Xhaka Joins the Ranks of New Signings
While most newly promoted teams aim for survival in the Premier League, a few adopt a more ambitious—and costly—strategy. Some clubs proceed with caution, carefully managing their finances, while others invest heavily to make a significant impact. In the last two seasons, we’ve witnessed all three promoted clubs facing immediate relegation, a stark contrast to the single instance of this occurrence in the history of the Premier League. The gap between the Premier League and the Championship continues to widen, making survival increasingly challenging.
To stave off relegation, clubs now often must invest considerably—and this summer, promoted teams are doing just that. Sunderland secured their place in the Premier League through a play-off victory over Sheffield United last May, and they’ve taken an aggressive approach in the transfer market this summer. The club has splurged on renowned players such as former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and promising talent Habib Diarra. Transfermarkt evaluates the promoted teams that have made the largest expenditures in their inaugural summer transfer window back in the Premier League and assesses whether these investments have yielded positive results on the field. Where does Sunderland’s active summer stand in this context?
Top-Spending Clubs Promoted to the Premier League
Nottingham Forest leads the charge, investing heavily in a multitude of new players after their promotion in the 2021/22 season. They signed 13 players at a total cost of €155.2 million and managed to secure their Premier League status by finishing 17th in the 2022/23 season. Following closely is Sunderland, having spent €153 million and poised to potentially outspend Forest with one more addition. In third place is Aston Villa, who were promoted in the 2019/20 season and invested €148.6 million the subsequent summer, also successfully avoiding relegation and showing significant progress since.
Burnley, another club promoted this season, takes the fourth spot with €125.7 million spent this summer. Ipswich and Southampton, both brought up to the Premier League last season, rank fifth and sixth, having spent €125 million and €117.2 million respectively—both unfortunately facing relegation. Fulham is seventh, having invested €113.1 million in the 2018/19 season, which also saw them relegated. Burnley, in the current 2023/24 season, ranks eighth after spending €110.5 million. Meanwhile, Wolves spent €92 million in the 2018/19 season and successfully avoided relegation, while Leeds managed to stay up after a €89.2 million expenditure in the 2020/21 season, rounding out the top ten. Though significant financial outlays don’t guarantee success, Sunderland’s bold strategy upon their return to the Premier League is evident.
