done a tremendous job in making Manchester United one of the richest clubs in the world, as is evident from the club’s rankings in Deloitte Football Money League in recent years.

Mourinho is a big name manager with a high stature in the game. United’s brought him on board not as much for his style of coaching as for his success record and his own brand. The Red Devils knew they were signing a manager who can attract big players to the club, something Van Gaal and Moyes really struggled with.

The results were as expected. In the same summer when Mourinho arrived, the club signed Paul Pogba for a then world record fee. Pogba was a hot commodity then, and so his arrival gave the club’s image a massive boost. The shirt sales along with Pogba’s own brand value boosted United’s revenue.

Similarly, Mourinho’s relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic paved the way for the imposing player to join United on a free transfer. United also went on to sign Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan that same summer.

For a team who could only sign a certain Marouane Fellaini on transfer deadline day, this seemed like a huge upturn. Manchester United were able to attract big players even without the lure of Champions League. Mourinho was also a factor in signing Alexis Sanchez and Fred right from under the noses of Manchester City.

Mourinho’s arrival at the club opened the doorway for a lot of other high-profile signings, thus boosting the club’s image and its economics.