Leicester's title success
Why Leicester’s title success will trigger an EPL Spending Spree
Throughout EPL history, we have seen leading clubs respond to challenges and adversity by spending huge amounts of money. Blackburn Rovers won the league in 1995 thanks to heavy spending by then-chairman Jack Walker, for example, while Manchester United reclaimed the title from Arsenal in 1999 and won a unique treble after spending big on Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist.
This trend is sure to continue for the foreseeable future at least, especially with the new Premier League television deal(worth a staggering £5.136 billion) set to come into play this summer. We must also consider the seismic impact of Leicester City winning the league last term, while the arrival of stellar managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho is set to create a perfect storm terms of EPL spending.
How Leicester’s success will inspire the EPL elite
In some respects, you would think that Leicester’s low-spending approach would trigger a change in outlook. After all, the Foxes' preferred starting line-up from last season cost just £21 million, which is a staggering £271 million less than the Manchester City eleven that lost 3-1 to Leicester at the Etihad. Beyond this, the Foxes' squad cost just £62.55 million, more than City's cumulative value of £411 million and just £8.55 million more than the Citizens paid for Kevin de Bruyne.
Unfortunately, the wage bills and corporate sponsorship deals associated with top EPL clubs mean that expectations are high and the need for instant success overwhelming. This makes the type of organic growth and development enjoyed by Leicester completely unobtainable for larger clubs, who must instead use their wealth and appeal to overpower their rivals quickly and effectively.
Then we have the EPL landscape as a whole, with new managers joining the league, old rivalries being reignited and a number of fallen Premier League giants looking to reclaim their former glories next season. Antonio Conte will look to restore Chelsea's dominance with this Serie A connections, for example, while Jurgen Klopp will also look to utilise his global profile to recruit top talent for Liverpool.
Then we have the reunion between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho (at Manchester City and Manchester United respectively), which will see both parties use all of their experience and contacts to claim title glory next term.
How much will be spent this summer?
The common theme which will underpin these ambitious is the deployment of cold, hard cash, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool all expected to spend in the region of £200 million this summer. Arsenal and Tottenham are also likely to spend big to reinforce their own title ambitions, while newly-purchased Everton, an increasingly ambitious West Ham United and champions Leicester will also invest in their playing staff prior to the new season.
Ultimately, this means that the top six alone are likely to spend more than the current summer transfer window record of £870 million. In total, we can expect more than £1 billion to be spent in a single transfer window for the first time, while wage bills will also soar with some of the world's most coveted players expected to join the EPL fray next season.
So rather than breaking the mould, Leicester's incredible success will simply encourage even higher levels of spending in what promises to be a seminal footballing summer.
Throughout EPL history, we have seen leading clubs respond to challenges and adversity by spending huge amounts of money. Blackburn Rovers won the league in 1995 thanks to heavy spending by then-chairman Jack Walker, for example, while Manchester United reclaimed the title from Arsenal in 1999 and won a unique treble after spending big on Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist.
This trend is sure to continue for the foreseeable future at least, especially with the new Premier League television deal(worth a staggering £5.136 billion) set to come into play this summer. We must also consider the seismic impact of Leicester City winning the league last term, while the arrival of stellar managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho is set to create a perfect storm terms of EPL spending.
How Leicester’s success will inspire the EPL elite
In some respects, you would think that Leicester’s low-spending approach would trigger a change in outlook. After all, the Foxes' preferred starting line-up from last season cost just £21 million, which is a staggering £271 million less than the Manchester City eleven that lost 3-1 to Leicester at the Etihad. Beyond this, the Foxes' squad cost just £62.55 million, more than City's cumulative value of £411 million and just £8.55 million more than the Citizens paid for Kevin de Bruyne.
Unfortunately, the wage bills and corporate sponsorship deals associated with top EPL clubs mean that expectations are high and the need for instant success overwhelming. This makes the type of organic growth and development enjoyed by Leicester completely unobtainable for larger clubs, who must instead use their wealth and appeal to overpower their rivals quickly and effectively.
Then we have the EPL landscape as a whole, with new managers joining the league, old rivalries being reignited and a number of fallen Premier League giants looking to reclaim their former glories next season. Antonio Conte will look to restore Chelsea's dominance with this Serie A connections, for example, while Jurgen Klopp will also look to utilise his global profile to recruit top talent for Liverpool.
Then we have the reunion between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho (at Manchester City and Manchester United respectively), which will see both parties use all of their experience and contacts to claim title glory next term.
How much will be spent this summer?
The common theme which will underpin these ambitious is the deployment of cold, hard cash, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool all expected to spend in the region of £200 million this summer. Arsenal and Tottenham are also likely to spend big to reinforce their own title ambitions, while newly-purchased Everton, an increasingly ambitious West Ham United and champions Leicester will also invest in their playing staff prior to the new season.
Ultimately, this means that the top six alone are likely to spend more than the current summer transfer window record of £870 million. In total, we can expect more than £1 billion to be spent in a single transfer window for the first time, while wage bills will also soar with some of the world's most coveted players expected to join the EPL fray next season.
So rather than breaking the mould, Leicester's incredible success will simply encourage even higher levels of spending in what promises to be a seminal footballing summer.