10 Most Costly Mistakes In Man Utd History

5. The Marouane Fellaini & Leighton Baines Debacle

Media Image LtdMedia Image LtdLast summer, Manchester United were chasing Everton's Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini, with former manager David Moyes sanctioning a double swoop for the left-back and midfield star. The Red Devils put in a combined bid of £28 million for the pair, which was rejected out of hand by the Toffees. As the summer wore on, it became apparent Baines would not be leaving Goodison Park, and so Moyes focused his attentions on Fellaini, eventually securing the Belgian in a £27.5 million deal on transfer deadline day. You don't need a calculator to work out this was bad business, and that United paid a grossly inflated fee for Fellaini in comparison to the joint-bid for Baines. Fellaini would be United's only notable acquisition of a bitterly disappointing summer for Moyes's side, who would go on to pay for their inadequacies in the transfer market with a seventh placed finish 12 months later.
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Contributor

Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.