I posted about the transfer during Tenghai period:
This is a URL link, its specific content is https://bbs.hupu.com/630780756.html.
The content is as follows:
Which of Ten Hag's signings were led by him, and how much money was spent in total.
In order to answer this question, I used deepseek and Grok 3 to search Chinese web pages and English web pages at the same time, and obtained the following answers.
The answer given by Grok 3 is obtained by searching the content in English web pages and the content in X (Twitter).
After Eric Ten Hag took over Manchester United in the summer of 2022, the Manchester United club immediately invested a lot of money in the transfer market and then signed many players. When he was coaching, this period started from when he took over in April 2022 until his dismissal in October 2024. Manchester United introduced a total of 21 players. There are some players that Ten Hag explicitly proposed to introduce, and there are also some players that were decided by the Manchester United club management, or were promoted by the new football operations team that just took office, such as INEOS and its sports director Dan Ashworth are representatives of this operation team). The following is an analysis based on English webpage data to determine which players were introduced under the leadership of Ten Hag and which ones were introduced under the leadership of the management.
Identify the players Ten Hag requested to bring in
Ten Hag had a significant influence on transfer decisions, especially at the beginning of his tenure. He prefers to sign players he knows well (especially those who have worked with him before) and players who fit his tactical philosophy. Here are the exact signings he pushed for:
Antony
The following are the transfer details. During the 2022 summer transfer window, it cost 82 million pounds to buy from Ajax and an additional 4 million in additional fees to meet the joining conditions.
The evidence suggests that Anthony falls into the category of players who were at the heart of Ten Hag’s tenure at Ajax. According to relevant newspaper disclosures, Ten Hag firmly advocated signing Anthony, believing that he is an indispensable player with strong character traits in the process of rebuilding the team. Anthony, for his part, even took steps to put pressure on Ajax, with the purpose of prompting Ajax to agree to let him go to Manchester United.
Lisandro Martínez
The specific situation of the transfer is that during the 2022 summer transfer window, it cost 48.5 million pounds to join from Ajax, plus 8.5 million additional fees.
The evidence is that Martinez was Ten Hag's favorite pupil when he was at Ajax. Ten Hag regarded him as the core of the defense and felt that his skills and personality could help stabilize the locker room. Martinez also personally argued with Ajax senior management to facilitate the transfer.
Casemiro
The specific situation of the transfer is that in the summer transfer window of 2022, he will join from Real Madrid for 60 million pounds plus 10 million additional fees.
There is evidence that Ten Hag regarded Casemiro as a dressing room leader and midfield pillar. Ten Hag felt that he could solve the discipline problems exposed in the team during the Rangnick era. Ten Hag promoted the deal, even though the cost of the deal was high.
André Onana
Transfer details: Joined from Inter Milan in the summer window of 2023 for £47.2 million.
The evidence presented in court showed that Onana had played for the football club Ajax and had experience working with Ten Hag during that period. As Ten Hag's favorite goalkeeper choice, Ten Hag hoped to use him to replace a player named David De Gea, in order to achieve the purpose of improving the ability to pass the ball in the backcourt.
Matthijs de Ligt
The specific situation of the transfer is that during the summer window of 2024, he joined from the club Bayern Munich for 38.7 million pounds plus 8.6 million additional fees.
The evidence is that De Ligt had worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, and Ten Hag made it clear that he wanted to sign him. Although sporting director Dan Ashworth felt that the team's central defender reserves were sufficient, he still approved the deal.
Noussair Mazraoui
The specific situation of the transfer is that during the summer transfer window of 2024, he will join from Bayern Munich for a price of 12.8 million pounds, plus an additional fee of 4.3 million.
The evidence is that Mazraoui is also Ten Hag's old team at Ajax, and Ten Hag hopes that he will replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka to enhance the offensive nature of the right back position.
Tyrell Malacia
The details of the transfer are that during the summer transfer window of 2022, he joined the club from Feyenoord for 13 million pounds plus 1.7 million additional fees.
Evidence: Ten Hag, who had watched the match between Feyenoord and Ajax, took a fancy to Malaysia at that time and chose him as a substitute for Luke Shaw. This could be his first signing after taking office.
The one named Christian Eriksen is Christian Eriksen.
Transfer details: Joined on a free transfer in the 2022 summer window.
The evidence is that Eriksen has experience playing for Ajax. Ten Hag appreciates his skills and experience and feels that he is an important supplement to the midfield. This free signing is considered to be a wise choice for Ten Hag.
