Liverpool’s significant transfer spending this summer reflects years of strategic planning, according to club CEO Billy Hogan, who emphasized that matching a record 20th English top-flight title last season signaled the moment for the club to operate as a modern football powerhouse.

The recent signing of French striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79 million, including add-ons, has pushed Liverpool’s transfer expenditure to nearly £300 million this window.

The club is also reportedly considering a £100 million-plus move for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. Player sales, including the departure of six players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, have so far generated approximately £64 million.

This aggressive spending marks a shift from Liverpool’s typically cautious transfer approach, but Hogan insists it aligns with the club’s commitment to financial sustainability. “It doesn’t just happen; it’s been years in the making,” Hogan told The Athletic in an interview.

“One of the things we’re constantly focused on is that ‘virtuous circle’. Trying to run the club in the right way to ensure that we can generate as much revenue as we possibly can. That helps in terms of being able to put more back into the team,” he said.

“The difficulty is if you just look at one individual summer. That probably skews the data. There were a lot of comments made last summer that we didn’t spend enough…”

Hogan stressed that this approach reflects the ambitions of the American-led Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who aim to build on last season’s Premier League success under manager Arne Slot.

“We also recognise, having won the English league title for the 20th time, that this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We want to make sure that we are behaving like one,” he added.

“Having massive global stars come and play at Anfield, filling out stadiums in Hong Kong and Japan, those are things we expect and want to do.”