Football’s biggest net spenders: Chelsea top the global charts after earning £452m, with Al-Hilal and Arsenal taking the podium at £963m – as SEVEN Premier League clubs make this summer’s top 10
- Chelsea’s transfer spending makes them the world’s largest net spenders
- Seven other Premier League clubs are in the top ten, including Bournemouth
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Chelsea is the largest net spender of football so far in 2023 according to the CIES Football Observatory.
The Blues’ current net spend on transfers this year is €528m (£452m), and with over a week left of the summer transfer window, that number could rise further.
Following last year’s takeover by the Todd Boehly-led consortium backed by Clearlake Capital, Chelsea spent a record £323 million on transfers in January.
Although the Premier League side brought in a healthy £218 million in player sales this summer, there has been another splurge on signing new players under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The recent signing of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia brought Chelsea’s spending to £329 million, a figure that includes the British record signing of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
£115m signing of Moises Caicedo propelled Chelsea to top of net spending table
The club’s Todd Boehly-led takeover has enabled them to rack up a net spend of £452m
This heavy outlay has yet to pay off on the pitch, with Pochettino’s side losing 3-1 at West Ham on Sunday, leaving them still chasing their first win of the new season.
CIES’ research, which also takes into account the financial impact of transfer deal add-ons and resale fees, found that seven Premier League teams are currently in the top 10 in terms of spending.
Arsenal are third after spending heavily over the summer months on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurien Timber to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title again.
The Premier League champions were not on the list, but, perhaps surprisingly, Bournemouth were with a net spend of €216m (£185m).
The Cherries were also the subject of a US takeover in 2022, with businessman Bill Foley taking charge and investing in the January transfer window to keep the club in the Premier League.
Arsenal spent £105 million on Declan Rice and played a part in them finishing third in the CIES list
Bournemouth has spent heavily since Bill Foley bought the club in December 2022
Foley has allowed new manager Andoni Iraola to spend nearly £110m over the summer term, leaving Bournemouth just above Spanish giants Real Madrid on the spending list.
Newcastle United, Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all in the top ten after a busy transfer window so far.
Given the growing influence of the Saudi Pro League on the world game, it is no surprise that two Saudi clubs are on the list.
Saudi Pro League heavy spending continued with Al-Hilal’s £78m signing of Neymar
Al-Ahli has also spent large sums, bringing in Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin and Edouard Mendy.
Al-Hilal, who spent £78 million last week to bring Neymar to the Middle East, is the second highest net spender in the world, according to CIES.
They have also attracted Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kalidou Koulibaly in recent weeks.
Al-Ahli is sixth on the list, just below Real Madrid. Their costly expenses include moves for Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin and Edouard Mendy.
However, the Pro League side have made a steal in Roberto Firmino, with the Brazilian marking his debut for the club with a hat-trick after signing a free transfer from Liverpool.
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