Mason Mount
The specific situation of the transfer is that he joined from Chelsea during the 2023 summer transfer window. The transfer amount is 55 million pounds, plus an additional fee of 5 million pounds.
The evidence is that Ten Hag had paid attention to Mount when he played for Vitesse in the Dutch League, and felt that Mount's diversity and work efficiency were suitable for his system.
Sofyan Amrabat
The specific situation of the transfer is that during the summer transfer window of 2023, he joined Fiorentina for a loan fee of 8.5 million pounds, and there was no buyout operation.
The evidence is that Amrabat worked with Ten Hag when he coached Utrecht, and Ten Hag promoted the loan in order to strengthen the defensive strength of the midfield.
Wout Weghorst
Transfer details: Joined on loan from Burnley in the 2023 winter window.
The evidence is that Ten Hag took a fancy to Verhorst's physical confrontation ability and his performance in the Dutch League, and regarded him as a short-term offensive solution.
Marcel Sabitzer
Transfer details: Joined on loan from Bayern Munich in the 2023 winter window.
The evidence is that after Eriksen was injured, Ten Hag quickly proposed to rent Sabitzer as a temporary midfielder.
Players introduced under the leadership of management
After INEOS entered football operations in early 2024, Ten Hag gradually had less control over the transfer process. New sporting director Dan Ashworth and CEO Omar Berrada began to control some signing matters, especially during the summer window of 2024. The following are the players promoted by the management:
Joshua Zirkzee
Transfer details: Joined from Bologna in the summer window of 2024 for £36.5 million.
There is evidence that Zirkzee is regarded as a key signing for Ashworth, with the purpose of adding young potential to the forward line. However, Ten Hag did not clearly state his need for this person, and Zirkzee's style, which is more inclined to participate in the organization rather than the traditional No. 9 style, did not fully fit Ten Hag's expectations.
Manuel Ugarte
The specific situation about the transfer is this. During the transfer window in the summer of 2024, he joined from Paris Saint-Germain for a total of 42.9 million pounds plus 8.6 million additional fees.
Evidence shows that Ugarte is a priority target for Ashworth and the INEOS team, with the purpose of strengthening the midfield defense. There are reports claiming that Ten Hag's interest in this player is limited and may not even be his best choice.
Leny Yoro
The specific situation of the transfer is that during the summer transfer window of 2024, he joined from Lille for 52.4 million pounds plus 10.8 million additional fees.
The evidence is that INEOS and Ashworth are interested in Yoro as a long-term investment and as the core of the future defense. However, Ten Hag has not explicitly pushed for this deal, and Yoro's youthful attributes do not match Ten Hag's need to improve his performance in the short term.
Altay Bayindir
Transfer details: Joined from Fenerbahce in the summer window of 2023 for £4.3 million.
There is evidence that Bayindil's status as Onana's substitute goalkeeper is mainly due to the club's decision to add depth based on the goalkeeper position, and does not stem from Ten Hag's clear requirements.
Jonny Evans
Transfer details: Will return on a free transfer in the 2023 summer window.
The evidence is that Evans' return was an emergency measure due to an injury crisis in the defence, a move driven more by management than a long-term plan formulated by Ten Hag. However, Ten Hag recognized the value of his experience.
Sergio Reguilón
Transfer details: Joined on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer window of 2023 (terminated after half a year).
The evidence shows that Reguilon was signed on a temporary basis because Shaw and Malaysia were injured. This situation is a short-term solution for the management and is not Ten Hag's priority.
Martin Dúbravka
The details of the transfer are that he will join from Newcastle United on loan during the 2022 summer transfer window and will return after half a year.
The evidence is that Dubravka's role as De Gea's understudy was a temporary arrangement by the club and Ten Hag did not have a strong opinion about it.
Jack Butland
Transfer details: Joined on loan from Crystal Palace in the 2023 winter window.
The evidence is that Butland's loan is also a management decision to provide depth for the goalkeeper position, and Ten Hag was not explicitly involved in it.
Summarize
Ten Hag led the introduction of twelve players: Anthony, Martinez, Casemiro, Onana, De Ligt, Mazraoui, Malaysia, Eriksson, Mount, Amrabat, Verhorst, Sabitzer. Many of the players are directly related to him, such as former Ajax players or players he is familiar with. This situation reflects his tactical preferences and practical need to control the locker room.
