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 signing of Alexander Isak on the final day of the transfer window. The 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 and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79 million.

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

How did Liverpool bypass 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 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 have 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 have been spent on Jarrell Quansah (£35m), Ben Doak (£25m), Caoimhin Kelleher (£18m) and Tyler Morton (£15m). This means that despite spending £446m, their net spend has been 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.

Second, the current financial rules actually favour a club with a huge revenue and commercial base like Liverpool. According to him, the Anfield team may be taking advantage of the “vacuum” 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 has closed, with Liverpool becoming the biggest spender in English football history in a single summer. But now the pressure has shifted to the new signings. The record spending will only be meaningful if Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike and the other new signings prove their worth on the pitch.