When Europe has to watch the Premier League shopping

Wirtz has just joined Liverpool.

While Real Madrid and Atletico are “bringing bells to strike foreign lands” at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ in the US, while Barcelona sits at home regretting not being able to participate, in another corner of Europe, Liverpool - a team that did not even participate in the tournament - has shaken up the entire transfer market with a contract named Florian Wirtz, worth 136 million euros.

It's a startling figure. Wirtz becomes the most expensive signing in Premier League history and the third most expensive in the world , behind only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

But the point isn't the money. It's the way Liverpool - and the Premier League, by extension - did the deal: quickly, decisively, without the financial leverage of FIFA, and with little to no competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern Munich.

And that is the problem.

The 2025 Club World Cup is being hailed by FIFA as a "treasure trove" for clubs, with the prize pool of more than 100 million euros for the winner - a figure that could save the entire transfer season for teams struggling with a budget crisis. For Real Madrid, this is an opportunity to find funds for a midfielder - the missing piece in Xabi Alonso's scheme. For Atletico, success or failure in this tournament could determine their ability to spend in the summer. Everyone needs the Club World Cup, not just for the title, but also for the money.

But not England.

Wirtz moved to Liverpool for a record transfer fee.

Of the “Big Four” participating in the Club World Cup, only Manchester City and Chelsea are participating, but they are still the center of transfer talk. Arsenal are about to activate Zubimendi’s release clause. Chelsea, despite having just lost to Flamengo, are not showing any signs of impatience, because the 30 million euro increase or decrease in bonuses is not enough to affect the huge financial model they own. The general feeling, as coaches Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca themselves admit, is that this tournament is just like a long pre-season, not really a battle for survival.

The contrast reflects the reality: the Premier League is on a different “ economic level”. It doesn’t need the Club World Cup to survive. It doesn’t need international trophies to make a splash. It doesn’t need FIFA to fund its squad. It owns huge TV rights, its stadiums are always full, and its commercial ecosystem is so developed that a team like Brighton can spend more than 100 million euros in a single transfer window.

Florian Wirtz is just the latest symbol of that imbalance. A young talent who has long been on the radar of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has now arrived in the Premier League without any bargaining. Liverpool didn’t wait until the end of the Club World Cup to figure out how much they would spend. They just snapped their fingers.

The question is: how can the rest of European football compete?

Xabi Alonso is looking for a central midfielder.

Barca are struggling to keep hold of their key players. Bayern are struggling to break their wage structure to sign young stars. Real Madrid, despite being the “king of the Champions League”, are still counting every penny to strengthen their midfield. The big names that once dominated Europe are now in desperate chase in the transfer market.

FIFA may dream of a more balanced Club World Cup, with teams from all over the world. But the reality is: money still rules the game. And at the moment, the Premier League is the unrivalled “bankroller”.

Also in the tournament, another name deserves attention: Fidel Ambriz (2003), a young Mexican midfielder for Monterrey. He did not start in the opening match against Inter Milan, but was highly regarded by experts for his ability to use both feet, control the ball and shoot from distance. A mainstay at León before joining Rayados, Ambriz represents the new generation of Mexican football - technical, brave and promising.

In a football world dominated by money, sometimes small discoveries like Ambriz bring a little hope - that there are still real values waiting to be discovered, without needing the three words "Premier League" to be called "expensive".

Source: https://znews.vn/khi-chau-au-phai-nhin-premier-league-mua-sam-post1562567.html