London, English soccer flexed its unrivaled spending power by embarking on an unprecedented USD 4.7 billion outlay on players in the summer transfer window – and Manchester City saved the biggest signing of the lot right to the very end.
Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez became one of the most expensive players in soccer history by completing a marquee move to City from Premier League rival Chelsea for 125 million pounds in the final hours of the window that closed across Europe on Tuesday. That’s far less than that of the Premier League’s 20 teams. Abu Dhabi-controlled City recouped almost USD 400 million in sales this window – among the departures were Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri and midfield stalwart Bernardo Silva – and the club let Jack Grealish leave on another season-long loan to Everton on Tuesday. Premier League Newcastle signed Belgium forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille for a reported 51 million pounds and sent Nick Woltemade on loan to Juventus, with the Germany striker having spent just one season in the Premier League after a 69 million pounds move.
Because of a recent tweak to Premier League’s financial rules that now allows clubs with the biggest revenues and turnover – like City and others who regularly benefit from Champions League largesse – to have greater spending power in the transfer market, that’s mainly down to the competition’s huge domestic and international broadcasting deals, which dwarf those of its less-watched European rivals, but also.
Deadline day passed with the combined spending of top-flight clubs in Spain, Italy, Germany and France – Europe’s other so-called “Big Five” leagues – coming to USD 3.8 billion, according to figures on soccer industry website Transfermarkt. “He is a complete midfielder: technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious and a goalscorer,” City director of football Hugo Viana said of Fernandez, who joined Chelsea for a then-British record 106.7 million pounds in early 2023.
Beto moved to Fiorentina from Everton as the replacement for Moise Kean, who joined Como – the team coached by Cesc Fabregas and in the Champions League this season – on loan.
