How Sunderland and West Ham’s summer spending compares ahead of Premier League clash
Sunderland are set to take on West Ham in their opening Premier League game after an eight-year absence from England’s top flight.
After making a number of first-team signings this summer, Regis Le Bris will be hoping that his side is ready to take on the Hammers at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, 16 August.
The London side, under Graham Potter, have not been that active in the window, but will be looking to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish.
Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra among the marquee arrivals at the Stadium of Light
Seeking Premier League experience, Sunderland opted to sign former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Black Cats paid Bayer Leverkusen £17.3million to secure the services of the Switzerland international.
Habib Diarra was Sunderland’s most expensive signing of the window, as they signed him for a club-record £30million fee from Strasbourg.
Simon Adingra also joined from Brighton, adding much-needed quality on the left wing.
They paid £21million to the Seagulls to sign the 23-year-old Ivory Coast international.
Enzo Le Fee, Chemsdine Talbi, Noah Sadiki, Robin Roefs, Reinildo Mandava, Arthur Masuaku and Marc Guiu also moved to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland have outspent West Ham this summer
On the other hand, West Ham made just four first-team signings, two of them arriving on free transfers.
The first signing of the window was El Hadji Malick Diouf, who joined for £19million from Slavia Prague.
| Player | Former Club | Fee |
| Habib Diarra | Strasbourg | £30m |
| Simon Adingra | Brighton | £21m |
| Enzo Le Fee | AS Roma | £20m |
| Chemsdine Talbi | Club Brugge | £19.5m |
| Noah Sadiki | Union Saint-Gilloise | £17.75m |
| Granit Xhaka | Bayer Leverkusen | £17.3m |
| Robin Roefs | NEC Nijmegen | £11.5m |
| Reinildo Mandava | Atletico Madrid | Free |
| Arthur Masuaku | Besiktas | Free |
| Marc Guiu | Chelsea | Loan |
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen joined for a £20million fee as Potter wanted a new number one for the upcoming season.
Along with him, Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson joined on free transfers.
In total, the Hammers spent £39million while Sunderland shelled out £137.05million.
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