Premier League Spending Down £100m
Premier League clubs spending in this year’s summer transfer window was the lowest for four years, decreasing by £100m (22%) on last year.??
According to a study by Deloitte, overall spending by English clubs was around £350m, of which £126m (36%) was spent by cash-rich Manchester City on players such as Yaya Toure and David Silva.??
Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, commented: ‘Premier League clubs’ spending in this transfer window has been restrained at around £350m, after three years in which the clubs had spent £450-500m each summer. In general, an absence of new owners and clubs striving to improve their financial balance has diminished the vibrancy of the transfer market.’??
However, when reflecting on the level of net spending that flows from Premier League clubs to non-English clubs, Jones said: ‘Whilst the headline figure for player transfer spending is 22% down, the level of net spending by Premier League clubs of £190m is actually more than double that in summer 2009 and similar to the levels in each of 2008 and 2007.’
‘Last year’s net transfer spending of £80m was lower in particular due to Premier League clubs in receipt of £110m in transfer fees from Real Madrid alone.’
Clubs from Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s Primera Liga have reportedly spent around £260m and £240m respectively during the window – also highlighting a 25% decrease in spending.??
English Football League clubs are believed to have invested around £30m in transfers this summer, however they only received a net inflow of around £25m, significantly down on the same period last year which was £70m.
