A number of new records have been set by Premier League teams during yet another stunning summer transfer window.
Manchester United’s £82 million deal to bring Ajax winger Antony to Old Trafford is now the most expensive deadline day transfer ever.
In addition to that, the Premier League set a new spending record of around £1.9 billion, blitzing the previous record of £1.4 billion, which was set back in 2017.
Nine out of the 20 Premier League sides spent above £100 million on new players this summer, with Nottingham Forest setting a new record of signing the most players in one summer window after they brought in 21 new faces.
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Chelsea were the biggest spenders in the window after they splashed out over £250 million on new players such as Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
United closely followed with a total spending of around £214 million which saw Erik ten Hag bring in players including Casemiro and Antony.
The rest of European football’s spending is tiny compared to the top flight of English football.
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Premier League teams spent more than La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga combined.
With such huge spendings, this has led fans to think the Premier League has become the new Super League.
A fan said on Twitter: “Premier League mid table club Wolves spent nearly double the amount as European Champions Real Madrid but but Super League bad.”
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Another added: “This is why every mainstream media channel vehemently rejected super league proposals before it even reached the table. The premier league *IS* the Super League and they want to keep it that way.”
A third fan said: “Fun fact: Man United has given Ajax 167m euros in this window. Ajax total revenue last year was 125.16m euros. Premier League is Super League.”
Another fan said: “Say it with me everyone: The Premier League is the Super League.”
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However, the vast spending by the Premier League has been labelled as not ‘cost of living proof’ amid the ongoing rise in the UK’s cost of living.
Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sport Business Group said: “Whilst we talk about football being recession-proof, it won't be cost of living proof by any stretch of the imagination.
“It's going to be incredibly expensive for clubs and organisations to put matches on and to really work hard to keep attracting fans and keep ensuring that they have the opportunity to engage.”
He added: “We must step forward through this cost-of-living crisis and ensure that the football clubs continue to play what is a fantastic role above and beyond these headline numbers.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Twitter@ManUtdTopics: Premier League, European Super League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga
