The English Premier League has done it again. For the second year running, the richest league in the world has obliterated its own spending record, with clubs shelling out more than £3.46 billion between June 15 and September 1, a figure that is roughly three times what the league spent just five years ago.
In a summer of staggering, eye-watering inflation, around 38 per cent of all deals were between Premier League clubs themselves, up from 30 per cent last year, as English clubs chose to buy elite, Premier League-proven talent at a premium rather than shop abroad. More than half of the 20 teams broke their all-time transfer records in a window that featured four of the top flight's five most expensive ever deals.
The window crescendoed on deadline day when Manchester City completed the biggest deal of the summer in the final hours, signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125m. That was followed by Liverpool paying £120m for Bradley Barcola, Chelsea making Morgan Rogers their record signing for £117m, and Tottenham breaking the £100m barrier to recruit Sandro Tonali.
Here is the complete breakdown of the headline clubs, that is Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.
CHELSEA: £349.8m In, £385m
Chelsea operated a revolving door like no other.
Ins (13): Morgan Rogers (£117m), Maxence Lacroix (£52m), Marco Palestra (£47m), Geovany Quenda (£40m), Valentin Barco (£34m), Emmanuel Emegha (£21.6m), Pep Chavarria (£16.3m), Emi Martinez (£7.5m), Danny Welbeck (£5m), Jordan Henderson (free), Harrison Bettoni (undisclosed fee), Dastan Satpayek (£2.1m), Alfie Osborne (£400k).
Outs (37): Enzo Fernandez (£125m), Marc Cucurella (£52m), Andrey Santos (£50m), Nicolas Jackson (£47.5m), Liam Delap (£45m), Trevoh Chalobah (£25.7m), Tyrique George (£18m), Deivid Washington (£17.2m), Marc Guiu (£14.6m), Tosin Adarabioyo (£7m), Omari Kellyman (£5.1m), Jimmy-Jay Morgan (£4m), David Datro Fofana (undisclosed fee), Caleb Wiley (loan), Mamadou Sarr (loan), Mykhailo Mudryk (loan), Axel Disasi (loan), Benoit Badiashile (loan), Reggie Walsh (loan), Dastan Satpayev (loan), Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (loan), Ishe Samuels-Smith (loan), Filip Jorgensen (loan), Ollie Harrison (loan), Alejandro Garnacho (loan), Chris Atherton (undisclosed fee), Kaiden Wilson (loan), Jesse Derry (loan), Harrison Murray-Campbell (loan), Frankie Runham (undisclosed fee), Joseph Wheeler-Henry (undisclosed fee), Jimi Tauriainen (free), Dario Essugo (loan), Robert Sanchez (loan), Dujuan Richards (loan), Kiano Dyer (loan).
MANCHESTER UNITED: Midfield Rebuild
Ins (7): Carlos Baleba (£70m), Andrey Santos (£50m), Youri Tielemans (£35m), Tynan Thompson (£4m), Cristian Orozco (£700k), Karl Darlow (free), Kit Margetson (compensation).
Outs (20): Rasmus Hojlund (£43.2m), Radek Vitek (£14m), Jayce Fitzgerald (loan), Toby Collyer (undisclosed fee), Jacob Devaney (loan), Ethan Ennis (undisclosed fee), Ethan Williams (undisclosed fee), Sonny Aljofree (undisclosed fee), Altay Bayindir (loan), Tyler Fredricson (undisclosed fee), Casemiro (free), André Onana (loan extended), James Scanlon (undisclosed fee), James Bailey (free), Ethan Wheatley (loan), Sekou Kone (loan), Elyh Harrison (loan), Tyrell Malacia (released), Jadon Sancho (released), Chido Obi (loan).
ARSENAL: Guimaraes Leads New Look
Ins (8): Bruno Guimaraes (£75m), Ezri Konsa (£51m), Piero Hincapie (£45m), Christos Tzolis (£34m), Illan Meslier (free), Elijah Upson (free), Igor Tyjon (undisclosed fee), James Scanlon (undisclosed fee).
Outs (13): Gabriel Martinelli (£55.7m), Leandro Trossard (£15.3m), Jakub Kiwior (£14.5m), Gabriel Jesus (£8.6m), Fabio Vieira (£7.7m), Christian Norgaard (£7m), Karl Hein (£2.6m), Ismeal Kabia (loan), Reiss Nelson (free), Takehiro Tomiyasu (free), Josh Nichols (free), Samuel Chapman (free), Ethan Nwaneri (loan), Tommy Setford (loan).
MANCHESTER CITY: Record £435m Outlay
City's window was historic in both volume and value.
Ins (9): Enzo Fernandez (£125m), Elliot Anderson (£116m), Ayyoub Bouaddi (£85.6m), Iliman Ndiaye (£60m), Allan (£32m), Mathys Detourbet (£21.6m), Jeremy Monga (£12.5m), Pierce Charles (£3m), Gerónimo Rulli (£1.7m).
Outs (34): Savio (£75m), Nico González (£52m), Tijjani Reijnders (£52m), Rodri (£51.3m), James Trafford (£40.5m), Nathan Ake (£7m), Issa Kaboré (£2m), Reigan Heskey (£2m), Stephen Mfuni (loan), Manuel Akanji (undisclosed fee), Jack Grealish (loan), Omar Marmoush (loan), Divine Mukasa (loan), Max Alleyne (loan), Finley Burns (undisclosed fee), Lakyle Samuel (loan), Emilio Lawrence (loan), Divin Mubama (loan), John Stones (free), Joel Ndala (undisclosed fee), Spike Brits (loan), Matty Warhurst (undisclosed fee), Sverre Nypan (loan), Pierce Charles (loan), Mathys Detourbet (loan), Isaac Smith (undisclosed fee), Oliver Whatmuff (loan), Bernardo Silva (free), Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (undisclosed fee), Jaden Heskey (loan), Luca Fletcher (undisclosed fee), Kalvin Phillips (loan), Christian McFarlane (loan), Jeremy Monga (loan), Claudio Echeverri (loan).
LIVERPOOL: Barcola Era Begins as Legends Leave
Ins (7): Bradley Barcola (£123m), Jeremy Jacquet (£55m), Victor Munoz (£34.5m), Lucca Brughmans (£30m), Ifeanyi Ndukwe (undisclosed fee), Ronald Araujo (loan), Samuel Martinez (joining in 2027).
Outs (17): Curtis Jones (£25.7m), Stefan Bajcetic (undisclosed fee), Calvin Ramsay (loan), Ifeanyi Ndukwe (loan), Kieran Morrison (loan), Calum Scanlon (loan), Mohamed Salah (free), Amara Nallo (loan), Armin Pecsi (loan), Luca Stephenson (undisclosed fee), Carter Pinnington (undisclosed fee), Ibrahima Konate (free), Andy Robertson (free), DJ Bernard (free), Rhys Williams (released), Lucca Brughmans (loan), Harvey Elliott (loan), Keyrel Figueroa (loan).
From £400k punts like Alfie Osborne to £125m blockbusters like Enzo Fernandez, from free-transfer exits for legends like Salah, Robertson and Bernardo Silva to a flood of undisclosed-fee moves for academy prospects, this was a window where no deal was too small and no fee too large for the Premier League's insatiable appetite.
Manchester City finished as the biggest spenders overall with around £435m paid in fees, followed by Chelsea with £349.8m and Tottenham with £315m. At the other end, Chelsea recouped the most in sales with £385m, with Aston Villa also receiving more than £300m after selling six of the players who started last season's Europa League final.
