If there is one thing that soccer has shown time and again is that spending big sums on transfers is not a guarantee of success. Manchester United, Chelsea, and PSG are examples of clubs that spent heavily without immediate results. In fact, it took Manchester City years of spending and tweaking before they could find the right balance for the side. Here are some examples of how clubs tried and failed to spend their way to success:
Tottenham Hotspur 2013/14
If there was ever a cautionary tale for overspending, Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 is the one. The Spurs spent over a 100 million pounds trying to build a top-level squad. The takeaway for them and any other club is how difficult and almost impossible it is to build a squad in a single season. The club brought in seven new players, all from outside the Premier League that needed more than a single season to settle in.
Liverpool 2014/15
At the of the 2014/15 season, Liverpool finished 6th after spending 117 million pounds on new players. The reds came close to the title in the previous season but lost Suarez, their key player. Unfortunately, the club signed seven new players in an attempt to balance out the squad and replace Suarez. It was telling that Liverpool lost the final game of the season 6-1 to Stoke City.
It takes more than just transfers and money to build a balanced squad. Like in other team sports, it takes years to build and mold a successful outfit that wins championships.