Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and City represent 40 per cent of summer spend as Premier League smashes records

Bumper deadline day: Premier League club's eclipsed last summer's final day spend of £85m
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
Tom Dutton1 September 2015

The Premier League's Champions League clubs made up 40 per cent of the record £870million spent by top flight clubs during the summer transfer window.

Despite limited business from both Arsenal and Chelsea, last season's top-four finishers flexed their financial muscle to the tune of a combined £350million, according to analysis by the business advisory firm Deloitte.

By way of comparison, England's 'big four' outspent all 18 clubs in the Bundesliga (£290m) and the 20 sides in Ligue 1 (£220m).

Manchester City were the busiest of England's elite, recording the highest ever gross spend by a Premier League club after a disappointing failed title defence last season. City spent around £160million on 10 players, bringing in Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Serling and Noclas Otamendi for particularly hefty fees.

Down the road, Louis van Gaal saved his biggest until last as Anthony Martial arrived for a fee in excess of £36million on deadline day to join - among others - Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin, who also commanded fees north of £20million.

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Much to the frustration of Arsenal fans, just £10million was spent in total by the Emirates Stadium Hierarchy as the Gunners failed to reinforce on deadline day, while Chelsea - who saw a £38million bid for John Stones knocked back - only purchased Pedro and Abdul Baba Rahman for significant fees (totalling around £40million).

After a summer or record outlay, English clubs were finally stopped from bolstering their ranks on Tuesday after 12 weeks of negotiating. But the looming 6pm deadline didn't stop managers from making a last dip into the market for fear their squads weren't ready for the new campaign.

Slaven Bilic and Quique Sánchez Flores were busy, signing four players a-piece, as top flight clubs smashed through last year's deadline day spend of £85million.

Alex Thorpe, Senior Manager in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “This summer has seen another record level of transfer spending, as Premier League clubs continue to use increases in their revenue to invest in playing talent. Gross spending of £870m by clubs across the league has broken the record of £835m set last summer. Total spending in 2015, across both the January and summer windows, is also a new record, reaching the £1 billion mark for the first time.

“With all 20 of the Premier League clubs now ranked in the top 40 globally by revenue, we have seen clubs across the league compete successfully in the market for international talent. Premier League clubs’ gross spending on players from overseas clubs this summer totalled more than half a billion pounds.

“Looking across Europe, Premier League clubs’ gross and net spending this summer is more than double that of any other European league. The driving force behind this is the growth and distribution mechanism of the league’s broadcast rights.

“Earlier this year we reported the remarkable rebalancing of revenues and costs, such that Premier League clubs collectively generated pre-tax profitability for the first time since 1999, with clubs set to enjoy a further revenue boost when the next broadcast deals start in 2016. Therefore, despite a new record level of player transfer spending this year, collectively Premier League clubs have a chance to invest in playing talent whilst remaining profitable in a way that was previously not the case.”

(Deloitte)

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