DownSwinging.com

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has proclaimed that he is finished purchasing players in the current transfer window, in order to end speculation that he had new potential targets. The announcement came as a surprise to some, who suspected that Ferguson would make quite the splash this summer after selling Cristiano Ronaldo and losing Carlos Tevez. The tenured United manager has not been idle however, after making moves for Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and winger Antonio Valencia.

So while Ferguson isn’t sitting on his hands, he hasn’t exactly replaced Ronaldo and Tevez with equivalent talent. Certainly Valencia and Obertan have ability, as does Owen when healthy, but the reality is that more spending would have only gotten Manchester United into more trouble. The fact of the matter is that the club is in a remarkable amount of debt, and at some point the money in has to exceed the money out, with the Ronaldo transfer being a prime example. Ferguson probably is doing a great service to the club by putting on the brakes now, because the current economic climate is not conducive to heavy spending.

While it does not seem that world economy has dampened Real Madrid or Manchester City’s willingness to spend, it ultimately will. There are ebbs and flows in spending in all sports, not just soccer. Taking a look at the free agency boom in 2001 in baseball that led to a $252 million contract for Alex Rodriguez, we see now in our 20/20 hindsight that since the market has calmed down, the overanxious teams were hurt by the heavy contracts. The Rangers were plagued by the Rodriguez deal and only now are starting to emerge as a winning team again. Yes, the scenario is a little different, but Madrid and Manchester City ought to watch out, its a dangerous path they are walking down. Ferguson’s caution is the right move at this crossroads, and in years to come he (well, the board too) will happy they hung onto some of their cash.