Fans of the Premier League know that the football season never really ends. And during the summer, that is down to the drama of the ever-lucrative transfer window.

The league’s 20 teams will have either exceeded expectations or underwhelmed during the previous campaign. But one thing that unites both the top teams and clubs looking to climb the table is the endless need to identify gaps in their squads and improve.

But of course, this will not be achieved without significant financial outlays. Premier League clubs smashed the transfer spending record after splashing £3.48bn on new signings this summer, with some teams splashing some serious cash. Meanwhile, others had to be cautious, spending little to comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) rules.

20-16

REUTERS/Tony O Brien

Perhaps surprisingly, Chelsea had the lowest net spend of all 20 Premier League clubs this summer. The Blues splashed the cash on 13 players, including breaking their transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers in a £117m deal. But multiple departures, including Enzo Fernandez’s £125m move to Manchester City, means they made a profit of £67m.

Aston Villa are second bottom in terms of net spend after the sales of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Donyell Malen, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez. But they reinvested much of those fees in World Cup up-and-comer Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Mbaye, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Nicolas Jackson and Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, as well as Alejandro Garnacho arriving on loan.

Crystal Palace acquired Dwight McNeil this summer, shifting Brennan Johnson the other way, while they parted ways with Chelsea-bound Maxence Lacroix for a cool £52m, as well as Daniel Munoz, leaving them comfortably in the green.

Brighton recorded a healthy profit from their transfer dealings across the 2025/26 season, and they have done so again in the summer transfer window. Carlos Baleba and Jan Paul van Hecke’s big-money departures means their net spend was £40m.

Nottingham Forest have also got a healthy bank balance right now, with their limited spending including having signed and subsequently loaned out Portugal talent Gustavo Sa, though the capture of Ousmane Diomande could be an exceptional bit of business. The other way, their biggest departure has provided a significant financial boost, as Elliot Anderson moved to Manchester City for a reported £116m.

15-11

Reuters

Jack Grealish was Everton’s highest profile summer signing, while Brennan Johnson was part of the deal that saw Dwight McNeil go the other way to Palace. They managed to record a profit after Iliman Ndiaye’s £65m move to Manchester City on transfer deadline day.

Newcastle United staged something of a fire-sale this summer, with most of the £236m raised down to selling Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. They reinvested in youthful prospects, including Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Nico Gonzalez.

Sunderland were much more cautious with their dealings this summer. At just £31.7m spent in total, the Black Cats are miles off their previous season’s total spend of £183m, which came as a result of a cash injection from winning the Championship playoffs.

Bournemouth are set to make their debut in European football this season. Their lack of player sales this season is a far-cry from last season’s mammoth £266m haul, thanks mostly to the sales of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, Ilya Zabarnyi to PSG, Dean Huijsen Real Madrid, and Milos Kerkez to Liverpool. This season, Marcos Senesi left for Tottenham on a free, but their income from outgoings was small. However, they spent frugally, bringing in Antonio Silva from Benfica and Alvaro Rodriguez from Elche.

Leeds were daring this summer, chancing their arm on Bosnian World Cup star Tarik Muharemovic and stealing Harry Wilson away from Fulham on a free transfer. The move for the former was balanced out by the sale of the long-serving Pascal Struijk, who joined Brighton.

10-6

Youri Tielemans via REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Fulham’s biggest loss this summer was that of Harry Wilson on a free transfer, but they also managed to bring in the likes of Shea Charles from Southampton, and Gonzalo Garcia, who Alvarao Arbeloa raided old club Real Madrid for.

Brentford just missed out on European qualification last season and look determined to right that wrong this season. They made two significant money transfers in Mamadou Sangare from Lens and El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham.

Hull City are back in the Premier League and they spread their budget across a variety of experienced free-agents and proven mid-price players, with their spending exceeding the £100 million mark.

Manchester United focused on restructuring their midfield this summer. Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arrived from Premier League rivals for healthy fees, whilst the permanent departure of Rasmus Hojlund helped to partially fund their new arrivals. The club also bid farewell to Jadon Sancho and Casemiro as free agents, which freed up some space on the club’s wage bill.

Manchester City focused on youth this window, whilst recouping respectable fees for Rodri, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. The main stories surrounding City’s summer were the arrivals of Elliot Anderson for £116m and Enzo Fernandez for £125m. City also offloaded Savio, James Trafford and Nico Gonzalez, with Omar Marmoush leaving on loan.

5-1

Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

Coventry City have returned to the Premier League after 25 years away, plucking talent from Burnley, Brentford, and Frankfurt for new personnel. But they didn’t make any significant sales this summer. They are joined by another newly-promoted team in Ipswich, who have reached £211m in expenditure. Ipswich didn’t pay out any eyebrow-raising fees, instead opting for quantity, with £26m signing Julio Enciso the most expensive among them.

Reigning champions Arsenal made four major signings. Greek winger Christos Tzolis arrived from Club Brugge alongside Piero Hincapie earlier in the window, before Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle and their latest addition to an already solid back-line, Ezri Konsa. Hincapie was on loan at Arsenal last season, and has now had his move made permanent for £34m. Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior’s exits have offset some of those fees.

Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur makeover is full steam ahead with over £300m spent. Spurs made a few smart moves in Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, with the duo arriving as free transfers. But they completed a massive outlay on Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Savio.

Liverpool lost a few key personnel on free transfers, including Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, but they also made plenty of big money signings. Jeremy Jacquet arrived from Rennes after agreeing a £54m deal in January. World Cup winner Víctor Munoz was also signed as another strong option on the wing, with Ronald Araujo coming in on loan. However, the marquee addition is undoubtedly Bradley Barcola, who joined on a £106m deal from Paris Saint-Germain.