Who really splashed it? Liverpool top eye-watering 2026/27 Premier League squad cost table

The Premier League has never seen a summer like it. Clubs across the division opened the taps and let it flow, smashing records with a combined outlay of £3.55bn to beef up their 2026/27 squads. Five new names muscled into the all-time top 10 transfers, headlined by Enzo Fernández’s switch to Manchester City for £125m — a deal that also makes him a two-time member of that illustrious list after his £106.8m move to Chelsea back in 2023. City, for their part, have gone heavy in midfield as they gear up for life after Rodri’s departure to Barcelona.

According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire’s ranking of squads by cumulative transfer fees, Liverpool sit atop the money tree with an active squad costing £980m, just edging Manchester City on £969m. Chelsea aren’t far behind on £918m, while Manchester United and Tottenham each crack the £850m barrier. At the other end, newly promoted Hull City prop up the list on £160m — a reminder that not everyone’s shopping at the same supermarket.

Headline numbers, then: Liverpool first, City second, Chelsea third — and a division where the gap between the haves and have-nots has rarely looked wider. If you’re sizing up form, fixtures and the financial muscle behind them, you’ll find plenty to chew over — and even more value to hunt down via the best betting sites.

How Maguire’s table was put together

Simple enough: add up the transfer fees for players currently in each club’s senior squad to get the active squad cost. There’s also a note of the money tied up in players out on loan, but the headline ranking is driven by who’s on your teamsheet here and now. It’s a neat snapshot of strategy — who’s buying stars, who’s banking on development, and who’s praying their recruitment department has found the next gem.

20–16: Shoestrings and smart deals

Hull City sit 20th at £160m — barely more than the fee City just paid for Fernández, which tells you plenty about the scale of their start. They’ve broken their own transfer records with Nobel Mendy, Konstantinos Tzolakis and Ilyas Ansah, but this is still a squad constructed on pragmatism and momentum.

Coventry City (19th, £174m) are back at the top table under Frank Lampard, and while the early results have stuttered, club-record buy Caleb Yirenkyi at £26m should give them legs in midfield once chemistry clicks.

Sunderland (18th, £232m) overhauled smartly last summer and reaped a Europa League place, all while keeping costs modest. The standout? Granit Xhaka for £17m looks a masterstroke — so good, in fact, they batted away Chelsea’s interest this year.

Leeds United (17th, £240m) are many people’s dark horses. James Trafford (£40m) and Tarik Muharemovic (£34.1m) raise the ceiling, and if the free transfer of Harry Wilson catches fire, Elland Road will be bouncing again.

Everton (16th, £268m) had a deadline day to forget as Folarin Balogun’s move collapsed. David Moyes is left with Thierno Barry as the lone senior No 9 and a cost base that screams mid-table more than European charge. When your priciest signing is Brennan Johnson at £21.7m, you’re shopping carefully rather than carting out trolleys.

15–11: Solid citizens and quiet climbers

Crystal Palace (15th, £281m) kept their powder relatively dry despite the Conference League trophy on the shelf and Pierre Sage in the dugout. Offloading Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for around £52m keeps the balance sheet sensible, but they’ll need Jørgen Strand Larsen to justify that January outlay from Wolves.

Fulham (14th, £311m) matched Ipswich Town’s spend to the pound. New boss Álvaro Arbeloa has leaned on his Madrid contacts, landing Gonzalo Garcia for a club-record £34m. The Cottagers’ outlay says they’re ready to do more than just survive.

Ipswich Town (13th, £311m) are a cracking story. They’ve largely kept faith with the group that got them here, but still broke new ground to add the likes of Dutch forward Zon Flemming from Burnley for £20m. Sensible, sustainable, and a nightmare to play against.

Nottingham Forest (12th, £347m) have spent big and paid their fair share in managerial settlements, cycling through four bosses last term before landing Oliver Glasner. With Elliot Anderson sold to City, the number could’ve been even higher; as is, it’s still a serious outlay that needs cohesion, fast.

