Foreign Media Statistics on Transfer Spending Over the Past Decade: Premier League Tops with €23.02 Billion, Manchester United Leads Net Spending with €1.304 Billion

The renowned football data statistics agency football-observatory recently released data summarizing the transfer market situation over the past ten years. The Premier League tops the list with €23.02 billion, while the Chinese Super League (CSL) ranks 8th with €1.88 billion. Manchester United leads the net spending table with €1.304 billion.

The 2019 season saw a peak in club transfer investments at €9.99 billion, followed by a downward trend. However, in 2023, it returned to its peak at €12.24 billion, and slightly declined to €10.96 billion in 2024.

The expenditure of the top five leagues exceeds two-thirds. In 2023 and 2024, there was a slight decline, mainly due to the rise of the Saudi league. In 2015, the share of the top five leagues reached 73.4%, the highest in the past decade, followed by 72.3% in 2020, which also ranked third.

In the past ten years, the Premier League’s spending has been the highest globally, leading with €23.02 billion, accounting for 28.1%. Second is Serie A with €10.84 billion, and all the top five leagues rank within the top five. The English Championship ranks sixth with €2.55 billion. The Saudi league, with €2.09 billion, is the non-European league with the highest expenditure, and the Chinese Super League ranks eighth with €1.88 billion.

In terms of net income, the Portuguese league ranks first with €2.34 billion, followed by the English Championship with €1.5 billion. The Chinese Super League has a net negative of €1.28 billion, ranking fourth from the bottom. The Saudi league has a net negative of €1.81 billion, and the Premier League has a net negative of €11.54 billion at the bottom.

In terms of clubs (expenditure + revenue), Chelsea ranks first with €2.78 billion, followed by Manchester City (€1.96 billion), Manchester United (€1.95 billion), Paris Saint-Germain (€1.90 billion), and Juventus (€1.77 billion).

In terms of net investment, Manchester United tops the list with €1.304 billion, followed by Chelsea (€1.209 billion), Paris Saint-Germain (€991 million), Arsenal (€795 million), Tottenham Hotspur (€711 million), and Manchester City (€703 million).

In terms of net income, the famous European club Benfica ranks first with €816 million, followed by Ajax and Salzburg in second and third places. It is worth noting that Manchester United has had a deficit every year in the past ten years, with seven years exceeding €100 million, reaching €234 million in 2022. Benfica has been profitable for nine out of ten years, with a record-high profit of €161 million in 2019.