Premier League breaks the spending record, with Darwin Nunez being the most expensive signing
The Premier League spending record is now broken. And Liverpool‘s Darwin Nunez leads the way with the most expensive signing this summer.
Just one week is left before the end of the summer transfer window. And Premier League clubs have already broken their previous spending high.
At the start of Thursday, the top flight’s total spending was £1.5 billion. They went on to break the previous record of £1.43 billion set in a summer window in 2017.
It is also more than the £1.44 billion spent throughout the entire 2017–18 campaign. And given that the all-time record for a Premier League season is £1.86 billion, set in the same year. It is possible that spending during the summer transfer window alone would surpass that figure.
According to Chris Wood, assistant director in Deloitte‘s Sports Business Group, the high levels of expenditure that we’ve seen in this summer transfer window so far is a clue that the business models of Premier League clubs are rebounding post-Covid.
Premier League 2022/23 record-breaking spending
While this is promising, it cannot be said how crucial it is for clubs to create prudent and sustainable expenditure plans. Clubs must strike a compromise between the necessity to safeguard their long-term financial and operational survival and their ambition to be competitive on the field.
This summer, Premier League clubs have signed 135 players. This is close to last August’s total of 148 and already more than in the summers of 2019 or 2020. The fee is paid for two-thirds of them, with 14 different players moving for total sums in excess of £30 million.
Darwin Nunez’s £85.5 million transfer to Liverpool tops that list. Chelsea is also have spent money on Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Tottenham spent £60 million to acquire forward Richarlison from Everton, and Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal each paid two sums above £30 million. Newcastle, West Ham, and Wolves also made contributions to the total.
Chelsea got Alvaro Morata for £60 million. And Romelu Lukaku went to Manchester United for £75 million during the record-breaking 2017 transfer window. Meanwhile, Manchester City spent out much on Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, and Ederson. The January transfer window also saw high-profile transfers for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal and center-backs Virgil van Dijk and Aymeric Laporte to Liverpool and City, respectively.
