What do Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers and Sandro Tonali have in common?
All three recorded transfer fees exceeding £100m this summer, but there is also a growing trend of the ‘Big Six’ clubs – defined as Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs – signing players from non-Big Six Premier League rivals.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
On the Transfer Talk podcast, Henry Winter and Keith Downie discuss the importance of Bruno Guimaras to Newcastle and how valuable he is to the club.
So how much do the league’s strongest clubs spend on players from other teams at the top of the table?
Since the summer of 2016, Big Six clubs have spent £2.8 billion on players from non-Big Six Premier League rivals. This trend has accelerated rapidly. Last season’s £647m was the highest ever, and this summer the total has already reached £420m.
Are more Premier League businesses staying in-house?
Premier League clubs are increasingly making purchases within the league. Total spending on signings within the Premier League reached £1.29 billion last season, a record high.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Dave Reed assesses whether deals worth more than £100m are becoming the new normal in the transfer market.
why? Clubs are increasingly looking to recruit proven players to minimize risk, but security now comes at an increasingly high price.
A fairer comparison would be to look at the percentage of money spent on players already active in the sector.
This proportion reached a record low of 14% in 2018/19, with most teams splashing cash on overseas talent. However, there has been a general upward trend since then and it currently remains at 41% as of this summer.
Which clubs are most dependent on the domestic market?
Chelsea are a hotspot for Premier League transfers, having spent a whopping £862 million on players from other Premier League clubs since 2016. Most of that was spent after the Blueco acquisition in 2022.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Elliot Anderson gave his first interview as a Manchester City player and couldn’t resist his cheeky criticism of rivals Manchester United. Photo credit: City Studio
The biggest conduit within the Premier League remains Brighton to Chelsea, with deals totaling £263m since the summer of 2016.
Chelsea have also signed players for £222m from Leicester and £156m from Aston Villa, with Alejandro Garnacho moving in the other direction on loan this summer.
But the Big Six also eases the burden significantly on other Premier League clubs. Chelsea are in a league of their own when it comes to spending (£862m). and Since 2016/17 they have sold £683m to league rivals.
hot summer window
One thing is clear: the top tier of the transfer market continues to accelerate, with the average top tier contract now costing £68m.
Of the top 10 deals so far this summer, six are within the Premier League, excluding Matheus Fernandes’ £85m move from relegated West Ham to Tottenham.
In fact, Tottenham were by far the highest spending club with £237m spent, followed by Chelsea (£203.5m) and Manchester City (£129m).
In the era of squad cost ratios (SCR), Big Six clubs increasingly believe that Premier League players offer one of the quickest routes to freeing up financial space for other clubs in the league while lowering their recruitment risk.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
James Savundra looks at who is best between John Stones and Ezri Konsa to replace the injured William Saliba at Arsenal.
The direction of travel is clear. More Premier League money is staying within the league and the Big Six are increasingly looking closer to home for their next signings.
