This decade’s net spending by football’s leading teams was recently disclosed by a study by CIES Football Observatory researchers. A negative net transfer expenditure of almost €1.075 billion puts Manchester United at the top of the leaderboard, with the club spending €1.545 billion and receiving €470 million in transfers.
Flops like Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, and Romelu Lukaku were some of the big-money additions made during that time. In second place are Manchester City, who have spent €984 million less than they took in, and PSG, the Ligue 1 team that spent €941 million less than they took in.
Once Barcelona and Arsenal are included, the gap widens to €650 million. Juventus‘€561million negative net expenditure in Serie A is followed by Bayern’s€363 million in the Bundesliga, which places the German powerhouse in 13th place.
Which of Europe’s biggest net spenders over the last 10 years have won the UCL?
An interesting fact is that only five clubs out of the top 25Europe’s biggest net spenders have managed to win the UEFA Champions Leagueover the last decade. In the 2014/15 season, Barcelonadefeated Juventus 3-1 to win their fifth and last championship and complete an extraordinary second continental triple.
They became thefirst side in the history of European football to win two domestic championships and one European club’s premier club competition twice in the same calendar year when they won La Liga, Copa del Ray, and UEFA Champions League.
Then, there are the reigning UCL champions, Chelsea,who won their second Europeantrophy in 2021, making them the first team to win all three majortournaments twice. Five of their eight UEFA Cups are now held by the club, making them England’s second-highest UEFA trophy winner.
With their sixth European Cup victory and second continental triple in 2019-2020, Bayernbecame the onlyclub in Europe with two treble wins. Furthermore, the Bavariansmade history by winning the European Cup for the first time ever with a perfect winning record. The year before, Liverpool were crowned champions for the first time since 2005.
Eventually, the remaining club to have played in most finals since 2012-13 and to have lifted the most UCL trophies, are none else but Real Madrid. The Whites have appeared in four title-decisive Champions League finals in the decade, having won in all of them. Other big spenders likeParis Saint-Germain andManchester City, have only managed to reach the Final in the past two editionsbut failed to emerge as victors.
Europe’s biggest net spenders over the last 10 years. (CIES Football Observatory)
