The Premier League once again won the economic battle of the transfer market. English clubs were responsible for eight of the ten most expensive transactions of the summer and the total spending of the championship exceeded $4 billion. But the figure raises a question: does the huge investment really make the Premier a top league or does it simply allow it to buy more expensively?
The case of Enzo Fernández summarizes this reality. The Argentine left Chelsea to become a new Manchester City player in exchange for around 162 million dollars, in the most expensive operation of the summer. The Citizens also added Anderson Elliot for around 155 million and the Moroccan Bouaddi Ayyoub for 110 million.
City’s investment has a sporting explanation. Enzo Maresca’s team faced a profound renovation of its midfield after the departures of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Nico González and Tijjani Reijnders.
But not all big expenses have the same result.
Tottenham starred in another of the large outlays of the summer with three operations among the ten most expensive: Sandro Tonalli for 125 million dollars, Mateus Fernandes for 115 and Savinho for 102. Despite the investment, the team still did not find the expected results.
The contrast with Spain is inevitable
Real Madrid and Barcelona cannot compete with the Premier’s spending capacity, but they have shown that they do not need to do so to build teams capable of competing for major titles. The white team paid around 160 million dollars, including variables, for the young Ivorian striker Yan Diomande, while Barcelona added Anthony Gordon for around 93 million.
The debate is not only about the price, but also about the performance of each investment.
The difference is even more striking when looking at Paris Saint-Germain. After years as a protagonist in the world market, the European champion changed its strategy. PSG earned more than $450 million in sales and spent around $140 million on additions.
The Premier buys more and more expensively; PSG sells and reinvests more prudently; Real Madrid and Barcelona concentrate their resources on operations capable of changing the level of their squads.
The English league continues to be one step above in economic capacity. Its income allows us to assume figures unattainable for much of Europe. But the market also shows that money has different returns.
Spending 160 million can become an extraordinary operation or a problem. Spending 90 can be decisive if the player fits. And spending more than 100 million does not even guarantee that a team will stop suffering.
The Premier is once again the big winner of the market in millions. It remains to be seen if it will also be the same in results.
Because in football, whoever spends the most doesn’t win. The person who best uses what they have wins.
