Premier League: Liverpool, Arsenal and City, the battle for the title with millionaire signings

Premier League Title Race: A Millionaire’s Battle

The fight for the Premier League title for the 2025-26 season has transformed into a true display of spending, with an investment that could exceed one billion pounds before the ball starts rolling. The clubs that occupied the top four positions in the previous season are renewing their squads at an unprecedented rate. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea are preparing to snatch the crown from Liverpool, the current champion. The financial investment of these four teams has been colossal so far. Teams like Newcastle and Aston Villa, along with the fallen giants Manchester United and Tottenham, run the risk of falling even further behind. Arsenal will reach £180 million when they finalize the signing of Viktor Gyokeres, Sporting CP striker, for £63.5 million. This is in addition to the incorporations of Martín Zubimendi (£51 million), Noni Madueke (£48 million), Christian Norgaard (£10 million) and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5 million) to Mikel Arteta’s team. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Manchester City have jointly invested £260 million this summer in players such as João Pedro (£60 million), Jamie Gittens (£51.5 million), Tijjani Reijnders (£46.3 million), Rayan Ait-Nouri (£36.3 million) and Rayan Cherki (£34 million). However, none have made a statement as strong as Liverpool, who have followed the old principle of strengthening while at the top, investing £185.5 million in Arne Slot’s team. When the “Reds” complete the signing of Hugo Ekitike, forward from Eintracht Frankfurt, for £69 million, after breaking the club record with a £100 million deal for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz, the club will have spent £254.5 million on signings this summer, including Milos Kerkez (£40 million), Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5 million) and Giorgi Mamardashvili (£29 million).

• Sources: Liverpool agree £69m deal for striker Hugo Ekitike
• Mikel Arteta seeks more signings for Arsenal this summer
• Summer transfer window: Rating the big signings in men’s football

While the main contenders prepare for pre-season matches with friendlies around the world, the race for the Premier League title has already ignited thanks to the financial departments of Anfield, the Emirates, Stamford Bridge and the Etihad. After spending £175.9 million on four signings (Nico González, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis) in January, City’s spending so far in 2025 amounts to an incredible £295.9 million. It is evident that the Abu Dhabi hierarchy at the club is determined to regain its position at the top of the Premier League, after Liverpool ended their run of four winning seasons last season. But Liverpool already won the 2024-25 title with a 10-point lead over Arsenal, runners-up for the third consecutive season, will Slot’s team be surpassed after their significant investment in new players this summer? With the “Reds” still interested in a deal worth over £130 million for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, who could become a serious target if Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Federico Chiesa leave Anfield before the September 1st transfer deadline, the champions could be too strong for the chasing pack.

2:19Prediction of Arsenal’s starting lineup for the new season. James Olley predicts Arsenal’s starting lineup for the first Premier League match of the season and wonders if it’s good enough to win the title. The 2025-26 season has the potential to become the most competitive title race since the Premier League began in 1992-93. Liverpool is the team to beat, but Arsenal’s spending this summer shows they are serious in their attempt to end three consecutive years of near misses by winning the title for the first time since 2004. Yes, or more likely when, Gyokeres completes his transfer from Sporting, Arsenal will have the proven goalscorer they have lacked in their three seasons as runners-up. Madueke will add quality and depth on the wings in attack, while Zubimendi and Norgaard will be an improvement over Jorginho and Thomas Partey, who left at the end of their contracts this summer. City’s reinforcements have been substantial. Yes, Guardiola’s team has seen club legends like Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker leave this summer, and Jack Grealish is likely to follow them out the door, but players like Cherki, Reinders, Ait-Nouri and January signing Marmoush have already shown signs of being able to step up, while City also has Ballon d’Or winner Rodri back in their midfield.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s stunning triumph in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer demonstrated that the club’s investment of over a billion pounds in signings over three years could be about to pay off with a sustained challenge in the Premier League.

While Chelsea and City must wait to discover what impact their disrupted summer will have on the players’ fitness in the coming months, the positive of Chelsea’s campaign in the Club World Cup was the way they beat Paris Saint-Germain, Champions League champions, in the final. Coach Enzo Maresca tactically outmaneuvered PSG’s Luis Enrique in the tactical battle with his team selection and his approach to the final, while the £60 million signing of Joao Pedro mid-tournament appeared to be an instant upgrade in attack thanks to his goals and his immediate understanding with Cole Palmer. Chelsea have the squad to beat any of their rivals, but time will tell if they have the quality in depth that will allow them to truly turn it into a four-team title race this season; Arsenal and City have raised the bar with their signings. But Liverpool have made the most important statement because they simply couldn’t stand still. Your message to the rest has already been: “Catch us if you can.” So the signing of Ekitike and, to be taken into account, a possible additional incorporation of Isak, is an ominous warning of their intention to hold on to their crown. This season, it’s clear that four clubs are going to be real title contenders and they all have one thing in common: they’ve all spent fortunes this summer to be in that position.