Top Premier League Sides Off To Flying Start In Summer Transfer Window

Premier League clubs have already spent more than $850 million on players during the summer transfer window.

That’s more than half what was spent in each of the previous five summer windows, and it is likely that this summer’s Premier League spending will be the highest ever.

But the spending so far has come from just a few clubs, mainly ones that finished high up the Premier League table last season.

The Premier League window officially opened on June 10th, although many international deals and free transfers could only go through from July 1st.

As of July 10th, five Premier League clubs are yet to spend anything on transfer fees, and another five clubs have spent less than $25 million.

Around $385 million, close to half of the total spend, has come from four of the teams in last season’s top five, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all spending more than $85 million on new players. Most of that cash was spent right at the start of July.

All four teams have strengthened their attacks with Manchester City bringing in Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool spending big on Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, and Arsenal signing Gabriel Jesus from City.

Spurs have brought in the most players out of the top clubs, making five new signings already, including Everton’s Brazilian forward Richarlison, as they look to capitalize on their qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

Chelsea, most likely due to their change in ownership, are yet to spend any money in the transfer market, but that is expected to change in the coming days with the $60 million-plus signing of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling.

It’s partly unsurprising that these clubs have spent the most money. After all, they are responsible for the top five largest transfer fees paid so far this transfer window. But they have also most likely got much of their business out of the way already. All of them apart from Chelsea have signed at least three players, whereas ten clubs have made two or fewer signings and Leicester City are yet to bring in even a player on a free transfer.

Outside the top five, Leeds United have spent almost as much as Manchester City on six new signings, as they look to offset the losses of Kalvin Phillips and (almost certainly) Raphinha, while also adding some more depth to their squad which was severely depleted by injuries last season.

Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United have also spent more than $50 million to improve mainly their defenses, bringing in center backs Sven Botman, Nayef Aguerd and Diego Carlos, respectively each as they push for European soccer next season.

Newly promoted Nottingham Forest’s signings of Omar Richards from Bayern Munich and Neco Williams from Liverpool will take their spending to around $70 million, as they look to fill the gaps left by the five loan players they had in their best eleven last season. Those two signings bring Forest’s total to seven, but even more are expected to join in the coming weeks.

As Premier League sides start their pre-season matches this week, any signings made early in the window will have the most possible time to integrate with their new squads and understand the requirements of their head coaches. This should give teams that do their business early an advantage over those who buy players late in the transfer window.

Any signings made from this point on will be playing catch up. Even Tottenham’s recent loan signing Clement Lenglet, who joined from Barcelona on Friday, came too late to get clearance for the club’s pre-season tour of South Korea.

When it comes to signings made on deadline day on September 1st, they will miss the first five games of their new side’s season. As those five games make up more than 13% of the season, and players who have been at the club all summer are likely to perform better than players who were signed a few days before their first match, it could be worth clubs paying a small premium if that helps them get their target deals done early in the summer.

The clubs who got their deals done quickly also don’t have the risk of a key deal falling through at the last minute and leaving them without a replacement.

The Premier League’s biggest sides are able to get a large amount of their transfer business done early due to their place in soccer’s food chain. It’s easy to attract players when you play in the Champions League and can offer the highest wages. There is also less incentive to wait around for an offer from a bigger club if there aren’t any clubs bigger than the one you are about to sign for. Players like Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence would be an attractive signing for many mid-table Premier League sides, but with Tottenham Hotspur interested, it is unlikely that any other team has a shot of signing him unless the deal falls through. Larger deals often set off a series of smaller deals later on too, like Spurs’ signing of Richarlison, which could see Everton try to sign a replacement later in the transfer window should their finances allow it.

But by signing players early, these sides are also giving themselves an advantage over their rivals. While Haaland, Nunez and Jesus are already getting acquainted with their teammates, the rest of the league will be spending the next few weeks playing catch-up.