Uefa fears impact of Premier League spending on transfer market
Uefa believes "a clear two-speed system" is emerging in the transfer market due to huge spending by Premier League clubs this summer.
European football's governing body, UEFA, has expressed concerns over the significant financial disparity in the transfer market, driven by Premier League clubs' unprecedented spending. According to UEFA's latest European club talent and competition landscape report, the €4.6bn (£4bn) spent by Premier League clubs surpasses the combined transfer activity of the next eight largest European countries.
Andrea Traverso, UEFA's executive director of finance, highlighted the rising transfer values, particularly in England, which could impose future pressure on club financial results.
English clubs were involved in over 60% of the deals, paying an average of €24m (£20.7m) per inbound player, compared to €4m (£3.4m) to €5m (£4.3m) in other major European leagues. This sharp increase in purchasing power underscores a widening gap in the transfer market. Transfer spend by the 20 Premier League clubs in 2025 equated to 56% of their annual revenue, far exceeding the 33% average of the pre-Covid decade.
Moreover, English clubs showed a 44% increase in big-value transfers between each other, totaling €1.55bn (£1.33bn). The English domestic market was as large as the next five market flows combined, while the number of European transfer fees above €50m surged from 14 in 2024 to 35 in 2026, with 29 carried out by Premier League clubs. The surge in such deals has raised concerns about the concentration of talent and the emergence of a two-speed system, where English clubs dominate the transfer market.
UEFA also noted a significant increase in the profit generated from selling academy players, which rose from €6.8bn (£5.85bn) in 2025 to an estimated €7.45bn (£6.42bn) in 2026. This profit, a 44% increase, stems from the fact that these players provide pure profit on the books. Despite the pressure to pass financial regulations, UEFA found little evidence of clubs using multi-club ownership structures to manipulate transfer fees.
The total spend on such deals was €152m (£130.8m), with an estimated market value of €159m (£136.8m), with more than half of this coming from transfers between Chelsea and Strasbourg.
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