Amid the riches of the Premier League, it can be easy to spend, spend, spend and lose sight of what you're buying.
Clubs are like children after Christmas, awash with cash and desperate to splurge it on the next big thing. And while the budgets are different, both can be wasteful.
Manchester United are bigger offenders than most. Over the past few years they've spent more than £1billion ($1.2bn) on new players.
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There have been some successes but plenty of expensive mistakes who haven't contributed much on the pitch and commanded huge wages off it. Now, when United finally seem to have landed on a manager with the tools to restore the club to former glory, they are paying for past mistakes.
Of course the Glazers have hindered any kind of sustained improvement with their running of the club but what money has been spent on talent has too often been misjudged. And, hand in hand with high fees come high wages. It's partly why United can't break through a ceiling this summer given the new Financial Fair Play restrictions, yet Arsenal can.
United spent big last summer, meaning their January outlay was limited to bringing in loans. There's money available for this window, but not the amount required to overhaul and improve the squad to the degree required.
The Reds are set to spend £60million on Mason Mount from Chelsea and need a centre forward and a goalkeeper as a minimum. Bringing in three players shouldn't be too difficult for a club towards the top of the Premier League and with Champions League football to offer.
But past spending is hampering future purchases. And the uncertainty off the field with the ownership adds another frustrating layer.
Mount at least represents a quality addition, but with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool already making multiple moves in a bid to close the gap to Manchester City, United need more.
Yet what they want, they can't have. Their shopping list resembles that child's Christmas list: Optimistic but unrealistic top targets and an achievable middle ground. It's a balance Ten Hag must strike this summer.
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