Ten matches into the 2026/27 Premier League season, the picture remains unsettled. Matchday 10 brought landmark moments, costly errors and a few results that will sit uneasily with clubs still trying to define themselves.

Everton opened the weekend with a win that gave David Moyes a notable milestone, while Chelsea and Manchester City both suffered further damage to their title hopes. Liverpool responded well after last weekend’s defeat, Arsenal kept another surprise result at bay, and Manchester United against Aston Villa delivered the kind of frantic contest that refuses to behave itself.

At the sharp end, Manchester City’s visit to Nottingham was shaped by a costly defensive display, with Joško Gvardiol, Elliot Anderson and Marc Guéhi all part of the story. It left Enzo Maresca under increasing pressure after a third straight loss, with supporters growing restless.

Chelsea’s defeat was equally troubling. João Pedro’s absence was felt badly, and the opening 20 minutes were particularly poor, with the midfield and attack failing to win a duel or a tackle. Levi Colwill’s half-time substitution after conceding the penalty felt, in effect, like a rescue move from Xabi Alonso.

Elsewhere, Brentford’s 200th Premier League match ended without a shot on target, while Igor Thiago’s red card gave Michael Oliver a decision to make. Tottenham, meanwhile, had the ball at Elland Road but not the threat to match it, taking only seven shots and producing just 0.72 xG.

Ipswich again left with nothing despite not being overwhelmed, and Gary O’Neil was clear about the errors behind both goals: “If you give the ball to the opposition number nine twice, then it’s going to be difficult. So that was basically the story of the game, really.”

There were brighter moments elsewhere. Everton’s second-half surge produced a strong win, Bournemouth made it four league victories in a row, and Leeds ended a five-match winless run. Liverpool’s response against Crystal Palace was built on a goal and assist from Florian, while Brighton’s comfortable victory over another B side kept talk of an unlikely title challenge alive.

Manchester United have once again settled into a familiar pattern, with Michael Carrick now carrying the burden of a club still searching for stability. As has often happened in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson left, early encouragement has given way to mounting concern.

Supporters may continue to point their frustration in other directions, but the manager remains the figure most likely to absorb the consequences when standards drop. Ruben Amorim understood that reality, even if his own failings at the club were more obvious. He is now in Milan, working to rebuild his reputation after leaving Old Trafford at the start of the year.

Amorim’s time in charge ended with one of the poorest records in modern United history. The question now is whether Carrick, whose own numbers have declined sharply this season, is in danger of sliding beneath that already low benchmark.

The comparison is instructive. Amorim oversaw 63 matches, winning 25 and losing 23, with a 39.7% win rate. Carrick, by contrast, has managed 33 games so far, collecting 16 wins, eight draws and nine defeats, which leaves him on 48.5%.

Amorim’s broader tenure lasted 14 months and included a strong run to the 2025 Europa League final, where United beat Athletic Club in the last four before losing to Tottenham Hotspur in the showpiece. Yet his Premier League record was weaker, with only 15 wins from 47 games and a league win rate of 31.9%.

Carrick’s early spell as interim boss in late 2021 went better, with two wins and a draw from three matches after Ole Gunnar Solskjær departed. Later, after taking over from Amorim in January, no team earned more points from the moment he returned to the Old Trafford touchline until the end of the season than United. They won 12 of 17.

That has not carried over into 2026/27. United have won only two of 13 matches, against newly promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League debutants Sabah. Carrick’s win rate has dropped to 15.4%, while their goal difference stands at -7 after three successive defeats by a combined eight goals.

The warning signs were visible last season. The Guardian reported that United earned 12.7 more points than expected under Carrick, with eight one-goal wins suggesting a run that was difficult to sustain. That fragility has now been exposed. A 2-0 defeat to Chelsea stretched their winless run to nine games, their worst such spell since October and November 1988.

Manchester United’s difficulties on the pitch have been well documented, but a new statistical study has underlined a separate problem: a transfer strategy that has drained value at an alarming rate.

The CIES Football Observatory has ranked clubs around the world by the “appreciation or depreciation in value of non-academy players signed over the past five years.” The method combines fees paid and received for players who have left, while current players are measured against their present market value. Only clubs with spending and income above $56 million since 2022 were included, with add-ons counted whether or not they have already been paid.

On that basis, United sit as the European club to lose the most on signings over the past five years. Their total depreciation stands at $452 million, a figure surpassed only by Al Hilal (-$560 million) across the global list.

Of United’s overall loss, $208 million relates to players who have already left on permanent deals, including Sancho, Højlund and Antony. A further $244.5 million has been lost on players still at the club. That total is far above any other European side.

Tottenham Hotspur are the nearest continental comparison, having lost $210 million, less than half of United’s figure. By contrast, local rivals Manchester City are among the biggest winners, ranking fifth with almost $500 million added in value over the same period.

Eintracht Frankfurt (+$588 million), Real Madrid (+$587 million), Paris Saint-Germain (+$547 million) and Benfica (+$545 million) sit above City. Chelsea also post a positive return at $200 million, while Arsenal (+$123 million) and Liverpool (+$14.5 million) have seen their signings increase in value overall.

United, however, have not dramatically altered course. Their spending has become less erratic over the last two seasons, but they still spent more than $400 million on new arrivals, and none apart from the cost-effective Senne Lammens have yet justified their price tag.

Their approach of strengthening one area at a time has also hurt results and, in turn, the value of the current squad. They focused on attack with Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in 2025, then turned to midfield last summer with Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. The defence, presumably, will be next.