The impact of Liverpool's spending on the title race
Title 21 guaranteed for Liverpool?
They entered the season as clear favourites to retain the Premier League title, following a comfortable march to their 20th championship last spring
Author | William G
Arne Slot’s first campaign as head coach saw the team largely unchallenged from Christmas onwards, securing the title with four games to spare and finishing ten points clear at the top.
Their response was a summer spending spree unprecedented in European football, totalling £415 million to assemble a remarkable array of talent. The previous British record had been set by Chelsea’s £400 million outlay in 2023, and Liverpool would have spent even more had a deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi not fallen through as the window closed.
If Liverpool were already tipped as champions before this investment, title number 21 now seems all but assured. It is early in the season to make such a definitive judgement, but the scale of their recruitment makes it harder than ever to see past them.
By the close of the transfer window, Liverpool had broken the British transfer record, possibly twice. They secured Germany international Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100 million, rising to a potential £116 million.
That record was surpassed when they completed the summer’s most high-profile transfer saga, signing Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak for £125 million, with the fee possibly rising to £130 million in add-ons.
Liverpool, top of the Premier League with a perfect record from three games, experienced only one setback on deadline day, with the Guehi move collapsing as Crystal Palace could not secure a replacement.
Other high-profile arrivals included striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million, full-backs Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for a combined £70 million, and Italian teenage defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £26 million plus add-ons.
The summer represents one of the most ambitious and expensive squad overhauls in recent memory, though Liverpool offset some of the outlay with major sales, including Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoiminh Kelleher, and Ben Gannon-Doak, recouping roughly £210 million.
In short, Liverpool’s recruitment drive looks set to outstrip that of their domestic rivals, regardless of the efforts of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pressure on Slot to deliver again?
Slot, who managed the title last season with a cautious financial approach, now faces expectations to deliver one of football’s major prizes, be it the Premier League or the Champions League.
The scale of the spending raises the stakes: anything less than a major trophy would be deemed a disappointment. Those who backed Liverpool to win before the season are likely even more confident now, particularly when glancing at the current table.
Last season's runner-up respond with a spending spree of their own
Arsenal have long been the Premier League's nearly men, but this summer they made it clear they intend to change that narrative with a series of high-profile signings.
These included, finally, the arrival of a recognised striker in Viktor Gyokores from Sporting Lisbon for £64 million, and midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for £60 million. In a dramatic coup, they also secured England international Eberechi Eze, who had appeared set to join Tottenham for £60 million.
Guardiola goes again
Manchester City responded to a disappointing campaign last season with an emphatic window-closing signing, bringing in Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It is a tough blow for James Trafford, who joined City hoping to challenge Ederson, only to be displaced by the superstar acquisition.
City also added Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan and Rayan Cherki from Lyon. Yet early-season defeats to Spurs and Brighton suggest that some of the flaws that hampered them last term remain. Guardiola will look to Donnarumma to provide a stabilising presence. They have started the season poorly, though.
