Comparing Liverpool and Arsenal’s net spend since Klopp arrived, 2015

Liverpool and Arsenal have both enjoyed fluctuating fortunes in the last seven years so we've had a look at their net transfer spend since Jurgen Klopp took over at the Merseyside club in October 2015.

Until the last 12 months, Arsenal were known for spending huge amounts of money inconsistently, meaning that their huge squad was overpaid and underperforming.

Under the management of Mikel Arteta, the Gunners have ruthlessly culled a number of big names and have built a squad that went into October as Premier League leaders.

But, since 2015, it cannot be argued that Liverpool haven't leapfrogged their rivals, in part thanks to the club's more careful transfer decisions.

Arsenal finished above the Reds in the majority of Premier League seasons before Klopp's arrival at Anfield but Liverpool invested in a number of players that have become legends at the club.

The Merseysiders clinched the Champions League in 2018-19 with a squad that included clever acquisitions like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and then went on to finally win their first Premier League the following season.

They then suffered from an injury crisis in 2020-21 but came storming back last season, winning the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as making it to the Champions League final and taking the Premier League race to the final day.

Klopp strengthened again over the summer, bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica as their flagship signing. But, while Nunez has been slow to acclimatise to English football, Liverpool has also lost a heavy hitter in Mane and have made a stuttering start to the season.

Arsenal invested heavily this summer and the signings of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been instant hits. The Gunners go into Sunday's match 11 points ahead of Liverpool after a stunning start to the 2022-23 campaign.

But what about the difference in transfer spending between Arsenal and Liverpool in recent years?

We've had a look at the figures from Transfermarkt and picked out the five biggest purchases and five biggest sales for both clubs since Klopp arrived in October 2015, as well as figured out the net spend for both clubs.

Liverpool

Five Biggest Purchases

1. Virgil van Dijk – £76.19milion

2. Darwin Nunez – £67.5million

3. Alisson – £56.25million

4. Naby Keita – £54million

5. Luis Diaz – £42.3million

Five Biggest Sales

1. Philippe Coutinho – £121.5million

2. Sadio Mane – £28.8million

3. Christian Benteke – £28.08million

4. Mamadou Sakho – £25.38million

5. Danny Ings – £22.59million

Total Spent: £643.06million

Total Sold: £435.74million

Total Net Spend: £207.32million

Arsenal

Five Biggest Purchases

1. Nicolas Pepe – £72milion

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £57.38million

3. Ben White – £52.65million

4. Alexandre Lacazette – £47.7million

5. Gabriel Jesus – £46.98million

Five Biggest Sales

1. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £34.2million

2. Alexis Sanchez – £31.5million

3. Alex Iwobi – £27.36million

4. Joe Willock – £26.46million

5. Theo Walcott – £20.25million

Total Spent: £814.3million

Total Sold: £278.52million

Total Net Spend: £535.78million