Defeat in Europe gives Manchester United shares a kicking
Manchester United shares have slumped after the football club was defeated in the final of Europe's second-tier tournament, which will ultimately lead to £100m in lost revenues.
United lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Uefa Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday night, dealing a further blow to its billionaire owners, the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. It means the club has failed to qualify for next season's lucrative Uefa Champions League, Europe's top-tier football competition.
Manchester United shares fell by nearly 8% in early trading on Thursday, their steepest drop in more than eight months, but later pared back losses to 6.7%. The stock, which has lost about a fifth of its value this year, had hit its highest level in 11 weeks hours before the game.
Shareholders will be hugely disappointed that the Premier League club has missed out on the lucrative place in next season's Champions League. Participationleads to earnings from tickets, broadcast money, and sponsor bonuses estimated at more than £100m.
The defeat means United will not play in European competition at all next season, which will damage the club's revenues and profits for 2025-26 as a rebuild of its squad gets under way. It also plans to build a new £2bn, 100,000-seat stadium that would be the largest in the UK.
United's former first-team coach René Meulensteen had called it a 'crossroads moment' after 'the most disastrous season'. The club is languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, just above Spurs, and is heading for its lowest finish in the table in 50 years.
Following the 2005 takeover by the Glazers, the majority owners, United is more than £1bn in debt, leading to hefty interest payments every year. The club reported a loss of £113m last year (compared with £26m for Spurs), which took United's total pre-tax losses to £300m over the past three years.
It has taken tough actions such as cutting jobs, increasing members' match-day ticket prices to £66 with no reductions for seniors or children, raising parking charges for disabled fans and scrapping the steward-of-the-match £50 award.
The minority owner Ratcliffe decided in February to cut about 200 more jobs to help the club avoid going bust.
In November, United predicted a profit of £145m-£160m, measured by Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation), for the financial year ending 30 June 2025. It forecast annual revenue of £650m-£670m from commercial, broadcasting and match-day sources, including new and renewed sponsorships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Report: Liverpool weigh £30m sale as Brentford and others show interest
Ben Doak and Liverpool's £30m Opportunity: Smart Business or Short-Sighted Sale? Transfer Turbulence Around Young Talent Liverpool's summer activity has been relentless, with deals flowing in and out of the club in rapid succession. The latest transfer spotlight, however, is fixed on 19-year-old Ben Doak, a name that barely registered with the casual fan last summer but now finds himself a £30m-rated target for a trio of Premier League clubs. Advertisement Per the Hounslow Herald, Brentford are keen to add Doak to a growing collection of ex-Liverpool talent, having already secured the signatures of Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho over the past two summers. But they're not alone. Crystal Palace and Brighton have reportedly entered the fray, a development that significantly strengthens Liverpool's hand. Sale May Fund Big-Name Targets Liverpool's motivation is clear. While they've already welcomed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and bid farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kelleher, bigger targets are on the radar. Chief among them is Florian Wirtz. Liverpool to recoup funds to help fund Wirtz and more. With the club still engaged in talks over Milos Kerkez and potentially a striker, Doak's sale could serve a broader strategic purpose. His potential may be considerable, but in a summer of reshaping, even promising youth might be considered expendable to fund marquee arrivals. Market Value and Timing Work in Liverpool's Favour Doak's value, and the timing of this interest, place Liverpool in an advantageous position. Ipswich Town had tried in January, but the Reds didn't want to sell. The mood seems to have shifted, and rightly so. The competition between Brentford, Brighton and Crystal Palace all but guarantees a fee close to the full £30m. Photo IMAGO Given that Doak's 2024/25 campaign was hampered by injury after a strong loan stint at Middlesbrough, it's a bold valuation—but not unrealistic. There's enough performance data, promise and Premier League readiness to justify it, particularly in a summer when even mid-table clubs have serious money to spend. Development Versus Immediate Value Selling Doak would be another sign that Liverpool are