Huge splash of cash in D-Day club deals
A record spending spree by Premier League clubs in the transfer market passed the US$2.2 billion mark before the window closed yesterday with Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and — belatedly — Chelsea signing players to reshape 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$95m, making him the fourth expensive player in Premier League history and football’s most expensive deadline-day signing.
That took United’s spend in this wildest of transfer windows to about US$240m — a figure only topped in Europe by Chelsea, who finally signed an out-and-out striker in PierreEmerick Aubameyang from Barcelona. In the club’s first transfer window in the post-Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea spent a staggering US$280m
Man City’s signing of Switzerland centre back Manuel Akanji for US$17.5m 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 global broadcasting deals worth about US$11.8 billion over three seasons, Premier League clubs have reverted to pre-pandemic levels of spending.
England’s top-flight clubs spent about the same on players as those in the top leagues in Spain (US$500m), Italy ($750m), Germany ($485m) and France ($540m) combined.
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.
Forest signed three players on deadline day to take their number of incomings across the window to a remarkable 21, at a cost of US$160m.
Fulham also had a busy end to the window, bringing in three attackers and a defender on deadline day.
Former Brazil winger Willian is back in the Premier League after previous spells at Arsenal and Chelsea, while former Manchester United winger Daniel James arrived on loan from Leeds.
It is another step forward. Once we have Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro getting fitter, it will get better still. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius joined from Benfica, while Fulham brought in left back Layvin Kurzawa on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG trimmed their squad further by selling Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye to former club Everton, who also signed young striker James Garner from Man United.
A deadline-day spree by Southampton also resulted in four transfers — including Croatia defender Duje Caleta-Car, who left Champions League qualifier Marseille for a team which will do well to finish in the top half of the Premier League.
Aston Villa signed Belgium midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolverhampton.
Manchester United secured their third straight win in the Premier League by beating Leicester 1-0 yesterday.
Jadon Sancho finished off a flowing move on the break for the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute as United’s players backed up victories over Liverpool and Southampton to put their early-season crisis behind them.
“It is another step forward,” United manager Erik ten Hag said.
It was only 10 days ago that United went into their home game against Liverpool on the back of back-to-back defeats to open the season with doubts swirling around the suitability of ten Hag — recently hired from Ajax — and his new signings.
“Once we have Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro getting fitter, it will get better still,” ten Hag said.
In the end, Sancho’s goal separated the teams and it came after United claimed possession following a Leicester goal kick. Bruno Fernandes found Marcus Rashford in a central position and he slipped in Sancho, who rounded goalkeeper Danny Ward and slotted the ball into an empty net.
Leicester are now the Premier League’s crisis club, with just one point from their first five games and two points adrift in last place. The pressure is rising on its manager, Brendan Rodgers, who grumbled after the match about the club’s failure to strengthen the squad in the summer transfer.
Leicester signed only one outfield player, unheralded defender Wout Faes from French club Reims, and he arrived on deadline day to fill the gap left by the departure of Wesley Fofana to Chelsea.
“With the greatest respect,” Rodgers said, “we have not had the help in the market this team needed.”
United will face a bigger challenge on Monday, when Arsenal — with their 100 per cent record — visit Old Trafford.
“It is a good test to see where we are,” ten Hag said.