Summer transfer window trends analysed

How does Premier League spending compare to previous summer windows? Did this Deadline Day outspend previous years? We reveal all the answers and much more…

This article was last updated on August 31 at 12.30am. All transfer fees include potential add-ons and exclude undisclosed fees.

How did this window compare?

Chelsea led the way for spending with an outlay of £219.6m, with nearly half of that spent on Pedro Neto (£54m) and Joao Felix (£46.3m).

Manchester United (£205.9m), Brighton (£192m), Tottenham (£133.5m), West Ham (£132.5m), Aston Villa (£129.5m), Ipswich (£124m), Southampton (£108.3m) and Arsenal (£101.5m) all splurged nine-figure sums on recruits

At the other end of the scale, Manchester City (£33.6m), Liverpool (£41.5m), Newcastle (£43m), Everton (£46m) and Wolves (£53.3m) were the most frugal clubs during the window.

Premier League clubs splashed £2.08bn on new signings during the summer window – not quite hitting the record-breaking £2.44bn spent last year. However, this summer set a new record for cash recouped with £1.45bn generated from player sales.

All that selling recorded an overall net spend of £627.4m – the third-lowest figure since 2016.

Everton sold more than they brought in for the third window running, the only Premier League side to do so. Newcastle, hamstrung by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns, recorded their first negative net spend since their return to the Premier League.

Click on the graphic below to see the net spend history of all 20 Premier League clubs.

What about Deadline Day?

Premier League clubs splashed £178.8m on Deadline Day this summer – the third-highest splurge on record.

Manchester United’s late capture of Manuel Ugarte means they have now spent £176m on Deadline Days since 2016/17 – the most of any Premier League club.

Meanwhile, Everton (£108m) muscle in among Big Six company, including the likes of Tottenham (£164m), Arsenal (£98m) and Chelsea (£96m).

When’s business busiest?

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Premier League transfer spending is shelled out in July and August, with around £5.8bn spent in both months since the summer of 2016 – with both months generating more than double the expenditure splashed in January (£2.2bn).

Premier League financial powerhouse?

This summer, Premier League clubs have spent double the sums splashed by clubs in Europe’s other top four leagues, with Serie A just falling shy of the £1bn mark, followed by Ligue 1 (£711.5m), the German Bundesliga (£596.5m) and LaLiga (£530.6m).

Who’s spent what on what?

The graphic below reveals how much each Premier League club spent on different areas of the pitch, revealing Manchester United invested a league-topping £119m on defence and Brighton spent a similar sum on their midfield.

Nearly half of Chelsea‘s £220m outlay was ploughed into their attack, while Tottenham (£95m), West Ham (£78m) and Brentford (£68m) also bolstered their frontline significantly.

Are teams signing younger players?

Premier League clubs are increasingly prioritising youth, with the average age of signings falling to just 22.6 years this window – the second consecutive season of decline.

A record £494m was invested in players aged 20 or younger, smashing the £46m spent on players aged 30 or over. The emphasis on younger talent has never been more evident.

Highlighting this trend, new Manchester United centre-back Leny Yoro (£58.9m) commanded the highest fee for a player aged 18 or under.

At the other end of the scale, 31-year-old Nicolas Fulkrug (£27.5m) is the second-most expensive Premier League signing aged over 30.

Manchester City have invested heavily in this area in the previous two windows, spending over £200m as they look to refresh their aging squad. Their starting line-up last season was 27 years and 36 days old – the fourth oldest in the league.

Premier League hotbeds

The Championship is becoming a more popular recruitment pool for Premier League sides than any international league.

The market for the division below is booming, with over £600m spent on its top talent in the last two summer windows.

Leeds, in particular, felt the full force of the Premier League’s financial power with key players departing for a combined £113m – only Manchester City recorded a lower net spend.

The newly promoted teams have also been eager to flex their financial muscle, spending record-breaking sums in their quests to survive in the top flight. Ipswich‘s £124m splurge is more than the combined spend of promoted clubs last season.