There are eight signings led by the management, namely Zirkzee, Ugarte, Yoro, Bayindil, Evans, Reguilon, Dubravka, and Butlan. Most of these signings were made based on club strategies or emergency measures. Especially after the 2024 summer window, INEOS's influence has significantly increased and improved significantly.
In the twilight zone, there are some players, such as Rasmus Højlund, who was transferred in the summer window of 2023 for 72 million pounds. Such players are difficult to clearly classify. Ten Hag recognized his potential, but reports claimed that Ten Hag preferred a mature forward, such as Harry Kane, but the club ultimately chose a young player with high potential, which may be closer to the management's long-term plan.
For Ten Hag, he once had a large say in transfers in the early days. However, as time went by and the management power structure underwent some adjustments, his control was weakened. The above analysis is based on multiple reports in English. This situation reflects the power distribution of signings in Ten Hag's era.
Deepseek gave the following conclusions by searching Chinese web pages:
During the period when Ten Hag coached Manchester United, that is, from the summer of 2022 to October 2024, his recruitment strategy included both the introduction of the old club by individuals based on his own leadership, and operations carried out by the management based on financial or strategic considerations. The following is the specific classification.
Ten Hag's clear request for signings
Anthony (€95 million)
Ten Hag strongly advocated signing the former Ajax player. Although the transfer fee was high and his performance did not meet expectations, he was still regarded as the core of his tactical system.
Lisandro Martinez (€57.37 million)
Ten Hag worked with him during his time at Ajax and felt that his defensive ability and mental attributes could adapt to the Premier League, although there was a big controversy about his height.
Onana (€50.2 million)
Ten Hag hoped to replace De Gea to improve his passing ability in the backcourt. However, it was unstable at first.
De Ligt (€45 million)
Ten Hag promoted signings in the summer window of 2024. The purpose of these signings was to strengthen the defense, but the transfer fee premium was very significant.
Mazrawi (€15 million)
There is also an old player who has played for Ajax. Ten Hag feels that this person is qualified for the role of full-back, and his actual performance has been evaluated as "excellent value for money."
Ugarte (50 million euros)
The midfielder Ten Hag introduced in the 2024 summer transfer window. The two had worked together at Sporting CP. This move was seen as a move to strengthen the defensive midfielder.
Management-led signings
Casemiro (€70.65 million)
After Ten Hag failed to purchase De Jong, the management decided to sign the Real Madrid midfielder as a short-term supplement. However, the high salary and declining form in the later period became a burden.
Patrick Dolgu (£25m)
The young left back who was introduced in 2025 is in line with the "lottery scratching" strategy implemented by the management. It focuses on long-term potential, not just on immediate combat ability.
Eden Haven (£1.5m)
The 18-year-old youth training central defender is a typical operation of the management to invest in young players at a low cost.
Loan players (e.g. Weghorst, Amrabat)
Most of what they did was short-term reinforcement. In view of the financial pressure, the management chose a low-cost rental method to operate, which was not the long-term plan formulated by Ten Hag.
Controversy and mixed decision-making
Hoylund (€73.9 million)
Ten Hag expected him to serve as the main center, but the transfer fee was high and his performance did not meet expectations. The management may be involved in the decision-making due to market pressure.
Mount (€64.2 million)
Ten Hag acknowledges the technical features, but management may push for a deal based on commercial value.
Summarize
Most of the signings led by Ten Hag are concentrated in the old Ajax team, or players closely related to its tactical system, such as Anthony and Martinez, while the management prefers low-cost young players, or short-term loan, to cope with financial pressure, such as Premier League PS R stipulates that the two sides may make joint decisions on high-priced signings such as De Ligt and Ugart. However, overall, the signing effect during Ten Hag's period has been criticized due to injuries and high prices and low efficiency, causing Manchester United's transfer debt to rise to 391 million pounds.
Based on these two answers, it can be inferred that the signing cost led by Ten Hag is between 277.8 million and 407.8 million. The difference between the two mainly lies in whether Casemiro and Mount are the reasons why Ten Hag requested the introduction. Since the web pages searched by Grok 3 are all English web pages, its accuracy is higher than that of Chinese websites, so I prefer Grok 3's answer, which is that the transfer led by Ten Hag cost Manchester United a total of about 407.8 million transfer fees. Although it is not as exaggerated as 660 million, it is still quite an outrageous expenditure.