How did Liverpool 'pump money' into the record transfer window?

Alexander Isak joined Liverpool on transfer deadline day.

Record summer spending

The highlight of Liverpool's spending spree was the Alexander Isak deal on the final day of the transfer window. The reigning Premier League champions broke the British transfer record to bring the Swedish striker from Newcastle to Anfield for £125 million.

Not only Isak, Liverpool also made two other big deals: Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of up to 116.5 million pounds and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for 79 million pounds.

Remarkably, the amount spent on Isak alone was more than the total spending of more than 10 Premier League clubs throughout the entire summer. In addition, Liverpool also recruited Milos Kerkez (40 million pounds), Jeremie Frimpong (29.5 million pounds), Giorgi Mamardashvili (29 million pounds), while the deal for Marc Guehi (35 million pounds) from Crystal Palace fell through at the last minute.

How did Liverpool get around PSR?

In the context of the strict regulations of the Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) that are making many Premier League teams cautious, Liverpool can still spend lavishly.

The secret of the "Red Brigade" lies in its strong financial foundation. According to reports, their revenue last season reached 614 million pounds, almost double that of Newcastle.

The Merseyside club have also signed a huge deal with Adidas worth around £60m a year, over 10 years.

In addition, the expansion of Anfield has helped to increase revenue from ticket sales and VIP services, while successive successes in the Premier League, Champions League and cup competitions have brought them a rich source of prize money.

Equally important, Liverpool have managed their spending wisely over the years. In fact, despite their big spending spree in the summer of 2025, Liverpool have only been seventh in the Premier League in terms of net spend since 2016/17, behind Tottenham and West Ham. Last year, they only added Federico Chiesa to Arne Slot's squad for £12.5m.

Liverpool's player sales campaign has also brought in a lot of money. This summer, Liverpool have brought in £65m from Luis Diaz, £56.6m from Darwin Nunez, and significant sums from Jarrell Quansah (£35m), Ben Doak (£25m), Caoimhin Kelleher (£18m) and Tyler Morton (£15m). This means that despite spending £446m, their net spend is just £218.4m, lower than Arsenal's £257m.

Liverpool's new recruits are expected to shine.

'Making waves' for many years to come?

The question is why Liverpool decided to "spend money" at this time. Christian Purslow, the club's former chief executive, believes there are two reasons. Firstly, Liverpool realize they are facing a golden opportunity to dominate English and European football.

Secondly, the current financial rules system actually favors a team with a huge revenue and commercial base like Liverpool. According to him, the Anfield team may be taking advantage of the “space” before the rule change, to build a squad that is almost invincible.

"It's incredibly smart strategic management. Adding Isak to the current squad makes Liverpool the number one candidate for every title. Other clubs are forced to both respect and fear the way they operate," said Mr. Christian Purslow.

The transfer window closed, Liverpool became the biggest spender in a summer in English football history. But now the pressure has shifted to the new recruits. The record spending will only be meaningful if Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike and the other new signings prove their worth on the pitch.