Sunderland have spent heavily over the course of this season, but how do their finances compare to the rest of the Premier League?
Sunderland will look to capitalise on their strong recent form when they travel to Aston Villa this weekend, still very much in the European hunt.
The newly-promoted Black Cats have enjoyed a wonderful return to the Premier League this season, sitting 10th after 32 games, with 46 points on the board. Not only has relegation never been a real concern this campaign, but Regis Le Bris’ men are also just two points behind Chelsea in sixth, and six points behind Liverpool in the fifth and final Champions League spot.
Sunderland’s competitiveness among the elite in 2025/26 has undoubtedly been fuelled by their lavish summer spending spree, with the club spending big on the likes of Brian Brobbey, Chemsdine Talbi and Habib Diarra - also paying handsome fees for reliable stars like Granit Xhaka, Robin Roefs and Noah Sadiki. But where do they rank among Premier League clubs for net spend this season?
Sunderland net spend compared to Premier League rivals
Arsenal FC: €280.30m
Liverpool FC: €263.40m
Manchester City: €199.52m
Tottenham Hotspur: €182.90m
Manchester United: €176.50m
Sunderland AFC: €155.59m
Everton FC: €117.15m
Nottingham Forest: €111.43m
Leeds United: €106.70m
Newcastle United: €102.85m
Burnley FC: €93.65m
Fulham FC: €56.40m
West Ham United: €53.10m
Crystal Palace: €47.85m
Aston Villa: €12.65m
Chelsea FC: €4.90m
Brentford FC: €+50.06m
Brighton & Hove Albion: €+63.15m
Wolverhampton Wanderers: €+81.10m
AFC Bournemouth: €+130.31m
Only five clubs have a higher net spend than Sunderland over the course of this Premier League season: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham and Man Utd. That’s incredible to consider, given how frugal the Black Cats have been in the market in years gone by.
That said, Sunderland’s books would look far less balanced were it not for the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson to Dortmund and Brighton, respectively, over the summer, with the two English youngsters helping to offset some heavy investment. Tottenham’s level of spending is particularly eye-catching, considering their 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light at the weekend leaves them firmly rooted in the bottom three with just six games to go.
At the other end of the spectrum, Brentford, Brighton, Wolves and Bournemouth are the only clubs to register a profit, while Chelsea’s losses are incredibly small, owing to the sales of the likes of Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Lesley Ugochukwu, among others. This weekend’s opponents, Aston Villa, are just above the Blues, with Transfermarkt crediting them with a net spend of just €12.65m as they walk the PSR tightrope.
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