Premier League spending in the January transfer window fell
for the first time since 2012, with clubs paying a total of £180 million ($235
million) for new players, according to football finance experts at Deloitte.
Nearly a third of the total expenditure was accounted for by
Chelsea’s outlay of around £55 million for Christian Pulisic from Borussia
Dortmund, according to the figures.
Last year’s winter transfer window saw top-flight clubs
spend £430 million, with big-money moves including defender Virgil van Dijk to
Liverpool for £75 million.
However, most of the major transactions this January saw
players leaving Premier League sides, with Brahim Diaz moving from Manchester
City to Real Madrid, Mousa Dembele moving to Guangzhou R&F from Tottenham
and Schalke buying Manchester City’s Rabbi Matondo.
Tim Bridge, director in the Sports Business Group at
Deloitte, said: “As we approach a decisive phase of the season, Premier League
clubs’ January transfer spending has been relatively muted in comparison to
what we have seen in previous years.”
January spending was at £225 million in 2011 but fell to £60
million in the following year.
It doubled the following year, and remained steady at £130
million in 2014 and 2015, before jumping significantly.
The £180 million transfer bill means total gross spending by
Premier League clubs in the 2018/19 season is an estimated £1.4 billion, the
second-highest season ever following record spend of £1.9 billion in 2017/18.
Other findings from Deloitte included the so-called “Big
Six” clubs accounting for 43 per cent of the January expenditure, lower than
last year when this figure stood at 62 per cent.
Newcastle United’s signing of Paraguay midfielder Miguel
Almiron was the biggest deal to go through on deadline day on Thursday, for a
reported £20 million.
Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi, who spent the first half of
the season on loan at Valencia, returned to England on a temporary deal with
Crystal Palace.
(AFP)
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