Spending at Premier League clubs fell to a 12-year low in January, after three successive record breaking seasons.
According to financial services firm Deloitte, the top 20 clubs spent a total of £100m, the lowest amount spent in January in a non-pandemic season since 2011-12 when they spent £60m and more than they spent last year. This was significantly lower than the £843m figure.
Just £30m of the disclosed fees were disbursed on the day of the deadline, an even bigger reduction compared to the £275m disbursed on the same day 12 months earlier.
Only 17 permanent transfers were made by Premier League clubs during this period, with 13 loan deals including seven permanent transfers and six loans made by deadline day.
Despite January's relatively modest spending, the 2023-24 season remains the second-most expensive in terms of transfers in history, with a total of £2.5bn spent over both transfer windows. The club's spending this summer was a record.
Other notable numbers include:
- English Football League (EFL) window spending fell to £15m compared to £25m in January 2023
- Spending across the remaining European 'big five' leagues (Italy's Serie A, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1 and Germany's Bundesliga) will rise from £218m in January 2023 to £300m. This increased to £88m.
- Among Europe's 'big five' clubs, Ligue 1 clubs had the highest total transfer fees at £162 million, followed by the Premier League (£100 million), Serie A (£85 million) and Bundesliga (£85 million). La Liga (£70 million) and La Liga (£70 million).
- It was the first time since 2019 that the Premier League was not the world's biggest spending league in January, and the first time since the summer of 2011 that the Premier League was not Europe's biggest spending league.
- Saudi Pro League clubs spent significantly less in the January transfer window this year (£21.3m) compared to the £853m paid in the 2023 summer transfer window.
Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's sports business group, said: “After record spending in the last three transfer windows, spending by Premier League clubs has been subdued in January this year.” Ta.
“The more cautious approach is likely due to significant spending over the summer period, but may also be influenced by increased awareness of the Premier League's financial regulations and the potential impact of non-compliance. be.
“While securing the highest quality player talent remains extremely important for Premier League clubs, we have seen throughout this period that player retention is a priority over attraction. ”
Financial rules have a chilling effect
Billing is overdue Everton and Nottingham Forest There are allegations of breaches of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), which is likely to have had a chilling effect on spending.
Under the top-flight PSR, clubs are only allowed to lose £105m over three years.
The Toffees are 10 points deduction In November, the club was cited for violating the league's financial rules in accounting for the 2021-22 season. The decision was appealed.
Everton and Forest were then charged last month with account breaches for the 2022-23 season, with the case expected to be disposed of before the end of the season.
Why else is spending decreasing?
Other factors that may have contributed to lower spending include:
- A quiet month for overseas leagues including Saudi Arabia – So there is less money floating around in the market
- New UEFA cost controls introduced this season – Clubs competing in Europe must limit spending to 90% of club revenue, reducing to 70% by 2025.
- There have been only two managerial changes this season. – Means there are fewer new managers looking to bring in their players compared to last year's 11
- Continuous recording window – Teams are naturally strong, meaning they don't require large investments
- Spending typically decreases in January – Record spending in 2023 is the exception rather than the rule when compared to spending in previous periods
- Rise of young players – Clubs have utilized their academies rather than bringing in talented players, with players such as Conor Bradley, Lewis Miley and Oscar Bobb establishing themselves in the first team.
Will spending continue to decline?
Professor Rob Wilson, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told BBC Sport: “There's so much pressure on these clubs that I think what we're saving is a wasted summer.” Told.
“We've seen the news about Everton and their 10-point deduction, the extra fees for Everton and Nottingham Forest, the huge amount of pressure the Premier League is under from the government in terms of an independent regulator, so everyone is a bit scared. What to do now.
“Managers and sporting directors will look closely at the PSR calculations and consider whether they can spend a little more in the summer.
“You would imagine that there will be more spending in the summer, but I don't think it will necessarily reach the multi-billion pound levels that we have seen over the past number of years.”
Callum Ross, assistant director in Deloitte's sports business group, said: “The domino effect created by big-ticket transfers and the desire to improve on-pitch performance towards the end of the season typically drives down transfer spending. A key driver, but this was not reflected in January's sluggish transfer window.
“Looking ahead to this summer transfer window and the new financial year, we expect spending to return to levels similar to those seen in the past two record summer transfer windows.”
What trades were made on deadline day?
The biggest permanent deal on deadline day was Crystal Palace signing the Blackburn midfielder Adam Wharton The initial price is £18 million but could rise to £22 million.
This is in sharp contrast to Chelsea's then-UK record £107m deal for Benfica's Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandes, who was the biggest signing on deadline day in January 2023.
Aston Villa sign forward morgan rogers He was acquired from Middlesbrough in a deal worth £8m, which could rise to £15m.Villa have also signed Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci and full-back from Adelaide United. Lino Souza The England Under-19 international was immediately loaned to Championship side Plymouth from Arsenal.
Other notable deadline sales include:
What was the biggest transfer in January?
The most eye-catching deals were the following high-profile loans: calvin phillips Borussia Dortmund re-sign English winger from Manchester City to West Ham Jason Sancho from Manchester United Eric Dyer Transferred from Tottenham to Bayern Munich.
Tottenham have made their biggest permanent transfer in a low-key window, signing a 21-year-old Romanian defender. Radu Dragushin Signed from Italian side Genoa for £25m.They also signed a German striker Timo Werner Transferred from RB Leipzig on loan until the end of the season.
Many of the other permanent deals involved young players, including a 19-year-old Argentine winger/fullback. Valentin Barco Manchester City sign Argentina Under-17 midfielder after joining Brighton from Boca Juniors for £7.9m Claudio Echeverri From River Plate.
