The best Premier League team that seemingly money can buy is finding unexpectedly high levels of competition around them in the top flight of men’s pro soccer in England.
After spending a Premier League–record $598 million in transfer fees this summer, Liverpool is not only not in first place in the standings, but is also facing stiff challenges from several other challengers as the league enters an October international break.
The Reds, the defending league champion that broke Manchester City’s four-year hold on the title, have 15 standings points and are in second place after five wins and two losses in their seven matches thus far. Arsenal is one point ahead, but four other clubs are within one victory of equaling Liverpool.
Not unlike the heavy drama that surrounds each week of NFL play, questions are quickly rising about whether Liverpool’s offseason spending was misplaced after losses to Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the last two weeks.
Liverpool had been expected to run away with a repeat championship after that transfer spending represented more than 14% of the total Premier League outlay this summer of $4.16 billion.
Combined with an additional loss on Sept. 30 to Galatasaray in the Champions League, the Fenway Sports Group–controlled Liverpool has now dropped three consecutive matches. That slide is a first in the celebrated career of Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who, along with the 2025 Premier League title, has won a series of league and cup championships in his native Netherlands.
“Last year, everything was positive and everyone was happy,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. “Now, we have a blip, if you want to call it that, and we need everyone more than ever to support us and be there for us.”
Surprising Results Around the World
Greater competitive parity, however, has been emerging across many sports on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Major League Baseball’s best team in the regular season this year came from its smallest media market and No. 21 payroll. College football has seen its top two preseason teams fall out entirely of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Back in Europe, where men’s pro soccer has long been dominated by a handful of economically powerful clubs, Crystal Palace now is garnering notice with its sixth-place standing in the Premier League and its recent win over Liverpool.
The long-suffering club, whose home stadium, Selhurst Park, was used as Nelson Road in the Ted Lasso television series, continues to shock the sport after previously topping Manchester City in May for the 2025 FA Cup title. That win, the club’s first major domestic trophy, comes after Crystal Palace has not finished higher than 10th in the Premier League.
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