Premier League clubs splash the cash in US$2.2 billion spending spree, as Man United blow US$95 million on Antony
- Deadline day signing takes United’s total spend to US$240 million, while Chelsea spent US$280 million
- English clubs spent about the same on players as those in the top leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany and France combined
A record spending spree by Premier League clubs in the summer transfer market passed the US$2.2 billion mark before the window closed on Thursday with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and — belatedly — Chelsea all signing players to conclude the reshaping of their squads.
The headline transfer on a typically frantic final day of trading was the arrival of Brazil winger Antony at United from Ajax for US$95 million, making him the fourth most expensive player in the league’s history and football’s most expensive deadline-day signing.
That took United’s total spend in this wildest of transfer windows to about US$240 million — a figure only topped in the whole of Europe by Chelsea, which finally signed an out-and-out striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. In the club’s first transfer window in the post-Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea spent a staggering US$280 million.
Man City’s signing of Switzerland centre-back Manuel Akanji for US$17.5 million felt low-key by comparison, while Liverpool’s only move — the loan signing of Brazil international Arthur Melo from Juventus — was still significant as it strengthened the team’s injury-hit midfield.
Fuelled by income from huge global broadcasting deals worth about £10 billion (US$11.8 billion) over three seasons, Premier League clubs have reverted to pre-pandemic levels of spending — and then some — to leave the rest of Europe in its wake.
England’s top-flight clubs spent about the same on players as those in the top leagues in Spain (US$500 million), Italy (US$750 million), Germany (US$485 million) and France (US$540 million) combined, according to calculations by the Transfermarkt website.
The net spend of the Premier League teams was US$1.35 billion, compared with Italy (US$8 million) and Spain (US$64 million). In France and Germany, the leagues actually made a profit according to Transfermarkt.
Summing up the outrageous splurge by English clubs was the business conducted by Nottingham Forest since securing a return to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.