prioritising short-term gains and proven quality over longer-term squad depth and player development. That may be a calculated risk worth taking, but it will only pay off if their reinvestments—particularly in the Wirtz deal—yield immediate returns. Advertisement It's a recurring theme under Fenway Sports Group: buy low, develop smart, and sell high. In this case, it might be more about selling smart and buying elite. Our View – Anfield Index Analysis There's no doubt Ben Doak has something about him. Pacey, direct, and fearless—he looks every inch a player suited to Arne Slot's dynamic football. His performances at Middlesbrough hinted at serious potential, and despite injury setbacks, most Liverpool fans would have liked to see him get a proper run in the first team before decisions are made. That said, £30m is no small change for a player who's still largely unproven at Premier League level. If that money helps secure someone like Florian Wirtz, a generational talent who could redefine Liverpool's attacking play, then it becomes more palatable. But it always stings to see homegrown or carefully scouted youth sold on just before they might explode. Advertisement Brentford, Brighton and Palace are all clubs with smart recruitment and solid coaching. If any of them land Doak, he'll probably thrive. The worry then is hindsight. If he becomes a star elsewhere, fans will question why we didn't show more patience. Still, given the bigger picture and financial pragmatism required to stay competitive in the modern game, this looks like a sale Liverpool can afford to make—but only if they get the rest of their summer business absolutely right.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's no wonder that the middle classes are fleeing Rachel Reeves's anti-wealth island
A brain drain is coming. We need to talk about emigration. Yes, you read that right, emigration – not just immigration. You heard the warnings during the Brexit wars – business and investors will leave for Paris, Frankfurt, Milan (and the Earth will stop spinning...) unless we remain in the customs union – and back then it was largely a load of hot air. But hear me out. This time, it's actually happening. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople are fleeing in their droves. In the past year alone, more than 10,000 millionaires have left the UK. Only China saw more high net-worth individuals leave. European countries are now stealing our lunch, with Italy and Portugal styling themselves as destinations for investor flight with attractive low-tax regimes. It wasn't Brexit that did it, but an economically illiterate tax regime determined to squeeze the juice dry. The best-paid 1 per cent already paid about a third of all income tax collected: those with the broadest shoulders were – and still are – bearing the greatest burden. But the Chancellor viewed successful investors and risk-taking entrepreneurs as criminals to punish, rather than assets to court. The non-dom tax changes may have polled well in focus groups, but they've backfired – and the public will now pay the price. Who is going to fund increases in defence, healthcare and transport spending? Yet again, it will fall to the middle classes to bridge the gap left. The Chancellor's ineptitude means further tax rises on working people in the autumn are now inevitable. The social contract with the middle class hasn't simply frayed – it's been shredded. They have been disproportionately targeted to fund a record tax burden while their quality of life has remained largely stagnant. They're paying more than ever to get less than ever in return. The public services they use are crumbling, the streets they walk feel less safe, and the town centres they visit are hollowed out by petty crime and boarded-up shopfronts. In France, discontent leads to riots; in Britain, it seems to dissipate into despair. The very real risk now is that Brits vote with their feet and simply pack up and leave en masse. A recent poll showed that nearly a quarter of UK adults are considering moving abroad in the next five years. These are highly skilled professionals who are the bedrock of any country: 48 per cent of those in the IT industry are considering emigrating, as are 30 per cent of those in the healthcare sector. And it's not just white-collar workers, either – when I speak to tradesmen, they think they would have far better prospects in countries such as Australia and Canada. This is no longer an issue of investor flight, but a full-on brain drain. In the 1970s, a high-tax and anti-business environment led to Britain experiencing a net loss of 500,000 people. Half a century later, history could well repeat itself. Even my generation, now pushing into our 40s, who didn't feel like we had it particularly good entering the jobs market in the 2000s, and with the massive house-price boom of that period, had it so much better. When I speak at universities, I am struck by how many are contemplating opportunities abroad. And