Move over Liverpool, Manchester City are the new net spend kings

Suraj Radia

Updated: 18 Jun 2022 16:48 CDT
3 min read

Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Liverpool, Man City — © ProShots

When it comes to value in the transfer market, Liverpool have often been touted as the leaders in efficiency due to their net spend, especially compared to rivals Manchester City.

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However, after years of showcasing the difference between wheeling and dealing versus limitless investment, Liverpool have posted a higher net spend in the past two seasons than City.

With City also having the upper hand over their rivals in the race for the Premier League title, are the figures a representation of them becoming smarter with their business?

Or have Liverpool realised they may need to invest significantly to avoid their closest competitors from running away with it all?

Don't talk about spend, talk about net spend

Since the beginning of the 2020/21 season, City have spent approximately £330 million on players compared to £225.5m by Liverpool, including both side's recent big money signings of Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez.

But Pep Guardiola's side have brought in £161m during that same time period, largely due to the sales of Leroy Sane and Ferran Torres, while Liverpool have received just £48m in the past two seasons.

While Liverpool are set to receive in excess of £30m from Bayern Munich for Sadio Mane, City are also close to selling Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal for a fee of £50m, further expanding the gap between the sides.

Are Liverpool really the net spend kings? 👑https://t.co/oVWYuYDTQu
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 16, 2022

With the average age of Liverpool's squad also being older than City's, Jurgen Klopp's side may continue to spend in order to rebuild towards the future.

30-year-old Mohamed Salah is also entering the final year of his contract and Liverpool could end up splashing the cash on a replacement should he depart on a free next summer.

City, meanwhile, also have the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, both 31, expiring next year but crucially, their strength in depth means they can afford to cash in on players running down their deals.

Raheem Sterling and Jesus also have their deals up in 2023 but both could leave this summer, bringing in fees that could total around £100m, while not significantly weakening the team.

City are still, by no means, operating on a humble budget and have one of the highest net spends in the world when looking at a longer period of time, as well as a larger wage spend than Liverpool.

But having spent big to establish themselves as the best team in England since their takeover in 2009, they may now look to become more efficient with their spending, particularly with pressure over Financial Fair Play.

Ultimately net spend should never be considered the defining factor of success for any team and should only reiterate that teams simply cannot maintain high standards without investing money in the transfer market.