Contrary to what many expected, the transfer season has shown little evidence of reduced expenditures among clubs, due to economic uncertainty brought upon by the pandemic. From Kylian Mbappe’s infamous decision to ditch Real Madrid to Cristiano Ronaldo not finding any takers, the season has already thrown numerous surprises.
With the domestic league in full flow, many teams have only now identified the weak links, and they want to sort it out before the season gathers momentum. Rumours are rife about Chelsea going after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to solve their attacking issues, and Manchester United bringing in Antony. These two clubs are already among the biggest spenders of this season, but all is not over yet.
With less than a week left until the transfer window closes, let’s take a look at seven of the highest spenders in Europe.
7. West Ham United – €123 Million
David Moyes, the manager of West Ham, has got free rein from the club’s owner, and he has already spent over €100 million in the transfer market. Their most expensive buy is the midfielder Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo. Nayef Aguerd, upon whom the club splashed €35 million, has been ruled for the next couple of months due to injury. Moyes, however, feels that he still needs some reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
6. Arsenal – €132 Million
Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has shown continual improvement, and they have started the new season with three perfect results. The lack of a pure striker at the club had emerged as a pressing issue for the club last season, and they have responded by signing in Gabriel Jesus from Man City. It has been an intriguing transfer window for Arsenal, where they made some smart buys at a reasonable price, instead of chasing the hyped youngsters.
5. Bayern Munich – €137.5 Million
Bayern Munich spent a hefty sum of €67 million to acquire the service of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, and another €37 million to buy Sadio mane from Liverpool. It was reported that the club was chasing Frenkie de Jong to bolster their midfield, but the deal didn’t materialize. Three games into the season and the gulf between the Bavarian giant and the rest of the clubs in the Bundesliga is already visible.
4. Manchester United – €143 Million
It’s strange how Manchester United’s fans keep blaming the owners for not spending much on recruitment. They have already spent around €143 million this season, and have now set their eyes on Ajax forward Antony, which will cost them close to €100 million. If Antony’s deal gets a green light, Manchester United will become the highest spender in the transfer windows.
3. Barcelona – €153 Million
The ongoing financial crisis hasn’t deterred Barcelona from spending big in the transfer window. They bought Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich at €45 million, Rafinha from Leeds at €58 million, and Jules Kounde from Sevilla at 60 million, while Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie came as free agents.
2. Nottingham Forest – €169 Million
Surprise! the name Nottingham Forest brings back memories. After years of crawling in the second division, they have finally returned back to the Premier League, and they want to make it count. The club has spent an eye-watering sum of €169 million on transfers this season, and they are not done yet. Expect a few more signings before the transfer window slam shut. The likes of Dean Henderson, Jesse Lingard, and Neco Williams will be seen plying trades for this historic club this season
1. Chelsea – €201 Million
As the introduction goes, this has been nothing short of emphatic from Todd Boehly, who acquired the club earlier this year. All doubts over financial squeezing are laid to rest as Chelsea has already spent over €200 million in the transfer market this summer. Their most expensive signing was Marc Cucurella, whom they acquired from Brighton at €65 million. The addition of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly cost them a combined sum of around €100 million.
Lead Image: FC Barcelona/Twitter
