Latest figures from Deloitte show the ‘COVID effect’ on Premier League clubs is over as they spend £295m on players during the January transfer window – the second-highest figure ever. Tony McDonough reports
Premier League (PL) clubs spent £295m on players in the January transfer window – the second-highest for the period in the division’s history.
In January 2021, still in the midst of the pandemic, PL clubs spent just £70m and this year’s figure is more than four times higher. However the gross figure for this window is still well below the record of £430m set in the 2017/18 season.
Figures from accountant firm Deloitte show expenditure (player purchases less player sales) for PL clubs during January was £180m. This is the highest-ever figure since the January transfer window was introduced in 2003.
Both Liverpool and Everton were busy during the window. Attacker Luis Diaz joined Liverpool from Porto in a deal initially worth £40m. The Anfield outfit also saw Nat Phillips and Neco Williams join Bournemouth and Fulham respectively in loan deals. Liverpool spent just £1.6m in January 2021.
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There was also movement over at Goodison Park where, in the last few days, Frank Lampard has taken over as manager, replacing Rafa Benitez. Vitaliy Mykolenko joins from Dynamo Kiev for £21m, Scotland right back Nathan Patterson comes from Rangers in a £12.6m deal.
Midfielder Dele Alli joins from Spurs, initially on a free transfer, with a possible free once he has played 20 games. Donny van de Beek joins the Blues on a free transfer from Manchester United and winger Anwar El Ghazi joins from Aston Villa, also on a free. Everton sold Lucas Diane to Aston Villa for £27m. The club’s total spend is £33.6m.
Premier League gross spend for the 2021/22 season totals £1.4bn (combining summer 2021 and January 2022 transfer windows). This is around £85m higher than total gross spend in the 2020/21 season and is the third highest gross spend in a single season ever.
Gross transfer spend across the other ‘big five’ European leagues (La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) stands at a combined €380m, a €185m increase on January 2021, but still €280m below the total of January 2020 (€660m).
The five clubs currently at the bottom of the Premier League spent £150m in this year’s January transfer window, more than 50% of the total expenditure. Gross spend among these clubs is up £145m on that of clubs in the same position during last year’s January window, which contributed just 7% (£5m) of the overall total.
The total gross transfer expenditure for English Football League clubs during the January 2022 window totals £20m, £15m higher than January 2021, but only 57% of the total spend in January 2020 (£35m).
Dan Jones, partner and head of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “This transfer window indicates that the financial pressures of COVID on Premier League clubs are easing, with spending firmly back to pre-pandemic levels and remarkably among the highest we’ve ever seen in January.
“The Premier League continues to lead the way globally, retaining its status as the world’s biggest domestic football league in financial terms, once again supported by full stadia and securing strong overseas broadcast deals.
“Other large European leagues are also edging back to higher spending, but it is Premier League clubs that have notched up the largest total spend in this transfer window, spending almost £150m more than Serie A clubs, the closest competitor.”