Premier League clubs have set a new record for spending in a single transfer window this summer at over £2.6bn.
Arsenal’s signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace saw the previous record fall with a week of the window still to go.
But how has the money been spent? Using net-spend figures, this week’s Between the Lines looks at the positions in which clubs have strengthened this summer – and where they have got weaker.
The great splurge on forwards
Nearly half of the £2.6bn spent this summer has gone on forwards. At a whopping £1.4bn, Premier League clubs have splurged roughly £850m more on forward players than on players in any other position, with defenders next on £547m.
The figures highlight the huge value placed on attacking players, particularly in a summer when many of the Premier League’s top clubs have been looking to add more firepower.
The most high-profile movers include Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Joao Pedro. But with the Alexander Isak saga rumbling on, the total could soar even higher before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Net spend, which factors money received in sales, adds another layer of insight and underlines the scale of the investment made by some of the Premier League’s elite sides.
Manchester United sit top, having added Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha as well as Sesko for £207.5m combined. Marcus Rashford has left on loan to Barcelona, but they are yet to offset that spending by selling any of their existing options permanently.
Arsenal are not far behind them for net spend on forwards, with Eze following Noni Madueke and Gyokeres to the club at a combined cost of £180.5m before having made any sales.
Chelsea have also spent heavily, with Joao Pedro one of four attacking signings, but the sales of Madueke, Joao Felix and Armando Broja have helped reduce their net spend to £55m.
While some clubs have bolstered their attacks, others have taken a hit – none more so than Crystal Palace, whose frontline is £67.5m lighter after Eze’s move to Arsenal.
Meanwhile, West Ham have made a net profit of £55m on forwards, having not yet replaced Mohammed Kudus, who joined Spurs for £55m, leaving them light in their front line.
Further investment may also be needed at Brighton, Brentford and Wolves, who are ostensibly weaker in attack, with negative net spends, having lost Joao Pedro, Cunha and Mbeumo, respectively.
Arsenal top midfield spenders, Villa weakened?
Moving on to midfield and, following the signings of Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard and no sales, Arsenal come out top for net spend on £66m as things stand.
Much of the focus is on Mikel Arteta’s attack following their investment this summer but their midfield has also been significantly reinforced, with Zubimendi going straight into the starting line-up following his £51m arrival from Real Sociedad.
Everton and Sunderland are next highest for net spend on midfielders. The Toffees have added Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Charly Alcaraz without losing anyone, while the newly-promoted Black Cats have signed Enzo Le Fee, Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra to offset the sale of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund.
Manchester United are one of six clubs with a net spend of zero on midfielders, although that could change before the deadline, with Kobbie Mainoo’s future uncertain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville saying they need to strengthen the position as a priority.
Along with Chelsea, Aston Villa currently have a notable negative net spend on midfielders, owing to the £43m sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle. The club are yet to replace the 24-year-old, or bring in any bodies in midfield, leaving Unai Emery with fewer options than last season.
Bournemouth defence picked off
Bournemouth stand out for net spend on defenders. Having lost three members of their first-choice back four last season in Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez for fees worth a combined £144.5m, they are in profit to the tune of £98m.
Replacements have so far been recruited for lower costs, with centre-back Bafode Diakite joining from Lille for £35m and left-back Adrien Truffert arriving from Rennes for £14.4m. Their strong starts show there is value to be found in the market, as Bournemouth previously showed with Huijsen, Zabarnyi and Kerkez.
Andoni Iraola will, however, need more backing defensively. They are still down a body at centre-back. But the club will aim to find the requisite quality while remaining in profit.
It may seem hard to believe on the back of their 5-1 thrashing by Chelsea, and their subsequent 3-2 loss to Wolves in the Carabao Cup, but the side to have strengthened their defence most, in terms of net spend, is West Ham, who have signed Jean-Clair Todibo following his loan spell for £35m and also added full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf for £19m.
Liverpool currently have the second-highest net spend on defenders, with Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni arriving after Real Madrid paid £10m for Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jarell Quansah left for Bayer Leverkusen for £35m.
But their figure could rise further if they add another centre-back, with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi still a possibility.
Man City’s goalkeeper reshuffle
Manchester City are the biggest net spenders on goalkeepers so far having re-signed James Trafford for £31m, and there could be more activity as there is uncertainty around the future of Ederson amid links with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
By selling Trafford to his boyhood club, Burnley are at the other end of the net spend on goalkeepers table, with Martin Dubravka and Max Weiss arriving for much lower fees, leaving them weakened in the position on paper.
Last week’s Between the Lines
Between the Lines, a weekly Sky Sports strand revealing the data behind football’s biggest stories, put squad values under the microscope last week to rank and analyse the eight most valuable squads in the world. Find out which Premier League club came out highest.
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games this season
Starting this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage is increasing from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season will be shown live on Sky Sports.
