Top clubs splurge billions
Premier League superpowers in frantic spending spree battle to lure football’s finest
PREMIER League spending looks certain to shatter all previous records before the current transfer window closes as England’s superpowers reload in an increasingly frenzied arms race.
Fuelled by lucrative television contracts worth about £8.3-billion (R141-billion) and unprecedented revenue streams at home and overseas, the 20 Premier League teams have spent like never before in the weeks since the summer transfer window opened.
Already close to £800-million (R13.6-billion) has been paid for new players, with the single window record spend of £1.2-billion (R20.4-billion) well within reach with more than a month before the market closes.
Determined to make amends for last season’s surprisingly lacklustre debut campaign in the Premier League, which saw Manchester City finish 15 points behind champions Chelsea, Pep Guardiola has played a key role in driving the market sky high.
City boss Guardiola, backed by his club’s Abu Dhabi-based billionaire owners, has embarked on an historically lavish spending spree, including paying £52-million for Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy in a world record deal for a defender on Monday.
Mendy’s arrival came just days after the £26.5-million capture of Danilo from Real Madrid.
England right-back Kyle Walker cost City £50-million from Tottenham as Guardiola took just 10 days to spend £128-million on three full-backs.
A £42-million offer persuaded Monaco to sell Bernardo Silva to City, while Douglas Luiz moved to Eastlands from Vasco Da Gama for £10-million.
Throw in Guardiola’s £34-million swoop for Benfica goalkeeper Ederson and the Spaniard has already splashed out £215-million.
That eclipsed the record spending total for a British club in a single transfer period, racing past the £168-million mark which, not surprisingly, was also set by Guardiola last season.
City seem certain to shatter the £221.5-million forked out by Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 – which stands as the biggest outlay in one transfer window.
Guardiola would love to land £50-million-rated Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, who is refusing to extend a contract that expires in 12 months’ time.
Keen not to be left behind by City, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been pressuring Blues owner Roman Abramovich to back his demand for major investment ahead of his side’s return to the Champions League after a one-year absence.
So far, Chelsea have spent more than £120-million, with their headline deals a £58-million move for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata and £34-million for Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho had to pay a British record £75-million to beat his old club Chelsea to the signature of Everton’s Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku.
That deal, following the £31-million signing of Benfica’s Victor Lindelof, moved United over the £100-million mark.
Arsene Wenger’s decision to extend his 21-year reign at Arsenal after a turbulent season has persuaded Gunners owner Stan Kroenke to sanction the club record £52-million signing of Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Liverpool also broke their transfer record, paying £37-million for Roma winger Mohamed Salah.
And, in a perfect encapsulation of the Premier League’s spending power, even Everton, notoriously careful with their finances in the past, have paid more than £90-million as they lured Wayne Rooney, Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford among others to Goodison Park.
Newly promoted Huddersfield and Newcastle have both spent over £30-million already.