Sunderland spent big this summer after earning promotion back to the Premier League.
Sunderland were easily one of the most eye-catching sides in the Premier League and Europe during the summer transfer window.
After earning promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, the Black Cats spent well in excess of £100million in an attempt to stay there. That money helped sign no fewer than 15 players, with Habib Diarra’s arrival from Strasbourg for €31.5m (£27.4m) the most expensive of the summer and all-time for the club. However, it was the signing of Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen which was the most high-profile.
There were some hefty departures from the Stadium of Light as well, though, as the club tried to balance the books. Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson were chief among them, while the likes of Pierre Ekwah and Nectarios Triantis also recouped some cash. But where does all of that leave the Black Cats in terms of Premier League clubs ranked by net spend? We’ve taken a look at the Transfermarkt data to work that out.
Where does Sunderland’s summer net spend rank in the Premier League?
Sunderland's Habib Diarra. Photo by Chris Fryatt.placeholder image
Sunderland's Habib Diarra. Photo by Chris Fryatt. | Chris Fryatt.
Arsenal - €283.20m loss
Liverpool - €264.18m loss
Manchester United - €176.50m loss
Tottenham Hotspur - €169.10m loss
Sunderland- €136.50m loss
Everton - €125.75m loss
Manchester City - €117.40m loss
Newcastle United - €113.85m loss
Nottingham Forest - €112.50m loss
Leeds United - €105.70m loss
Burnley - €93.65m loss
West Ham United - €77.30m loss
Fulham - €23.50m loss
Wolverhampton Wanderers - €2.50m loss
Chelsea - €4.09m profit
Crystal Palace - €17.70m profit
Aston Villa - €25.15m profit
Brentford - €56.60m profit
Brighton and Hove Albion - €73.01m profit
AFC Bournemouth - €100.31m profit
Incredibly, only Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur outspent Sunderland in the summer. Roughly translated, the 2024/25 Premier League’s top two and Europa League finalists were the only clubs to part with more cash than the newly-promoted Black Cats.
Everton were the next-closest spenders to Sunderland, who also outstripped the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea when it came to parting with cash. As mentioned, the signing of Diarra was the most expensive outlay, but he was just one of five players who cost €20m or more, and one of 10 players who set Sunderland back by more than €10m.
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Had Sunderland not sold Bellingham and Watson, their net spend would have stood at a whopping €179m, which would have put them behind only Arsenal and Liverpool.
What next for Sunderland?
That spending spree has served Sunderland well so far, with Regis Le Bris’ side losing just two of their seven games back in the Premier League so far. The Black Cats are unbeaten in three games at the Stadium of Light, picking up a total of 11 points to sit ninth, already seven points clear of the relegation zone. A 2-0 defeat at Man Utd before the international break was disappointing, but Sunderland have a great chance to bounce back when they host bottom-of-the-table Wolves this Saturday before a tough trip to world champions Chelsea.
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