Ranking Man Utd's 10 best transfer windows of the Premier League era | OneFootball

Manchester United are one of the richest clubs in world football and, as a result, their transfer business is always under intense scrutiny. While some fans may accuse the Glazers of not putting their money where their mouth is during their ownership of the club, there is no denying that the Red Devils consistently spend millions in the transfer market, although often that hasn't yielded the best results.

There has definitely been a lack of a coherent recruitment policy in recent years and the frequent chopping and changing of managers doesn't help. This has led to many expensive flops at Old Trafford, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Angel di Maria and Jadon Sancho as three examples that spring to mind.

Those particular signings must make United fans long for the days of Sir Alex Ferguson's astute purchases, although the Scotsman didn't always have the best track record himself, frequently splashing out big money on players who simply weren't up to the billing. Who can forget the disasters of Bebe, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Massimo Taibi?

It's fair to say Man United's business over the years has been hit and miss at best, but what about the times when they've got it right? Here at GIVEMESPORT, we're ranking the Red Devils' ten best transfer windows in the Premier League era, with an even spread of both summer and winter windows.

It's important to note that the transfer window only came into existence in 2002, so any previous transfer dealings before then will not be included. This means the summer of 1998, when Sir Alex added both Dwight Yorke and Jaap Stam to his already star-studded squad, misses out.

10 2003/04 Summer Window

Sir Alex Ferguson caused a massive stir in the summer of 2003 by agreeing to let national icon David Beckham join Real Madrid for a fee of £17.25m, after a public disagreement between the pair. United supporters were incensed by the decision, but little did they know their manager had an ace up his sleeve.

That ace was called Cristiano Ronaldo, and the decision to replace the 28-year-old Beckham with a young winger ten years his younger from Sporting Lisbon at a £5m profit now looks a stroke of genius, considering the legacy Ronaldo would leave on Old Trafford before himself departing for Real Madrid, for a world-record fee. Fergie only loses points as this was also the window he inexplicably decided to fork out a combined £9.5m to sign both Kleberson and Eric Djemba-Djemba.

9 2017/18 Summer Window

The headline signing of the 2017/18 summer window at Old Trafford was that of Romelu Lukaku from Everton for £75m. While he perhaps never quite achieved the level he should have with United, he was by no means a terrible signing and they recouped almost all their money when they sold him to Inter Milan two years later.

Nemanja Matic was also snapped up from Chelsea and Victor Lindelof was another solid addition, joining from Benfica. It was hardly a flawless transfer window for United, but it was certainly one of the better ones out of a bad bunch since Fergie retired.

8 2004/05 Summer Window

Man United made several quality additions to their team in the summer of 2004 with an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney being the standout signing. After a lengthy saga, the boy wonder was finally prised away from Everton for a fee of £27m - at the time, a record for a teenager.

Gabriel Heinze from PSG and Alan Smith from rivals Leeds United were also purchased along with other young talents Gerard Pique and Giuseppe Rossi were also purchased. Meanwhile, out the exit door went Class of 92 member Nicky Butt, Diego Forlan and Luke Chadwick.

7 2006/07 Summer Window

During the 2005/06 season, the man who Sir Alex labelled as his best-ever player, Roy Keane left Manchester United after more than 12 years with the club. His departure left a big hole at Old Trafford, but Fergie had no trouble finding the perfect replacement.

25-year-old Michael Carrick was signed from Tottenham for a fee of £14m and would similarly enjoy 12 years with the Red Devils. Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy was on his way out for a healthy sum for a 30-year-old, in a relatively quiet but ultimately successful window for United.

6 2005/06 Summer Window

The 2005 summer window saw Man United make two quality additions to their team. The long-sought signature of Edwin van der Sar was finally sealed in a £2m deal from Fulham and despite his age of 34, the Dutchman would prove to be a phenomenal presence between the sticks at Old Trafford for the following six seasons.

The astute pick-up of South Korean international Ji-Sung Park from PSV Eindhoven for £2.5m was also made, not only landing United with a talented player, but also expanding their sphere of influence to another corner of the globe. Phil Neville and Kleberson were also offloaded for relatively generous sums of money.

5 2016/17 Winter Window

Manchester United's January 2017 didn't include a single arrival but is indicative of an aspect of business they have struggled with in recent years and that is shifting deadwood. Both Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin were expensive signings made by Louis van Gaal who new manager Jose Mourinho had little interest in using.

Both were sold in the winter having each spent only 18 months at Old Trafford, with Depay joining Lyon for £16m and Schneiderlin signing for Everton for £20m. While United were unable to recoup their money on either player, they still received decent fees for two players who weren't being used and were able to get their salaries off the wage bill.

4 2009/10 Summer Window

Manchester United had to get their business in the summer of 2009 right after the record-breaking sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m. Sir Alex didn't go too crazy with his new-found riches however, instead electing to make the astute purchase of Wigan Athletic winger Antonio Valencia for £16m, who would go on to have a glittering career with the Red Devils.

There were some duds, such as Mame Biram Diouf and Gabriel Obertan, although United did recoup their losses on the latter two years later. It was a window in which the club could have panicked, having lost arguably the greatest player in the world at the time, but the level-headed approach employed earns it a place at number four on this list.

This window makes it into this list based on one signing alone. Bruno Fernandes is unquestionably one of the best bits of business Man United have done in recent years.

The attacking midfielder joined from Sporting Lisbon for £47m and immediately revitalised the Red Devils' stuttering season, bagging eight goals and seven assists as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side embarked on a 14-match unbeaten run to end the league season and earn a Champions League spot. He remained a key player at Old Trafford and was named club captain in the summer of 2023.

2 2011/12 Summer Window

The 2011 summer window is likely another one that will divide opinion, but overall there were more hits than misses in what could have been another challenging summer for Sir Alex Ferguson's side. The retirement of Edwin van der Sar prompted United to shell out £18.9m for David de Gea, who recovered from a shaky start to become one of the world's best goalkeepers during his 12 years at Old Trafford, and Ashley Young was also bought to bolster United's attacking options.

Phil Jones may now be a figure of ridicule, but for his first few years in Manchester, he looked like money well spent and was a loyal servant to the Red Devils for 12 years, despite never truly living up to the potential Fergie saw in him. Stalwarts John O'Shea and Wes Brown were also both offloaded to Sunderland for decent sums of money and Paul Scholes solved the problem of no adequate replacement for him by coming out of retirement in January to play for another 18 months.

1 2005/06 Winter Window

Man United's January window in 2006 is about as close to perfect as you can get as the club made not one but two fantastic signings. Seeking to add defensive options to his team, Fergie parted with just £12.5m to bring in Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra from Spartak Moscow and Monaco respectively.

The Serbian, aged 24 at the time, would go on to be one of the best centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen, making 300 appearances and winning nine major honours with the club. Meanwhile, Evra held down United's left-back position for the entirety of his eight-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, playing 379 times and winning the same amount of trophies as Vidic.