The most money spent by promoted Premier League teams | OneFootball

Which clubs have spent the most money after being promoted to the Premier League?

Sunderland have spent big this summer in a bid to survive in the Premier League, as the Black Cats return to the division after almost a decade away.

Regis Le Bris has brought in 13 new signings with the addition of Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain taking their investment past £140m with more to come. A 3-0 win over West Ham on the opening weekend suggests much of that money has been spent wisely, but will it be enough to stay in the Premier League?

We’ve looked at the highest-spending promoted sides in Premier League history and whether they avoided the drop. Figures from transfermarkt.co.uk.

5. Ipswich Town – 2024/25 (€125m)

Ipswich Town spent more than £100 million on new signings last summer, following their promotion to the Premier League. The Tractor Boys had jumped from League One to the top division in successive seasons after back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna.

Omari Hutchinson, Liam Delap, and Sammie Szmodics were among the new arrivals, but a lack of Premier League experience counted against Ipswich.

McKenna’s side were relegated back to the Championship, winning just once after the turn of the New Year. Ipswich ended the campaign 13 points from safety.

4. Burnley – 2025/26 (€125.7m)

Sunderland’s spending has seen fellow promoted outfit Burnley’s investment go somewhat under the radar. The Clarets have spent around £107m on new signings, including the £23m addition of Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.

Burnley have brought in 13 players, a haul that includes turning loanees Jaidon Anthony, Marcus Edwards, Zian Flemming, and Bashir Humphreys into permanent players at Turf Moor.

3. Aston Villa – 2019/20 (€148.6m)

After three seasons outside the Premier League, Aston Villa invested heavily in a bid to consolidate in 2019.

The club-record signing of Wesley from Club Brugge was a big disappointment, though astute additions including Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Douglas Luiz helped The Villans avoid the drop.

Villa ended the 2019/20 campaign 17th, outside the relegation places by a single point. Since then, the club have gone from strength to strength and played Champions League football in 2024/25.

2. Nottingham Forest – 2022/23 (€155.2m)

Evangelos Marinakis has made no secret of his ambitious plans for Nottingham Forest. After the club ended a 29-year absence from the Premier League in 2022, Forest embarked on a remarkable recruitment drive. The club signed a total of 22 players during the 2022/23 summer transfer window, a record for a Premier League club.

A predictable patchy record followed, with their business certainly hit and miss. However, Forest avoided relegation and have been on an upward curve ever since. Last season’s seventh-place finish delivered European football for the first time since 1995.

1. Sunderland – 2025/26 (€165m)

Sunderland have broken the record, and there is likely to be more arrivals in the North East yet. The Black Cats broke their transfer record to sign Habib Diarra from Strasbourg, while five further players have arrived for fees of upwards of £15m.

Arguably, the most high-profile deal is for Granit Xhaka, who has been named captain following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen. The 32-year-old was shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or in 2024 after helping Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title.

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