This summer transfer window, the Premier League is still the protagonist in the transfer market, especially the traditional "big6", which Theathletic interprets.
This summer, the dominance of the Premier League transfer market has returned to the hands of the richest and most influential clubs. Isaac's transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool not only broke the UK transfer fee record, but also highlighted the ownership of power in the Premier League in 2025, and the best players ultimately belong to the best club.
Isaac finally joined Liverpool as he wished after refusing to play for Newcastle at the beginning of the season. Throughout the transfer window, the Premier League "big6" (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham) has selected many outstanding players from the other 14 teams. For these teams, it is a sobering time whether it is restricted by the league's fiscal fairness bill or the impact of economic reality.
Although Newcastle, Villa and Nottingham Forest ranked fifth, sixth and seventh respectively last season, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur ranked fifteenth and seventh respectively, the status of "big6" is still stable. Performance on the court may fluctuate, but the financial strength of these clubs is hard to shake.
With the support of the Saudi consortium, Newcastle was once a disruptor, but their spending was also limited by Premier League profits and sustainable development rules. Isaac tried his best to make the transfer to Liverpool, further challenging Newcastle's position.
In addition to signing Isaac for 125 million pounds, Liverpool also spent 40 million pounds to introduce Kolkedz from Bournemouth. Arsenal's total spending exceeds £250 million, which includes signing Nolgou from Brentford and Eze from Crystal Palace. Manchester City signed Trafford from the newly promoted Burnley and Ait Nuri from the Wolves. Manchester United signed Cunha from Wolves and Mbermo from Brentford. Tottenham signed Kudus from West Ham United. Chelsea loaned Bonanot from Brighton and signed Joao Pedro.
This phenomenon is not new, and large clubs have been tapping talents from smaller clubs in history. However, with the surge in the Premier League's financial resources, the transfer market has severe inflation, allowing small clubs to set high asking prices for star players, forcing "big6" to turn to overseas markets to find players with higher cost performance.
In recent years, the number of transfers from the remaining 14 teams to "big6" has increased. This number has been rising over the past five seasons, with 11 such deals this summer. This shows that despite the restrictions of the fiscal fairness bill, the attractiveness of the Premier League "big6" is still huge.
In addition, the total transfer expenditure of Premier League clubs exceeded 3 billion pounds for the first time, far exceeding the combined French, German, Italian and Spanish leagues, which reflects the influence and commercial value of the Premier League on a global scale.