Italian media outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport has conducted some research on how much European clubs have spent on acquiring players in the last 10 years. Some of the results are pretty surprising; other results are, well, to be expected.
The publication reveals that Premier League champions Manchester City are the biggest free-spending club of all, tossing out £1.4 billion over the past decade. They also have a very sizable lead over the second place finishers- Barcelona, who come in £385,000 less. Real Madrid didn’t crack the top five, surprisingly, and Manchester United are only fifth.
United and Real being outside the top four is a bit shocking, but it’s definitely no shock to see the Premier League comprise half of the top eight, as they have four teams. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were the only two sides from the big six who didn’t reach the biggest of the big spenders list.
Over the course of this season, both Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho have publicly bemoaned that their side doesn’t have the same financial resources as City, and thus it’s more difficult for them to compete.
Maybe this list gives their arguments more validity.
Eight Biggest Spenders in Europe During the Past Decade
1. Manchester City (England) (£1.4 billion)
2. Barcelona (Spain) (£1.015 billion)
3. Paris Saint-Germain (France) (£1.014 billion)
4. Chelsea (England) (£1 billion)
5. Manchester United (England) (£898 million)
6. Real Madrid (Spain) (£862 million)
7. Liverpool (England) (£820 million)
8. Juventus (£811 million)
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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