The message from Liverpool fans is very clear. As the dramatic St James' Park game ended with a 3-2 win over Newcastle last week, away fans were shouting loudly demanding that the opponent " hand him over". The him here, of course, is Alexander Isak, Newcastles star striker.
Just a week later, that wish came true. Liverpool have officially owned Isak in the English football record deal, with a fee of £ 125 million on the last day of the transfer window.
This is a huge investment in the summer that the reigning Premier League champions have shown their superior financial strength compared to any other club in the world.
Florian Wirtz - a £100 million signing (which could be increased to £116 million) from Bayer Leverkusen in June - had almost no time to play much before being quickly overthrown by Isak in the transfer record list.
In total, Liverpool's spending this summer reached about £450 million, including the add-ons.
In the context of European football increasingly tightening financial constraints - from PSR (Profit and Sustainability Regulation) in the Premier League to UEFA's Financial Fairness Law - it is not difficult to understand why many people ask: how can Liverpool spend so freely without worrying about violations?
Only Chelsea have spent more in a single transfer window (nearly £600 million in the 2022-23 season). However, unlike Chelsea at that time, Liverpool did not face the risk of violating financial regulations, from the Premier League's PSR to UEFA's FFP.
The first sign that this will not be an ordinary summer for Liverpool has been around since April. When he just signed a 2-year contract extension with The Kop, Mohamed Salah was immediately asked by the club's media whether he believed the team was still capable of competing for major titles.
"If I don't believe it, I won't sign a contract" - Salah replied briefly, but with a lot of meaning.
Just a week later, it was Virgil van Dijk - captain and spiritual leader of the "Red Brigade" - who also spoke up. Before signing a contract extension, the Dutch midfielder sent a straightforward message to the owner of fenway Sports Group (FSG).
"I believe Liverpool will continue to compete for the title for many years to come. Whether there are players leaving or coming, I think this will be a vibrant summer. And I believe (FSG) is ready for that. We, Liverpool fans, need to put our trust in the board of directors," Van Dijk said.
While Salah and Van Dijk could hardly imagine their trust in the board being rewarded so strongly, it would be reasonable for both - the stars who are still at the peak of their form - to commit to Liverpool for the future. Their loyalty has been rewarded with great ambition in the transfer market.
From the outside, Liverpool seem to have strayed away from their inherent cautious spending policy. But in fact, many years of wise financial planning have allowed them to loosen policy in a calculated way this summer.
With a record revenue of significantly expanding the financial perspective, Liverpool also successfully took advantage of the transfer market to collect huge fees from players leaving. The sale of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Jarell Quansah alone has helped them earn about 260 million pounds, including add-ons. This is a sufficient figure to strengthen domestic financial sustainability (PSR).
In contrast, Arsenal - despite spending less in the summer of 2025 - ended the transfer window with higher net spending. The reason is that they cannot collect a significant fee from any star. This shows the difference in how the two teams operate player trading strategies.
