Writer, analyst, podcaster, Spurs fan. Three out of four is not bad. If there is a data angle, I will find it.
The summer transfer window has finally slammed shut with Premier League clubs spending in excess of £2 billion! Every team has added at least one player to their ranks over the last few months with some huge deals going through - with the likes of Erling Haaland, already favourite in PFA player of the year betting, Darwin Nunez and Antony coming from Europe to test themselves in England.
Raheem Sterling moved from Man City to Chelsea
As well as some big domestic transfers like Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus moving from Man City to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, as well as Richarlison switching Merseyside for North London. There has been an unprecedented amount of movement with the transfer rumour mill going into overdrive since last May.
But as the dust now settles, which club got the best value for money on their summer business? To find out, OLBG took the total transfer fees paid by each club and compared it to the combined market value (according to transfermarkt) of all the players they signed, to see how much teams overspent or underspent during the window.
Here’s how Premier League clubs stacked up in terms of transfer fees vs market value…
Manchester United Overspend by £100 million
| Club | Total Spend | Permenent Signings | Most expensive signing | Total Under/ Overspend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | £214,220,000.00 | 5 | Antony | -£102,620,000.00 |
| Chelsea | £251,090,000.00 | 7 | Wesley Fofana | -£69,740,000.00 |
| West Ham | £163,810,000.00 | 8 | Lucas Paquetá | -£39,610,000.00 |
| Newcastle | £122,400,000.00 | 4 | Alexander Isak | -£39,600,000.00 |
| Southampton | £66,760,000.00 | 7 | Gavin Bazunu | -£38,540,000.00 |
| Everton | £78,480,000.00 | 6 | Amadou Onana | -£19,980,000.00 |
| Arsenal | £118,860,000.00 | 5 | Gabriel Jesus | -£18,060,000.00 |
| Nottingham Forest | £138,330,000.00 | 18 | Morgan Gibbs-White | -£15,930,000.00 |
| Tottenham | £152,910,000.00 | 6 | Richarlison | -£12,510,000.00 |
| Liverpool | £77,220,000.00 | 3 | Darwin Núñez | -£12,420,000.00 |
| Crystal Palace | £31,140,000.00 | 4 | Cheick Doucouré | -£10,890,000.00 |
| Leeds | £99,130,000.00 | 7 | Brenden Aaronson | -£9,760,000.00 |
| Wolves | £122,940,000.00 | 5 | Matheus Nunes | -£9,540,000.00 |
| Leicester | £15,300,000.00 | 1 | Wout Faes | -£6,300,000.00 |
| Brentford | £45,450,000.00 | 5 | Keane Lewis-Potter | -£4,950,000.00 |
| Bournemouth | £24,210,000.00 | 5 | Marcos Senesi | -£4,860,000.00 |
| Brighton | £43,020,000.00 | 4 | Pervis Estupiñán | -£2,970,000.00 |
| Fulham | £54,765,000.00 | 7 | João Palhinha | £6,435,000.00 |
| Aston Villa | £62,550,000.00 | 5 | Diego Carlos | £18,450,000.00 |
| Manchester City | £125,550,000.00 | 4 | Erling Haaland | £90,450,000.00 |
Manchester United Manager Erik Ten Hag’s side were the second highest spenders this summer, shelling out over £214 million on five new faces; the biggest of which was highly rated Ajax winger Antony. However, when it comes to value for money, United paid over the odds by approximately £102 million when you compare their transfer fees to the players' market values.
Man Utd Manager Erik Ten Hag has overspent on transfers according to our data
The biggest overspend was on Antony, with the Red Devils paying a whopping £85.5 million to secure his services, despite his market value being just £31.5 million - meaning they paid £54 million over the odds. Their other marquee signings weren't much better value either, with Casimero costing just over £63 million and valued at £36 million, while centre-back Lisandro Martínez’s fee was just over £52 million - well over his value of £28.8 million.
Thomas Tuchel was even more active than United in the window, with the Cheslea manager bringing in seven new faces, but didn’t get much more value for money with an overspend of close to £70 million. The Blue’s biggest acquisition was Wesley Fofana who arrived from Leicester in the last few days of the transfer window, however, they had to pay double his £36 million valuation to get the deal over the line.
Left-back Marc Cucurella also came in from Brighton for big money (£58.77 million) and that was well over double his £25 million market value. The London club did pay under the odds for two new signings though, with Raheem Sterling coming in for just over £50 million (£12.4 million less than his valuation) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joining for £2.7 million less than his estimated worth of £13.5 million.
Man City, Fulham and Villa Find the Best Value for Money
Only three clubs under-spent this summer, with Fulham bringing in seven new faces for around £6.4 million less than their market value and Aston Villa going one better, paying £18.4 million less for their five new signings.
But it was Pep Guardiola's Manchester City who had the best window in terms of value - and arguably in terms of quality as well - paying a huge £90 million less than market value for their four new superstars. The vast majority of that figure (£81 million) is down to the amazing deal they engineered for Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Etihad stadium
The Cityzens activated his £54 million release clause, which was much less than his whopping £135 million valuation. He has proved already that he is a Premier League star and could be the missing piece in their quest for Champions League glory if he continues his unbelievable goalscoring form.
They also added Leeds and England Starlet Kalvin Phillips for £900,000 less than his value and Haalands Dortmund teammate Manuel Akanji for just under £16 million which is around £11 million less than his current value. All that means there will be very little concern about the fact they paid a little over the odds for left-back Sergio Gomez - £2.7 million to be exact.
Other Articles You Would Enjoy on OLBG
Analyzing the Financial Playground: The Premier League's Worst Spenders, Valuable Teams, and Underperformers
Premier League Average Positions - Who Are The Real Big 6
