Liverpool were one of only three Premier League sides to be in a 'net receipt' position this summer, new data published by Deloitte emphasis, as virtually all sides accrued a transfer spend deficit to bring in new recruits.
Jurgen Klopp opted to keep his powder dry this summer, spending minimal funds on teenage centre back Sepp van den Berg and Fulham's Harvey Elliot, who only turned 16 in April.
Adrian arrived from West Ham on a free transfer, making an unexpected debut in his first league game for his new club as first choice Alisson was substituted with a calf injury.
Only Chelsea, subject to a transfer ban, and Crystal Palace, following the £50million sale of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and a slowdown in spending, were in the black alongside Liverpool this summer.
By contrast, five clubs saw their gross spending top £100million.
Arsenal (£155m), Manchester City (£150m), Manchester United (£145m), Aston Villa (£125m) and Everton (£110m) all spent big, with their outlays representing 49% of the aggregate gross player transfer expenditure by Premier League clubs.
In all, Premier League clubs spent £1.41 billion in the 2019 summer transfer window, with this splurge falling narrowly short of the £1.43 billion record set in summer 2017.
"This summer’s player transfer expenditure represents the second-highest spend since the introduction of the transfer window system in 2003," Deloitte notes.
Klopp's gross spending has topped £300million in the last two seasons, as he built a solid spine that should endure for half a decade or more.
But the German chose not to reshuffle his pack this summer, despite offloading Danny Ings for £20m and Simon Mignolet for £6m, allowing Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno to run down their contracts and loaning out youngsters Harry Wilson and Marko Grujic.
Dejan Lovren also continues to be linked with a move away, with other European leagues still free to do business.
As Liverpool gear up to defend their Champions League crown, the club has watched on as those in the continent also spent big to revamp their squads.
As of deadline day last week, La Liga teams were the next highest spending league behind the Premier League, with a reported gross spend of around £1.1 billion,
No prizes for guessing that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, contributed the majority - two-thirds - of the overall spending to date, fuelle by the signings of João Félix (Benfica to Atlético Madrid - £113m), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid to FC Barcelona - £107m) and Eden Hazard (Chelsea to Real Madrid - £89m).
Meanwhile, spending has also ramped up in Serie A (c.£935m), the Bundesliga (c.£605m) and Ligue 1 (c.£375m), which fall far behind the Premier League's lucrative broadcasting agreements.
"Liverpool and Chelsea have been less active, with the former satisfied with the squad that were Champions of Europe and runners-up in the Premier League and the latter subject to a transfer ban, Deloitte notes.
Net spending is actually at its lowest level since 2015, the auditor notes, driven by factors including Liverpool's choice not to spend big.