who can blame them? Young graduates today pay more than ever to live in tiny bedrooms in shared flats. The prospect of homeownership – or starting a family – has never been more distant. Unlike previously, the alternatives to the UK are increasingly appealing. Their money can go further elsewhere, and they can live in more prosperous countries with a better quality of life. In 2007, the average Brit was richer than the average American, Australian, Austrian, Belgian, Canadian and German, to name just a few. Now, they have all overtaken us. And it's not just them. Finland, the UAE, Hong Kong and Israel have all sailed past us when it comes to GDP per capita. A failed policy consensus of the past 20 years has driven this country into decline – and now the consequences are upon us. We won't return to being a country of net emigration anytime soon. Quite the opposite: Starmer's immigration White Paper was a recipe for more mass legal and illegal migration. That means hundreds of thousands more migrants who, over their lifetime, will take out more then they put in – many of whom are from culturally divergent countries. Meanwhile, net contributors are pushed towards the exit. On average, a millionaire leaves the country every 45 minutes, while an illegal migrant enters the country every 15 minutes. It's the most brain-dead migration policy imaginable. I don't just fear for the raw economic consequences. If middle-class flight takes off, the foot will slam on the accelerator driving the dizzying pace of change. Brits who have grown up here and are imbued with our history, heritage, culture, customs and traditions can't simply be swapped like-for-like. Nations, like all good things, take an age to create but are easily destroyed. Many Brits can sense that the country they love is slipping away: at first gradually, then suddenly. I understand why people consider leaving the UK, although I could never, ever imagine it myself. I too despair sometimes, but I care too much to just shrug my shoulders and resign myself to defeat. We have a fight on our hands to turn this country around. But safe streets, cohesive communities, cheap energy, functioning public services, higher wages and a startup culture are never unobtainable. For all our problems, this is a great country – and I'm convinced we can be greater still. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool to make offer for €60m centre-back within DAYS
Liverpool secured Virgil van Dijk to a contract renewal before the end of the season. With the Dutchman's previous terms expiring in summer 2025, sporting director Richard Hughes ensured continuity at centre-back by having Van Dijk commit until 2027. That gives the Reds a degree of security in making their defensive plans but all around Van Dijk there is uncertainty. We could see Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez LEAVE in this transfer window, reducing the number of available centre-backs by two. Advertisement Those sales would leave Liverpool with ONLY Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as options in the heart of defence. But the captain turns 34 this summer and won't be around forever, while the Merseysiders have also got a problem to solve with Konate. The Frenchman, 26, is out of contract next year and if no agreement is reached over a renewal then he too could be sold. In this context it is wise for Richard Hughes and Arne Slot to be looking at the market for new defenders. Diomande back on the radar Their search has now reportedly taken them back to Portugal, where Ousmane Diomande is once again in focus. Diomande, 21, has just won the Portuguese league and cup double with his side, earning the plaudits for another solid season's work. Advertisement The Ivory Coast international is now attracting transfer attention from the Premier League - with A Bola disclosing that Crystal Palace have got the former Midtjylland stopper on their list to replace Marc Guehi. 'The Premier League club sought to find out the amount to buy the central defender from Alvalade and received the answer immediately: the Lions will only sit at the negotiating table for amounts of around €60 million,' the report reads. But intriguingly it's added that several other Premier League clubs - Liverpool included - have also taken this 'first step' towards signing Diomande. Liverpool could make Diomande offer 'Crystal Palace, by the way, were not the only ones to take this first step towards Diomande,' the report continues. Advertisement 'Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as Bayern Munich (interest dating back to January) have not lost sight of the centre-back and could make an offer in the coming days.' Diomande is under contract until 2027 having joined Sporting from Danish side Midtjylland in 2023. He has played 101 times for Sporting, scoring six goals and adding two assists. On FOTMOB he ranks highly for recoveries and duels won - while his aerial duel percentage is solid at around 65 percent.
