'What Liverpool and Chelsea are doing is the Wild West, it's unfair' — Liverpool legend slams Premier League spending
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Didi Hamann, who played for Liverpool over seven seasons, has issued harsh criticism of the financial power held by Premier League clubs. He described as unfair the way sides such as Chelsea and Liverpool themselves are able to move huge sums of money in the transfer market.
For the former Germany midfielder, speaking to RTL and Sky Sports in Germany, the financial gap between England and Germany has reached a point where the very idea of competing for the Champions League should be questioned.
Ex-Liverpool star criticises Premier League clubs' finances
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In the interview, Hamann said English clubs are able to operate with deficits that would be unthinkable in Germany, thanks to the ability of their owners to cover the losses. For him, this situation calls into question the idea of a balanced competition in European football.
"All clubs run at a loss. Financial Fair Play was introduced, and some clubs have even been sanctioned. But when I see what Liverpool or Chelsea are doing... this is the Wild West, it's unfair," he said.
Hamann's main complaint relates to the difference between the financial models of English and German clubs. According to the former player, financial control regulations have not been enough to stop Premier League clubs from continuing to move sums far larger than their European rivals.
He argues that English owners have the capacity to absorb losses that has no equivalent in German football:
"If you want a fair competition, you need a certain level of equality of conditions. And if that doesn't exist, then we say: 'You do your thing, and we'll do ours'," he said.
Hamann takes the discussion further to Europe's premier club competition. For him, it makes no sense for German clubs to be pitted against sides with vastly superior investment power for the same title.
"But at some point, we simply won't be able to keep playing the Champions League. If the English have holes of £100 million, £200 million or £300 million and the owners cover those gaps, which is impossible in Germany, we cannot play the same competition," he said.
The comments come a day after a historic transfer window for the Premier League. English clubs spent £3.02 billion during the 2026 European summer, more than the other four major European leagues, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, combined.
The window was also marked by figures that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. Four transfers to English clubs exceeded £100 million, while Manchester City alone spent around £385 million. For Hamann, however, the financial gap does not necessarily mean the rest of Europe is doing a bad job.
"Given what England is doing and the amounts of money circulating over there, the rest of Europe isn't actually doing that badly," he said.
Hamann praises Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich
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Despite his criticism of the Premier League, the former player also gave a positive assessment of the transfer window carried out by German clubs.
Hamann particularly highlighted Borussia Dortmund's strategy of investing in young players. The signing of Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal was pointed to as an example of a model that could work well for the club.
"When you bring in so many young players, you clearly also need older players to guide them," he explained. For the German, players such as Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton, Felix Nmecha and Serhou Guirassy will play an important role, not just on the pitch, but also in helping shape a younger generation coming through the squad.
Regarding Bayern Munich, Hamann felt the club conducted a window within reasonable parameters. Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari, mentioned by the former player, were signings with the potential to break into the starting XI, while the club also managed to move on players who had fallen outside its plans.
For Hamann, if the gap continues to widen, and English clubs can continue to rely on owners capable of covering multi-million-pound deficits, it may become necessary to rethink even the way Europe organises its premier club competition.