TA: The Premier League is also in an arms race at the level of training facilities, and players take this very seriously before transferring.

Hupu reported on October 14th that TheAthleticUK Premier League reporter team wrote an exclusive column about the training facilities.

Times have changed. Today, the training ground is becoming a measure of a team's quality - especially when it comes to attracting new players. Before players join, the club's recruitment team will usually provide them with a video tour to give them an idea of ​​what's to come, usually with, you know, beautifully done PPTs and soundtracks.

A key factor in Wirtz's decision to move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen this summer was that in November last year, the day after playing a Champions League game at Anfield, he came to Kirkby Complex in Merseyside for training. He was impressed by the excellent facilities there.

Similarly, Belgium goalkeeper Sene Lamenz also mentioned Manchester United's base at Carrington - which underwent a £50 million upgrade in the summer - as one of the reasons for his move.

They are far from alone.

The Athletic consulted numerous club recruitment figures for this article - some of whom requested anonymity to protect their positions - and they say players are paying more attention than ever to the day-to-day facilities provided by clubs and using these to decide on their next move.

This is especially true for young players because they have not seen much and their development and careers still have a long way to go.

One recruitment source likened young players' visits to suitors' training grounds to a "college open day", a time when clubs compete to show off the best parts of their facilities.

This helps explain the informal training ground "arms race" in the Premier League, with rivals trying to match or outdo each other in order to attract the best talent to join them and persuade their existing stars to stay.

Manchester United knows the cost of falling behind. As Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester United in 2022, he claims Carrington is "stagnant" and "nothing has changed" since his first move to Real Madrid 13 years ago.

These criticisms appear to have been taken seriously. Carrington is now equipped with cutting-edge technology—from touch-screen training programs and underwater treadmills, to "smart" urinals for monitoring players' hydration.

The new high-altitude training room, equipped with bikes and rowing machines, is said to be one of the largest of its kind in elite sport.

The medical facilities include a nine-bed treatment room overlooking the first-team training ground, as well as state-of-the-art MRI, CT and full-body scanners. Additionally, there are four recovery pools, as well as upgraded sauna and steam room areas to provide optimal recovery results.

Liverpool have adopted the same strategy, leaving Melwood in 2020 for the £50 million AXA training center in nearby Kirkby.

There are three full-size courts, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a spa, professional sports rehabilitation suites and dedicated staff office space. The establishment of the cafe has been welcomed by the players and is considered to be one of the factors for the team to win the Premier League title in the 2024-25 season.

In many ways, the competition for the most advanced and well-equipped training grounds is as fierce as the battle for the Premier League title itself.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are strong, followed by Arsenal and Chelsea, but Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Leicester City - the latter of which has a new £100 million training center to open in 2021 - are also front-runners.

Bournemouth recently opened their new £32 million headquarters, while Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United have also undergone extensive refurbishments of their facilities.

These investments are huge, but they are also smart investments. Spending on infrastructure improvements such as training ground upgrades is not included in the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rule (PSR) calculations, with clubs seeing value in investing more in facilities, which should safeguard the health (and value) of their most valuable assets - their players.

It is often much easier and faster for them to rebuild or build entirely new training centers, which are often located in brownfield or semi-rural areas, while stadiums may be in urban areas and present many planning hurdles.

For example, Crystal Palace built a new £20 million academy in 19 months, widely hailed as one of the best facilities in the UK.

In contrast, nearly eight years have passed since they announced plans to rebuild a stand at Selhurst Park, and there has been little substantial progress on the project.

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