On August 31st, when this summer’s transfer window slammed shut, Premier League clubs had spent 1.1 billion.
This inevitably was a drop on last season’s spending, as in 2020, Premier League clubs spent £1.3b, which was 11% higher than this season.
Below is my team by team review of each Premier League clubs’ transfer dealings…. All net spends are estimated totals, due to loan deal fees.
ARSENAL – Net Spend £131.8m
The current bottom club are the biggest net spenders. Their biggest deal was Ben White £50m, Brighton. However, for the price tag, he will be under pressure to plug those defensive gaps, along with left back Nuno Tavares £8m Benfica, who will hope to get regular games. Albert Sambi Lokonga £19m Anderlecht, already looks a decent signing in midfield, for now and the future.
Arteta will hope Martin Odegaard £30m Real Madrid, on a permanent deal, will hit the ground running, after his loan stint last season. It still remains to be seen if right back Takehiro Tomiyasu £16m Bologna, will be the answer to their right back issues. Eyebrows were raised with the deal for Aaron Ramsdale £24m Sheff Utd, but he will give Leno competition in goal. Notable outgoings were Willock, £25m to Newcastle. Bellarin, loan to Real Betis. Torreira, loan to Fiorentina and Willian (free) Corinthians.
MANCHESTER UNITED – Net spend £103.7m
As per usual, Man Utd are up there spending money in a transfer window. They certainly made their mark with a superb summer, which started with Jadon Sancho £73m, Borussia Dortmund. Who will relish being back in England.
At the back, they have added experience and quality in Raphael Varane £41m, Real Madrid, who is a serial winner. Speaking of which, probably the biggest deal of the window, Cristiano Ronaldo £12.85m, Juventus, is back to Old Trafford, which will give everyone a lift. Notable outgoings were James £25m to Leeds and Pereira, loan to Fiorentina.
MANCHESTER CITY – Net spend £72.7m
Not to be outdone, the blue half of Manchester were again up there for spending, although the overall total was modest for their standards. The signing of Jack Grealish £100m, Aston Villa, showed that they meant business and he has already made an impact.
City also purchased Karky £9m, Fluminense, who is a 17 year old, skilful, Brazilian winger and certainly one to watch for the future. as he is known as a wonderkid. Notable outgoings were Aguero and Garcia both on a free to Barcelona.
CRYSTAL PALACE – Net spend £65m
In his first window, Patrick Viera has certainly been backed by the board, making eight signings. Conor Gallagher (loan) Chelsea, looks a great acquisition and has already shown his quality. I’m interesting to see what Odsonne Edouard £15m, Celtic, can do in England coming from the Scottish league. Joachim Andersen £14.9m, Lyon has experience playing in the Premier League and is a Danish international. Will Hughes £6m, Watford, also has decent experience in the top flight.
It will be interesting to see the development of Marc Guehi £18m, Chelsea, who has been known as a prospect for a while. Teenage winger Michael Olise £8m, Reading, looked good in the Championship, but can he step up to the big league? Notable outgoings were Townsend, free to Everton. Hennessey, free to Burnley. Van Aanholt, free to Galatasaray. Sakho, free to Montpellier. Cahill, free to Bournemouth. McCarthy, free to Celtic and Dann, free to Reading.
WEST HAM – Net spend 63.3m
After a superb last season, David Moyes will hope to maintain that into a European season, with some decent acquisitions. Firstly, the signing of Kurt Zouma £29.8m, Chelsea, with all his experience and ability could be a shrewd one. Add that to the experience of Craig Dawson £2m, Watford. As well as Alphonse Areola, loan, PSG, who was in the Premier League two season ago and has been at Real Madrid.
They also acquired Croatian international Nikola Vlasic £25.7m, CSKA Moscow, who had a short stint with Everton. Alex Kral, loan, Spartak Moscow is an energetic defensive midfielder and Czech Rep international. Notable outgoing s were Felipe Anderson, £2.7m to Lazio and Balbuena, free to Dinamo Moscow.
LEICESTER CITY – Net spend £55m
The FA Cup and Community Shield winners will no doubt push for a Champions League place, after finishing fifth two seasons in a row. Patson Daka,£27m, RB Salzburg, looks a shrewd signing who knows where the goal is. They have brought in the experience of Ryan Bertrand, free Southampton, and the very decent Jannick Vestergaard,£17m Southampton.
In addition, they had added Ademola Lookman, loan,RB Leipzig, who knows the Premier league very well and could be a decent acquisition up front. Also, Boubakary Soumare £17m, Lille, who is a young, robust defensive midfielder and could be well suited to English football. Notable outgoings were Fuch, free to Charlotte Fc. Praet, loan to Torino and Wes Morgan who retired.
TOTTENHAM – Net spend £54.6m
The deadline day signing of Emerson Royal £25.8m, Barcelona, a nifty Brazilian right back, looks to be shrewd move and he will bring quality. As will Bryan Gil £21m, Sevilla, who is still something of an unknown, but coming from Sevilla, you know you will get a hard worker with technical ability.
