Enzo Fernandez during his presentation as a Man City player. X/@ManCity
Premier League clubs have broken their record for spending in a single transfer window for the second consecutive season, with Manchester City’s £125 million signing of Enzo Fernandez taking total expenditure close to £3.5 billion ($4.7 billion).
A frantic final 48 hours before the window closed at 22:00 GMT on Tuesday pushed spending well beyond last summer’s record of £3.14 billion.
More than half of the clubs in the English top flight also broke their individual transfer records, with several deals exceeding £100 million.
Manchester City completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Fernandez for £125 million late on Tuesday, matching the British transfer record Liverpool set 12 months earlier with their acquisition of Alexander Isak.
The Argentina international will form part of a revamped City midfield alongside England midfielder Elliot Anderson, who joined from Nottingham Forest for £116 million shortly after the World Cup.
City also signed Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for £65 million on Tuesday, taking their total spending for the summer beyond £450 million.
The spending spree comes as City begin a new era following the departure of manager Pep Guardiola, who led the club through a decade of unprecedented success.
The Manchester club have also seen several key players leave, with Ballon d’Or winner Rodri joining Barcelona, while long-serving duo Bernardo Silva and John Stones have also departed.
“At Manchester City, we are always looking to bring in world-class players and Enzo fits the bill,” said City director of football Hugo Viana.
“He is a complete midfielder — technically gifted, hardworking, tenacious and a goalscorer.”
Fernandez, who was sent off during Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain in July, said joining City was a dream.
“Every player wants to be part of a club like this,” he said.
Chelsea Miss Out on Camara
Chelsea were also heavily involved in the summer transfer market as they continued their rebuild under new manager Xabi Alonso.
The Blues made England forward Morgan Rogers their marquee signing after completing a £117 million deal with Aston Villa.
Chelsea also brought in several other players, including Maxence Lacroix, Emiliano Martinez, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
However, their attempt to sign Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara collapsed late on Tuesday.
Premier League champions Arsenal, meanwhile, had a relatively quiet deadline day after their pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez failed to materialise.
The Gunners had been competing with Barcelona for the Argentina international, while the Spanish champions eventually turned to Arsenal for Gabriel Jesus.
“I had a chance 10 years ago and life took me in another direction, but now I can be here and it’s a dream for me,” Jesus said.
Arsenal had already made significant additions earlier in the window, signing Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.
Liverpool, who were dethroned as Premier League champions by Arsenal last season, signed France winger Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday in a deal that could eventually be worth around £124 million.
However, the Reds failed to make further additions after bids for Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh were rejected.
As a result, Cody Gakpo will remain at Anfield despite reported interest from Manchester City and Tottenham.
Liverpool, now under new manager Andoni Iraola, have also lost several senior players, including Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate.
The Reds have drawn their opening two league matches, raising concerns about the depth of their squad, particularly in defence.
Tottenham have spent more than £300 million on new players after finishing just one place above the relegation zone last season.
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Omar Marmoush are among the high-profile arrivals at the north London club.
However, Roberto De Zerbi’s side have made a poor start to the campaign, failing to score in defeats against Brentford and Newcastle in their opening two league matches.
Spurs completed a loan move for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on deadline day after missing out on moves for Ndiaye and Gakpo.
Europa League winners Aston Villa, meanwhile, lost several important players during the transfer window, including Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Konsa, Martinez and Ollie Watkins.
The club responded by signing Nicolas Jackson, Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye as they look to rebuild their squad.