Bournemouth (11th, £378m) hand the keys to Marco Rose just as Europa League nights loom. They resisted bids for Alex Scott and kept the core intact — the Cherries are no longer punching above their weight; they’re trading blows with the big lads.

10–6: Models, margins and a Magpies reset

Brentford (10th, £379m) continue to be the division’s best-run disruptors — spend when it’s right, sell when it’s ripe. Early signs suggest £40m for Mamadou Sangare might be another piece of clever business, and Keith Andrews has the Bees humming again.

Brighton & Hove Albion (9th, £421m) have a European trophy in view with Conference League football and Fabian Hürzeler at the helm. They turned down £60m from Liverpool for Yankuba Minteh before flogging Carlos Baleba to Manchester United for £70m. Same old Brighton: buy early, sell cleverly, keep competing.

Aston Villa (8th, £495m) felt the sting of success, watching Morgan Rogers (£117m), Youri Tielemans (£35m), Ezri Konsa (£50m) and Ollie Watkins (£50m) go. The rebuild is on, with Nicolas Jackson (£65m) and Johan Manzambi (£59.5m) among the reinforcements. Champions League football will test the depth of that £495m puzzle.

Newcastle United (7th, £705m) have trimmed and tuned. Out went Bruno Guimarães (£75m), Sandro Tonali (£100m) and Anthony Gordon (£69m), but Matthias Jaissle has the Magpies sharper than a new blade, getting proper output from last summer’s picks Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa. If this trajectory holds, the board may be tempted to add another premium piece.

Arsenal (6th, £848m) — the reigning champions — come in below Spurs and their great rivals City. A swing at Vinícius Júnior didn’t land, but Mikel Arteta’s group still looks menacing without the marquee forward. Less glitz than last year’s chasers, perhaps, but just as ruthless.

5–1: Big cheques, bigger expectations

Tottenham Hotspur (5th, £852m) shattered their own window record with £334m on 10 new faces. It’s bold, it’s brash, but it hasn’t instantly clicked. £85m on Sávio is a statement, while making Tonali one of the division’s costliest arrivals piles on the scrutiny. Roberto De Zerbi has work to do to make the pieces sing.

Manchester United (4th, £862m) went quality-over-quantity as INEOS targeted midfield: Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for £155m combined. The glaring hole is left-back — and after failing to pry Lewis Hall from Newcastle, you do wonder if a bigger bid might’ve done it given what Spurs paid elsewhere.

Chelsea (3rd, £918m) continue to be world football’s best sellers, clearing north of £400m, though a deadline twist saw Monaco pull the plug on a done deal for Lamine Camara. Enzo Fernández’s sale to City swelled the pot, and Xabi Alonso now holds a £918m deck. If Rogers beds in as hoped, the Blues can finally convert projects into points.

Manchester City (2nd, £969m) would trail Chelsea without that Fernández coup, but he’s only part of a midfield overhaul that also features Elliot Anderson (£116m) and Ayyoub Bouaddi (£89m). Enzo Maresca has been backed to the hilt to keep standards sky-high post-Rodri — no repeat of the ‘after the legend leaves’ wobble will be tolerated.

Liverpool (1st, £980m) take the crown. Andoni Iraola walks into a dressing room with three nine-figure stars: Bradley Barcola’s initial £106m arrival joins club-record Alexander Isak and the £166m (including add-ons) Florian Wirtz. Those three alone would put plenty of clubs mid-table in this ranking; add the rest and you’ve got the priciest squad in England. Now comes the hard part: turning pounds spent into points banked.

The takeaway

This is a league of extremes. At the top, it’s an arms race where one blockbuster — like City’s swoop for Fernández — can tilt the balance. Down below, clever scouting and cohesion try to bridge chasms of cash. Maguire’s table doesn’t hand out trophies, but it does set the terms of engagement: spend well, coach brilliantly, and prove that cost isn’t destiny. The margins are thin; the chequebooks are not.