Speaking of unknowns, Spurs have brought in Pierluigi Gollini, loan, Atalanta, a goalkeeper who was at Aston Villa previously and has one cap for Italy. Also, Cristian Romero, loan, Atalanta, a centre back who has been capped for Argentina. Lastly, Pepe Matar Sarr £14.5m, FC Metz, is a teenage, Senegalese box to box midfielder loaned back to Metz. Notable outgoings were Foyth, £13m to Villarreal. Sissoko, £3m to Watford. Alderweireld, £13m to Al-Duhail. Parrot, loan to MK Dons. Hart, £1.2m to Celtic. Lamela, compensation to Sevilla and Aurier was released.
LEEDS UNITED – Net spend £43m
One of their best bit of businesses is making Jake Harrison £11.5m Man City, a permanent move. I also like the deadline day move for Daniel James £25m, Man Utd, despite the reservations about the price tag, I feel his game will fit right in to Leeds’ style of play. Left back Junior Firpo £12.8m, Barcelona, also looks a good signing.
They also brought in Lewis Bate £1.5m Chelsea, who is a teenage midfielder and Kristoffer Klaesson £1.8m, Valerenga, a young Norwegian goalkeeper. Notable outgoings were Helda Costa, loan to Valencia. Alioski, free to Ahil and Poveda, loan to Blackburn.
BRENTFORD – Net spend £31.1m
The newly promoted side will certainly hope to continue as they have started, on and off the field. Kristoffer Ajer £13.5m, Celtic, has made a solid start at the back. They also brought in Frank Onyeka £9m, FC Midtjylland, a Nigerian midfielder capped for the first time this year.
Yoane Wissa £9m, Lorient, is a winger capped for DR Congo. Myles Peart-Harris £1.35m, Chelsea, is a teenage midfielder and Alvaro Fernandez, loan, Huesca is a goalkeeper whose recently been capped for Spain. Notable outgoing were Dalsgaard, free to Midtjylland and Marcondes, free to Bournemouth.
NEWCASTLE – Net spend – £25m
Although the fans were hoping for more, I am sure everyone connected to Newcastle are happy they secured the signature of Joe Willock £25m, Arsenal. Especially after the six months he had last season. The challenge now is to maintain that form. They also brought in Santiago Munoz loan, Santos Laguna a teenage striker from Mexico (which is eerily similar to the movie Goal). Notable outgoings were Atsu, free to Al Read and Matty Longstaff, loan to Aberdeen.
BURNLEY – Net spend – £17.5m
Surprisingly, Sean Dyche was pretty busy this window. Their marquee signing was Maxwel Cornet £12.85m, Lyon, a full back who can also play up front. He was capped at all youth levels for France, then opted for Ivory Coast. Another key signing was Aaron Lennon, free, Kayserispor, whose experience will be valuable. As will goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey free, Crystal Palace.
Eyebrows may have been raised for the signing of young centre back Nathan Collins £12.6m, Stoke and it will be interesting to see how he develops at Burnley. Connor Roberts undisclosed, Swansea, is a welsh international full back, hoping to prove himself in the top flight. Notable outgoings were Gibson ,£8.37m to Norwich and Robbie Brady was released.
WOLVES – Net spend – £12.4m
It was a busy window for new manger Bruno Lage, with six signings. I already like the look of Francisco Trincao loan, Barcelona, who will definitely bring something to the team. Goalkeeper Jose Sa £6.25m, Olympiacos, certainly has big shoes to fill and will have his work cut out for him.
Ratan Ait-Nouri £10m, Angers, is a young full back whose been capped for France u21’s. Yerson Mosquera £4.5m, Atletico Nacional, is a young, energetic looking Colombian midfielder. Notable outgoings were Mir, £14.4 to Sevilla. Rui Patricio, £10.35m to Roma. Cutrone, loan to Empoli and Gibbs-White loan to Sheff Utd.
LIVERPOOL – Net spend – £11.5m
It was a frustrating window for Liverpool, well at least it was for the fans. Liverpool did their business very early bringing Ibrahima Konate £36m, RB Leipzig in, which was very good business and a player for now and the future. However, Klopp and the board feel they have a good enough squad, so it was just one signing this summer. Only time will tell if that decision was correct or if they have to panic buy in January. Notable out goings were. Wijnaldum, free to PSG. Shaqiri, £9.5m to Lyon. Wilson, £12 to Fulham and Grujic, £10.5m to Porto.
CHELSEA – Net spend – £3.1m
Given the circumstances, it was a superb summer window for the European champions. Imagine conquering Europe, then adding one of the most prolific strikers out there in Romalu Lukaku, £97.5m, Inter Milan.
If that wasn’t enough, they also added Saul Niguez, loan, Atletico Madrid, who will bring further quality and depth to the midfield and the squad in general. Notable outgoings were Abraham, £34m to Roma. Zouma, £29.8m to West Ham. Tomori, £25m to AC Milan. Giroud, £9k to AC Milan. Gilmour, loan to Norwich. Batshuayi, loan to Besiktas. Bakayoko, loan to AC Milan and Moses, £4.5m to Spartak Moscow.
