Another record-breaking transfer window closed on Friday after a busy summer that saw Premier League clubs splash out £2,36 billion on new players. The combined outlay of the 20 clubs during the window smashes the previous spending record of £1,92 billion set last summer by £440 million, according to financial services firm Deloitte.
Premier League clubs spent £255 million on deadline day alone, which is more than double the £120 million spent on the final day of last summer’s window. That means the 2023-2024 season already has the second-highest transfer spend ever after last season’s £2,73 billion — with the January window still to come.
Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “A second successive summer of record spending by Premier League clubs suggests that year-on-year revenue growth could return following the pandemic. “Nearly three quarters of Premier League clubs (14) spent more this summer than the last, reflecting the increased intensity of competition.
“There continues to be pressure on clubs to acquire top talent to satisfy their on-pitch objectives, whether that’s qualifying for European competition or simply maintaining their position in the Premier League,” he said.
The biggest Premier League deal of deadline day saw Manchester City sign Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes from Wolves for £55 million, while the Treble winners sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £40 million.
Manchester United brought in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce for £4,5 million, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina, full-back Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham and free agent Jonny Evans on a one-year deal.
Nottingham Forest were the busiest club, signing seven players, including midfielder Ibrahim Sangare from PSV, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea and midfielder Nicolas Dominguez from Bologna.
Two of the biggest transfers in Europe this summer involved England players.
Three Lions captain Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham for £86,4m, while midfielder Jude Bellingham moved to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for £88,5 million. Barcelona signed Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer after the midfielder left Manchester City, before sealing deadline day loan moves for City defender Joao Cancelo and Spain forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
The most expensive deal of deadline day was Paris St-Germain’s capture of France striker Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt for £64,2 million plus £12,8 million in add-ons.
This was Chelsea’s third transfer window under new owner Todd Boehly and their spending showed no signs of slowing down.
The London club spent more than £380m on 10 players in this transfer window, more than any other side in Europe.
The highest summer spend by any club in the world before now had been Real Madrid’s £292 million spree in 2019. Chelsea’s outlay on players across three transfer windows since Boehly took charge is now close to £1 billion.
Their spending this summer has been partially offset by significant player sales, with nine players leaving on permanent deals, including Havertz to Arsenal and Mason Mount to Manchester United for an initial £55 million. The Saudi Pro League splashed the cash on an array of global stars, including Neymar and Karim Benzema, as the Saudi authorities pushed to make the league one of the most competitive in the world. — BBC
