Writing in the Guardian, Jonathan Liew argues that Premier League clubs are paying record sums for central midfielders this summer while the overall standard of the position declines relative to the rest of European football. He points to Manchester City's club-record £125m signing of Enzo Fernández from Chelsea, alongside big-money moves such as Elliot Anderson's £116m switch from Nottingham Forest, as evidence of a "Barclays tax" — a premium clubs pay for players already proven in the Premier League rather than for outstanding raw talent.

Other notable spends include Tottenham's £92.5m deal for Sandro Tonali and £85m for Mateus Fernandes, Manchester United's additions of Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans, and Arsenal's comparatively modest £75m purchase of Bruno Guimarães. Liew contrasts these fees with the calibre of midfielders playing abroad, such as Vitinha, João Neves, Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Rodri and Joshua Kimmich, arguing that few, if any, of this summer's Premier League signings match the standard of past greats like Vieira, Keane, Lampard, Gerrard, De Bruyne or Kanté.