EVERTON – Net Spend – £1.6m
New Everton manager Rafa Benitez has used all his experience to make some shrewd signings this summer. Firstly and already paying dividends, Demarai Gray £1.7, Bayer Leverkusen, could be the buy of the summer for the price tag. Andros Townsend, Free, Crystal Palace, could also turn out to be a useuful acquisition, especially for nothing.
Somewhat of a surprise move, Soloman Rondon free, Dalian Professional, returned from the cold to work with Benitez again and must be chuffed to be back. They have also brought in Asmir Begovic free, Bournemouth as decent cover. Notable outgoings were Walcott, free to Southampton. King, free to Watford. Bernard £9k, Sharjah FC. Kean, loan to Juventus and Bolasie, free to Rizespor.
WATFORD – Net Spend – £5.5m profit
Back in the Premier League, Watford have brought in a whole host of players this summer. Moussa Sissoko, £3m, Tottenham will be very important with his experience, as will Danny Rose, free Tottenham. To add to Juraj Kucka, loan, Parma, a 34 year old Slovakian midfielder with over 80 caps. Also, Ozan Tufan, loan, Fenerbahce, who is a right sided midfielder with over 60 caps for Turkey.
For goals, they have brought in Josh King, free, Everton, along with Emmanuel Dennis, £3.6m, Club Brugge, who has already scored this season and looks a good buy. Imran Louza, £9m Nantes, is a box to box midfielder and it will be interesting to see if he develops. Notable outgoings were Deeney, free to Birmingham. Hughes, £6m to Crystal Palace. Dawson, £2m to West Ham. Gray, loan to QPR. Chalobah, undisclosed to Fulham and Success, undisclosed to Udinese.
NORWICH – Net Spend – £6.1m profit
Another newly promoted club who brought a plethora of players in this summer. Milot Rashica £9.9m, Werder Bremen, looks the marquee signing and they will hope he can add goals. Billy Gilmour loan, Chelsea, will hope to get games. Ozan Kabak loan, Schalke didn’t do too badly at Liverpool last season, and will hope for more experience, as will Brandon Williams, loan, Man Utd.
American capped forward Josh Sargent, £8.55m Werder Brenen, has over 70 games already in the Bundesliga. Ben Gibson £8.37m, Burnley, is a much travelled centre back. Pierre Lees-Melou £3.5m, Nice, is an attacking midfielder. Dimitrios Giannoulis £6.75m, PAOK Salonika is a Greek international full back and Christos Tzollis £8.8m, PAOK is a teenage Greek international winger. Notable outgoings were Buendia, £35m to Aston Villa. Drmic, loan to HNK Rijeka and Hugill, loan to West Brom.
ASTON VILLA – Net Spend – £7m profit
I was really impressed with how Villa spent the Grealish money. Danny Ings, £30m Southampton is a great signing and he has already shown what he can do. I am very excited to see Leon Bailey, £30m, Bayer Leverkusen play, with his attacking flair and pace, which looks suited to English football. It will be interesting to see how Emiliano Buendia, £35m Norwich, performs at Villa, as he certainly has quality.
Ashley Young, free, Inter Milan, made an emotional return to Villa after 10 years. Also, defender Axel Tuanzebe, loan, Man Utd will hope to get some games under his belt. Notable outgoings were Jack Grealish, £100m to Man City. Tom Heaton, free to Man Utd. Mbwana Samatta, £5.4m to Fenerbahce. Also Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady were both released.
BRIGHTON – Net Spend – £17.9m profit
I am not so sure what to make of Graham Potter’s business this summer. However, big things are expected of Zambian international Enock Mwepu £18m, RB Salzburg. This also goes for Marc Cucurella £15.4m, Getafe, who is an exciting left sided player, that has been capped at all youth levels for Spain and was a Barcelona youth player.
Abdallah Sima £7m, Slavia Prague, is a young Senegalese forward, who has recently been capped this year. Kaoru Mitoma, undisclosed, Kawasaki Frontale, is a very experienced Japanese winger. Also, Kjell Scherpen £4.5m Ajax, is a young Dutch goalkeeper. Notable outgoings were White, £50m to Arsenal. Ryan, free to Real Sociedad. Propper, free to PSV Eindhoven. Jahanbakhsh, £1m to Feyenoord. Andone, loan to and Dendoncker loan to St Johnstone.
SOUTHAMPTON – Net Spend – £35m profit
Financially it was a great summer for Southampton. However, I am not sure the fans enjoyed seeing certain players leave. That said, they did do some good business. Adam Armstrong, £16m Blackburn, can hopefully fill the gap for goals. They will also look to the returning Theo Walcott, free, Everton, for goals and experience.
On the other end of the scale, young teenage full back Valentino Livramento £5m, Chelsea, has made a great start to the season and looks a player. Romain Perraud £11.5m, Stade Brest, is a French defender capped at all youth levels for France. Lyanco £6.7m, Torino, is a strong looking Brazilian defender and Armando Broja, loan, Chelsea is a teenage striker hoping to get some minutes. Notable outgoings were Ings, £30m to Aston Villa. Vestergaard, £15m to Leicester. Bertrand, free to Leicester and Lemina, £5m to Nice.
Let the games begin. Clubs can now rest easy until January, where they will have do it all again.
