It’s fair to say that Liverpool’s big spending in this summer’s transfer window has taken many people by surprise, especially after they won the Premier League by ten points in Arne Slot’s debut season.
Older Liverpool supporters will remember that the club often used to build from a position of strength, but their rivals have been much more active in the transfer market in recent years.
That’s clearly not the case this year, as it’s Liverpool who have been making headlines. Chief executive Billy Hogan believes that the investment in the squad underlines the ambition of American owners Fenway Sports Group, as the club has looked to cement its position at the top of the league.
That’s eminently understandable, but, to paraphrase Michael Caine in “The Italian Job”, the Reds have basically “blown the bloody doors off”, so the question is how can Liverpool spend quite so much on player purchases?
Long Hot Summer
Liverpool have already brought in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £100m, Hugo Ekitiké from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69m, Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40m and Jeremie Frimpong again from Leverkusen for £30m.
The eventual transfer fees could be even higher if all the add-ons are paid, e.g. another £16m for Wirtz and £10m for Ekitiké, while the total cost to be capitalised will include agent fees (assumed at 10%), the 4% Premier League levy and a 5% solidarity payment for international deals.
However, the big story doing the rounds is that Liverpool have also made an offer for Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. Of course, that deal might not actually happen, but for the purpose of our analysis, we shall assume that the Swedish striker will also make his way to Anfield before the end of the transfer window.
