How can Liverpool afford so many players?
Liverpool have spent more than £170m on players already this summer, but their spending spree may be set to continue.
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Arne Slot’s side won the Premier League in May, but, in an ominous sight for their rivals, they look set to further strengthen by adding a striker to their burgeoning roster.
Jeremie Frimpong was the first flutter, joining for £30m from Bayer Leverkusen to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, who departed for Real Madrid on a free (although £10m was ultimately received for the right back to join in time for the Club World Cup).
Next was Milos Kerkez, the left back joining from Bournemouth for £40m, and then Florian Wirtz came in for a British record £108m. The German is a versatile attacker and appeared to be the finishing touch to Liverpool’s forward line, but Slot has other ideas.
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It appears that Newcastle forward Alexander Isak, considered a primary target for a new striker, is out of reach but Liverpool are lining up a £70m bid for Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.
Signing the Frenchmen would bring the total spend to £240m, but it appears that Liverpool were even prepared to splash £130m to sign Isak alone had the Swede been available.
The club has also tied down large new deals for Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk.
As well as the £10m for Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have only otherwise sold Jarell Quansah for £34m, Caoimhín Kelleher for £10.5m, and Nat Phillips for around £2m. The side has also lost Diogo Jota, who tragically died on July 3.
It begs the question as to how Liverpool can afford such expensive signings.
Low-cost signings in previous summers
Even in a world where clubs are needing to ensure they meet PSR rules, which limit clubs to losses of £105m over a three year period, Liverpool are well within their limits.
Last summer only Federico Chiesa arrived for £10m and Giorgi Mamardashvili came in for £25m and this was on the back of several lean summers of spending. Since 2019 they have consistently been in the bottom half of spenders in the Premier League, despite their consistently high finishing position.
Their financial headroom means that a top-level striker is well within their budget.
Premier League winnings
Liverpool might even have surprised themselves by winning the Premier League, but the job of defending their title has got a whole lot easier after they netted the £175m of prize money.
Premier League earnings are a big deal for all teams. Arsenal, who came second, took home a fairly sizable £171m, while even Southampton, who came 20th and last, pocketed £109.2m.
Expanded stadium
Anfield now boasts a commanding 61,000 capacity, which is comparable with rivals Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham, if a little behind Old Trafford’s 74,310.
The club has made efforts to massively increase box office turnover in recent years, with the Anfield Road End extension being completed in 2024.
New kit deal with Adidas
An additional £60m per season has been gained in a deal with shirt maker Adidas, a profitable and also retrospective move, with the German manufacturer having supplied kits from 1985 to 1996 and then from 2006 to 2012.
“Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome Adidas back into the LFC family,” said Billy Hogan, the club’s chief executive officer, when the deal was announced in March.
Liverpool had their kits made by Nike from 2020 in a deal that was worth £30m per season.
Pre-season tour of Asia
Another money spinner is a pre-season tour of Asia, which will feature friendlies against Milan and Yokohama, to be played in Hong Kong and Japan, respectively.
The tour begins next week with the game against Milan, 20 years after their classic Champions League final, and 18 years after the re-match. Liverpool won the first and Milan the second, but the Hong Kong tie is hardly being billed as a decider.
Potential further sales to come
Should a new striker arrive, it might mean the door for Darwin Nunez, the Uruguayan forward who has not set the world alight since an £85m transfer in 2022.
Chiesa barely played last season, as first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker might not appreciate his number one spot being contested by Mamardashvili. Additionally, Liverpool is said to have rejected a £55m offer from Bayern Munich for Luis Diaz. Harvey Elliott has been linked to West Ham.