“De Telegraaf”: Ten Hag Wanted To Resign In The Summer – United Changed Their Former Coach

High expenses, little success

Due to persistently poor results, Manchester United pulled the ripcord on Monday and parted ways with coach Erik ten Hag. This could have happened in the summer. As De Telegraaf reports, the 54-year-old was on the verge of resigning from his position after last season, which ended with the worst finish since the Premier League was founded in 1992. In the end, however, both sides agreed to extend the contract until 2026.

Ten Hag won the FA Cup with the Red Devils last season, defeating champions and city rivals Man City (2-1) in the final. However, the day before the final there were reports that his exit was a done deal regardless of the result. The club’s management was dissatisfied with its eighth place finish in the Premier League. There had already been discussions with potential successors, including Thomas Tuchel. But the ex-Bayern coach canceled like other candidates.

At that time, according to the report, ten Hag had the feeling that his chair was being cut relentlessly. This was further reinforced by the English media, which linked one coach after another with Man United. The Dutchman is said to have been on the verge of resigning, but was then convinced to continue with the project while on holiday in Ibiza.

Both the extension offered and the large transfer budget of around 200 million euros that were once again made available showed trust. Ten Hag is said to have seen this as a signal that he would have a real new chance in Manchester and decided to sign a one-year longer contract – in the end the wrong decision for both sides.

Manchester United under ten Hag: high spending, little success

Around four months later, ten Hag is history at United. After last Sunday’s defeat against West Ham (1:2), Manchester is in a very disappointing 14th place in the Premier League. A dramatic situation that ten Hag also has himself to blame, after the club spent 660 million euros on transfers under his leadership – with a balance of minus 475 million euros. Worldwide, only Chelsea had higher net transfer spending during this period, at around 790 million euros.

In terms of sport, things haven’t been going well for a long time despite the cup victory. A look at the annual Premier League table shows that United are well below the level of their big rivals. The Red Devils were only able to get 40 points in 27 games. This is not only almost half the yield of Pep Guardiola’s Man City and significantly less than Arsenal (67) or Liverpool (62), but is also only five points more than Fulham and Bournemouth, which returned to the English upper house in 2022 and have been safe ever since Aim for mid-table. Even on the European stage, ten Hag has only managed one win in his last eleven games.