Uefa warns Premier League's €4.6bn spending fuels 'two-speed' market
September 25, 2026 00:20
Uefa says the Premier League's transfer spending this summer — estimated at €4.6bn (£4bn) — is driving a growing split in the European transfer market. In its latest European club talent and competition landscape report, the governing body warned this level of activity is creating "a clear two-speed system".
KEY CONTEXT
- Uefa says English clubs were involved in more than 60% of transfer deals and paid an average of around €24m (£20.7m) per inbound player, compared with roughly €4m (£3.4m) to €5m (£4.3m) in other major European leagues.
- The report states the Premier League's estimated €4.6bn outlay is "larger than that of the next eight largest European countries combined".
- Domestic transfers between English clubs rose 44% to €1.55bn (£1.33bn), described by Uefa as "as large in fee value as the next five market flows combined". The next most lucrative market flow was Bundesliga to Premier League at €690m (£594m).
- High-fee deals have increased markedly: Uefa notes 14 transfers above €50m in summer 2024, 23 in 2025 and 35 in 2026 — of which Premier League clubs were responsible for 29.
WHY IT MATTERS
Uefa's executive director of finance, Andrea Traverso, said the trend "raises concerns" and warned that rising transfer values, particularly in the English market, "increase future pressure on club financial results." He added that any "correction in transfer values" or "slowdown in buyer demand" could have serious implications for clubs carrying debt.
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
- The report says the Premier League clubs' transfer spend this year is equivalent to 56% of their annual revenue, compared with a 33% average in the pre-Covid decade.
- European clubs generated an estimated profit of €6.8bn (£5.85bn) from academy-player sales over the summer, an increase of €655m (£564m) on 2025.
- Uefa found little evidence that multi-club ownership structures were being used to move players for inflated or reduced fees: total transfer fees in such deals were €152m (£130.8m) with an estimated market value of €159m (£136.8m), and more than half of that spend came from transfers between Chelsea and Strasbourg.