At 11 pm British Summer Time (6 pm EST) on August 31, 2022, the summer transfer window closed. Similar to the trade deadline for American sports, clubs have until September 1st to make any new signings, but that’s about as far as the similarities go. In soccer, there is no salary cap; teams can spend as much or as little as their owners give the coaches. The rich clubs splash cash, and the poor clubs struggle to get loans.

This summer, it was a transfer window like no other. Here is a run down of the Premier League transfers to get you caught up.
Starting with the Premier League (United Kingdom), it was a record shattering transfer spending spree. Premier League clubs spent a total of $1.9 billion, outspending the previous record by $500 million. This spend was a complete league effort, minus Bournemouth, who only spent $26 million.

The recently promoted Nottingham Forest, who are returning to the Premier League after 23 years, purchased 22 new players. Their purchases were highlighted by the signings of former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, and the loan of his teammate, goalie Dean Henderson. Additionally, they coaxed 22 year-old Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs White. The $42 million transfer fee had fans questioning the deal, but die-hard supporters were happy with the willingness of the owner to spend big.
Going into the transfer window, many Manchester United fans were upset with their owner’s willingness to spend big. However, working with new manager Erik Ten Hag, the club had a vision. Ten Hag, most recently at Ajax in the Netherlands, targetted a few of his former players. Re-United once again, Christian Eriksen signed on a free agent contract, and the clubs spent $58 million on defender Lisandro Martinez, and $100 million on winger Antony. In a surprise move, the club purchased former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro for $71 million. On the other hand, Manchester City made money during this transfer window. The key purchases were forwards Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland, both young superstars, for around $70 million total. At the same time, they sold Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Raheem Sterling for upwards of $140 million.
For the London based clubs, it was buy, buy, buy. Arsenal looked to improve after finishing 5th last season and bought the aforementioned Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Viera and Marquinhos for around $180 million. Chelsea spent upwards of $300 million on 4 defenders, Raheem Sterling, and Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng. Aubamayeng returned to the Premiership following a stint with Arsenal, leaving fans upset. Tottenhman spent wisely, purchasing Richarlison for $50 million from Everton, and look to continue their success in the Premier League.
Moving on to some other big moves, Newcastle United spent big after an oil money takeover. Freshly purchased by a Saudi Arabian conglomerate, Newcastle spent around $150 million on young, proven talent to bolster their push into relevancy. West Ham United, hoping to continue their recent success, splashed $30 million on tall, strong, forward Gianluca Scamacca. Not to be outdone by fellow mid table teams, Brighton and Hove Albion continued their smart business, flipping Mark Cuccerala for $60 million, and purchasing quality replacement Pervis Estupinian for just over $15 million. Hoping to fight for the European spots, these transfers make economic and ractic sense.
Overall, it was another hectic transfer window. It’s shaping up to be another great season, and hopefully the taxes aren’t too much.

This piece also appears in our September 2022 print edition.