The Premier League net spend table since Arne Slot took over at Liverpool
Despite making a raft of big-money signings this summer, Liverpool’s net spend is lower than Arsenal’s, Manchester United’s and even Tottenham’s since Arne Slot was appointed last summer.
After the Reds broke the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, it took their total spending to somewhere around £416million – the most ever spent in a transfer window by a Premier League club.
Chelsea, back in 2023, are the only other club who have broken the £400million barrier in the summer window.
However, if you look at Slot’s spending with a wider lens – encompassing all three transfer windows that the Dutch coach has been in charge for – how does their spending compare to their competitors?
Big-money outlay on signings including Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike takes Liverpool’s spending to just short of £450million under Slot.
Barely any of that was spent before this summer, with only relatively modest signings Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili (who was sent back on loan to Valencia) signed in his first summer at the helm. Chiesa only made one Premier League start last season, with the Premier League title won with a squad almost entirely inherited from Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
After a period of inactivity, Liverpool have gone big on reshaping the squad in Slot’s image. The club have brought in over £200million in sales, with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Jarell Quansah bringing in the biggest fees – plus not-inconsiderable sums for fringe players such as Ben Doak, Caoimhin Keller and Tyler Morton.
Only Chelsea, Aston Villa and Bournemouth have made more in sales since Slot was appointed.
Operating with a radical new transfer strategy, the Blues have banked a scarcely believable £485million in player sales since the summer of 2024, with Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Djordhe Petrovic among literally dozens of players sold for sizeable fees.
Incredibly, Chelsea’s net spend stands at just £33million since last summer, putting as low as 14th in the ranking, below the likes of Fulham, Everton, Ipswich Town and Sunderland.
Aston Villa and Bournemouth, meanwhile, have actually turned a profit when it comes to net spend since last summer, alongside Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leeds United.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham have all spent less on new arrivals since Slot was appointed, but they’ve all racked up larger net spends thanks to relatively meagre returns in terms of player sales.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have only raised £80million in player sales over the past three windows, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool way back in 2017 still their club record departure. That sees them top the net spend table, just ahead of Manchester United, since last summer.
Tottenham are also surprisingly ahead. They’ve spent over £100million less than Liverpool since Klopp left, but raised approximately £140million less in player sales over that period.
We’ve broken down the full net spends of all 23 clubs that have been in the Premier League since Slot succeeded Klopp in the summer of 2024.
The figures are sourced from Transfermarkt and converted from Euros into Sterling.
1. Arsenal
Expenditure: £343m
Income: £80m
Net Spend: -£262m
2. Manchester United
Expenditure: £422m
Income: £162m
Net Spend: -£259m
3. Tottenham
Expenditure: £336m
Income: £82m
Net Spend: -£254m
4. Liverpool
Expenditure: £445m
Income: £226m
Net Spend: -£218m
5. Manchester City
Expenditure: £382m
Income: £180m
Net Spend: -£201m
6. Brighton
Expenditure: £307m
Income: £173m
Net Spend: -£132m
7. West Ham
Expenditure: £245m
Income: £115m
Net Spend: -£129m
8. Nottingham Forest
Expenditure: £291m
Income: £179m
Net Spend: -£111m
9. Sunderland
Expenditure: £169m
Income: £59m
Net Spend: -£111m
10. Ipswich
Expenditure: £179m
Income: £76m
Net Spend: -£104m
11. Newcastle United
Expenditure: £303m
Income: £224m
Net Spend: -£79m
12. Everton
Expenditure: £152m
Income: £75m
Net Spend: -£77m
13. Fulham
Expenditure: £116m
Income: £72m
Net Spend: -£43m
14. Chelsea
Expenditure: £519m
Income: £485m
Net Spend: -£33m
15. Burnley
Expenditure: £155m
Income: £122m
Net Spend: -£32m
16. Wolves
Expenditure: £224m
Income: £215m
Net Spend: -£9m
17. Southampton
Expenditure: £152m
Income: £144m
Net Spend: -£8m
18. Leicester City
Expenditure: £77m
Income: £86m
Net Spend: +£9m
19. Leeds United
Expenditure: £124m
Income: £145m
Net Spend: +£22m
20. Crystal Palace
Expenditure: £125m
Income: £147m
Net Spend: +£22m
21. Bournemouth
Expenditure: £232m
Income: £259m
Net Spend: +£26m
22. Brentford
Expenditure: £167m
Income: £195m
Net Spend: +£27m
23. Aston Villa
Expenditure: £207m
Income: £265m
Net Spend: +£58m
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Liverpool’s 25 most expensive signings in history?