Ferguson tipped to splash the cash

ALEX FERGUSON could splash the cash next month as he attempts to stiffen Manchester United’s bid for a fourth successive Barclays Premier League title.

That is the view of sports finance expert Simon Chadwick, who believes the time could be right for Ferguson to reinvest some of the proceeds of Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80 million (€89 million) summer sale to Real Madrid after keeping his powder dry in the immediate aftermath of the Portugal international’s departure.

United are neck and neck with Chelsea in the battle for top spot as the race rounded the corner over Christmas with Arsenal hot on their heels, and Chadwick, professor of sport business at Coventry University, has tipped them to be one of the few significant spenders when the winter transfer window opens.