Astonishing Investments

Apart from De Bruyne, Manchester City continued to make frequent moves, revealing their wealthy nature after a slight silence for several seasons.

Throughout the summer transfer window, the Sky Blues spent a total of £333 million, nearly €400 million, on player acquisitions, ranking first among all European clubs, more than twice the amount spent by second-placed Manchester United.

A total of 26 players were acquired through transfers, loans, free signings, and loan returns, almost enough to assemble another full squad.

This included the £47 million acquisition of defender Stones from Everton and the £42 million signing of Sané from Schalke 04.

There were also Gabriel Jesus, Gundogan, Bravo, Nolito, and many more.

The entire European football community was taken aback. The German magazine "Kicker" stated, "Manchester City has gone mad!"

"Since the Abu Dhabi consortium took over Manchester City in 2008, they have invested billions of pounds in the club, transforming it from a relegation candidate to a championship contender within eight years."

"During this period, the Sky Blues won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup once, the League Cup twice, and the Community Shield once, but they have never been able to touch the Champions League."

"Wang Feng's arrival gave investors hope. They threw caution to the wind, creating an unprecedented heavy investment, just to gamble on that slim chance. It's really crazy."

Other media outlets also published comments, mostly negative, with some even suggesting that Manchester City's actions would ruin the sport of football, and some called for financial fair play scrutiny.

But Mansour didn't care about any of this; he only cared about results!

To Begiristain, the Emirati expressed a significant increase in player victory bonuses. If Manchester City didn't perform well in the early stages of the league, they would continue to intensify their efforts in recruiting during the winter transfer window.

It could be said that they spared no effort, and money was no object.

Facing the madness of Manchester City, the greatest pressure naturally fell on their city rivals, Manchester United. The Red Devils only finished fifth in the previous season, only able to compete in the Europa League.

Like the Sky Blues, they also changed managers this summer. "The Special One" Mourinho took over at Old Trafford. Not having Champions League qualification didn't stop the team from making big moves in the transfer market.

They spent a total of £150 million, approximately €180 million, including the record-breaking £87.5 million return of Pogba from Juventus and the £35 million purchase of Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund.

There were also Bailly, Ibrahimovic, and others. Their goal for the new season was not only to re-enter the top four but also to challenge for the top spot.

Chelsea's investment was also considerable, with a total expenditure of £118 million, ranking fourth among European clubs. Batshuayi, with a price tag of £32.5 million, became the king of the summer window.

Having just achieved a miraculous title win, several key players from Leicester City were poached. Kante ultimately joined the Blues, along with David Luiz and others.

Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham also made moves. The transfer activity of other Premier League teams far exceeded that of La Liga clubs, with the total transaction amount even exceeding £1 billion, occupying more than one-tenth of the entire European football market.

In La Liga, Real Madrid's reconstruction was also progressing rapidly. With Ancelotti's contract expiring and him leaving, Zidane took over as the coach.

After letting go of Wang Feng, they sent Higuaín to Juventus for a staggering €90 million, setting a new transfer record for the Bianconeri club.

This transfer fee was closely related to his just-won La Liga and European Golden Boot.

Meanwhile, veteran Arbeloa's contract expired, and he immediately joined West Ham United to continue shining.

While retaining most of their championship-winning core, they also supplemented Ronaldo. They bought Benzema from Manchester United for €72 million to fill the gap left by Higuaín's departure.

It was rumored that this transfer was strongly recommended by the Portuguese star to Florentino, as the two had a tacit understanding during their time at Manchester United.

Of course, there were also his own considerations. Currently, most of the main lineup consisted of comrades who fought alongside Wang Feng. Ronaldo, as a newcomer, needed his own companions for a sense of security.

Pepe counted as one, plus the newly signed Benzema; these were his mainstays to establish himself.

Barcelona was the most high-profile club in this summer's La Liga transfer market. With the departure of the Chinese superstar from Real Madrid, the Catalans felt as if the sky had cleared. They couldn't wait to arm themselves and avenge the dark decade.

Transfer ban? Appeals continued to delay, insufficient funds? There's nothing that leverage can't solve; if one deal isn't enough, then add another one.

Throughout the summer window, Catalan clubs spent a total of €122 million, buying André Gomes for €35 million, Paco Alcácer for €30 million, and Umtiti for €25 million.

There were also Digne, Cillessen, and D. Suarez, among others. Barcelona believed that without that man, tragedy would not repeat itself!

In Serie A, Juventus remained the club with the highest investment, spending a total of €162 million, second only to the Manchester duo.

In addition to bringing in Higuaín, they also snatched Pjanic from Roma for €32 million and Pjaca from Dinamo Zagreb for €23 million.

Inter Milan experienced several years of recovery and gradually stabilized in the top ranks of the league. The FengYao Group also increased its investment.

First, they bought João Mário from Sporting Lisbon for €40 million, then brought Candreva from Lazio for €22 million.

With additions like Dodo, Ansaldi, and Brozovic, their total expenditure also exceeded €100 million.

AC Milan was more cautious, with spending not exceeding €30 million. Most of the players joined through free transfers and loan returns. Their investment was even less than that of Napoli.

In the Bundesliga, in recent seasons, due to outstanding performances in the Champions League, the league successfully surpassed the Premier League, ranking second in the European League Rankings.

Unlike the lavish spending of clubs like Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, Bundesliga teams have relied more on excellent youth training over the years, so their investments in the transfer market have been lukewarm.

This year, the biggest spender wasn't Bayern Munich but Borussia Dortmund, the "Yellow and Black Hornets." They signed a total of 12 players, with total expenditures reaching €102 million.

Whether it was the fans or the management, they all deeply missed the days of the youthful storm. Increasing investment to break Bayern's monopoly was imperative.

Bayern spent €97 million, including the €47 million from Werder Bremen for Huang Hu.

On the other hand, at the age of 31, Dong Fangzhuo chose not to renew his contract with the team and joined Cologne on a free transfer.

It was a wise choice for both domestic fans and the player himself. The younger generation was taking over from the older generation.

So far, Dong Fangzhuo has won five league titles, four DFB-Pokals, and two DFL-Supercups, and has even been ranked in the top three in the world. In any case, his professional career has been fulfilling.

Entering his thirties, his strength declined year by year. Choosing a mid-table Bundesliga team meant he didn't have to start from scratch in adapting to the environment and could enter semi-retirement mode.

If he didn't want to participate in the World Cup two years later, perhaps he would have chosen to return home.

For Huang Hu, a completely new challenge and unknown adventures awaited him. Bayern provided a big platform, but the competition was fierce. This was the first time a Chinese star abandoned the idea of stability and actively sought to excel.

Because he knew that if he didn't take this step, he would forever be limited to where he was, after all, at the age of 24, he could no longer be called a young player.