Top 20 Transfers
This summer’s transfer window is shaping up to be unforgettable. Premier League clubs have already splashed an astonishing €1.87 billion on new players since it opened, and reports suggest that the top European clubs are far from finished with their spending. One club, in particular, appears poised to shatter previous records.
To date, Liverpool has invested €309 million in new talent, setting a record for the highest fee paid by an English club with their acquisition of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for €125 million. With additional signings like Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitiké, Liverpool is currently sixth on the all-time list for the most expenditure in a single transfer window, with the potential to quickly rise to the top.
There are fresh reports from St. James’ Park indicating that Liverpool is looking to add Newcastle striker Alexander Isak to their impressive roster. The Swedish forward has expressed a desire to switch clubs this summer, and if Liverpool meets the asking price of €172 million, it would mark the highest spending in a single window in football history, establishing a new record transfer fee in the Premier League.
If Isak joins Liverpool for the reported sum, he will surpass Wirtz as the league’s new record signing, reducing Wirtz’s time at the top to less than a month. Currently, Wirtz has held the record for 24 days, a duration eclipsed by only two other players since the Premier League’s inception in the early nineties.
As shown in the chart above, just two players have held the record for a shorter period than Wirtz. The first was Darren Anderton, whose €2.7 million transfer from Portsmouth to Tottenham in the summer of 1992 was quickly surpassed by Alan Shearer’s €4.5 million move from Newcastle to Blackburn just 23 days later. Meanwhile, Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s €28.5 million transfer to Manchester United in 2001 was upended after just 12 days when the club signed Juan Sebastián Verón for nearly double his fee.
The graph also highlights some landmark Premier League transfers that have endured over time. For instance, Fernando Torres’ €58.5 million transfer to Chelsea in 2010 held the record for four seasons, while Paul Pogba’s €105 million move to Manchester United uniquely maintained its top position for 1,822 days. However, the most enduring record belongs to Rio Ferdinand’s €46 million transfer to Manchester United in 2002, which remained unchallenged for 3,115 days, until it was eventually surpassed by the aforementioned Torres deal. Although Isak’s move to Liverpool isn’t yet confirmed, it’s unlikely that Wirtz will enjoy as much time at the pinnacle as these legendary transfers in the Premier League’s history.
