Manchester United needed a new defender, but have got a shirt sleeve sponsor instead, reminding supporters what the priorities of the club's owners still are
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe(Image: Valery HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
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It has come a week after the transfer window slammed shut. So the news will mean little or nothing to long-suffering Manchester United supporters.
But the club HAS made a signing.
Not the left back the team continues to cry out for, or a central defender to ease the burden on Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez as United head back into the demands of Champions League football. Instead, United have landed a new shirt sleeve sponsor. The most lucrative one in the club's history, no less. The multi-million pound agreement is with financial tech giants SumUp.
It follows in the footsteps of the record-breaking training kit sponsorship deal with 'Betway', said to be worth £20m-a-year.
SumUp's chief commercial officer and UK chief executive Luke Griffiths said: "Manchester United is one of the most iconic and followed clubs in the world, with a fanbase that continues to grow across generations and borders.
"That extraordinary reach and passion make this partnership a natural fit for SumUp. Football is about the moments people share. Watching the match with friends, travelling to see the team, wearing the shirt with pride and celebrating together, wherever you are. From fans using SumUp Personal Account to manage and spend their money simply, to the businesses that help make matchdays special, SumUp is part of the everyday moments that bring people together."
The Glazers continue milk United like the cash cow it has served to be
The Glazers continue milk United like the cash cow it has served to be(Image: PA)
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United might still be able to generate huge incomes from commercial deals, but it also remains a club created by the poor, and stolen by the rich.
Success on and off the pitch is supposed to go hand-in-hand. But where United are concerned, nothing could be further from the truth, because the fallen giants have not won a title since 2013, or conquered Europe since 2008. They haven't even come close.
Along with the continued grip of the Glazer ownership, this is what infuriates supporters the most.
And while it is ever thus, the red half of Manchester will remain one very much divided - as opposed to United.
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