January Transfers | Key points
HARD-UP top-flight clubs tightened their belts in the January transfer window, spending a fraction of what they have in previous years.
Premier League outfits spent a total of £30m in January, compared to the downturn-defying £170m splashed out just a year earlier. To illustrate the dramatic change this year, in 2008 teams spent £150m.
This time around there were no deals of £10m or more, compared seven last January, and only two of over £5m (Tottenham’s signing of Younes Kaboul from Portsmouth and Manchester City’s signing of Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough). Of the seven last January, three were by Manchester City (Nigel de Jong, Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bridge), three from Tottenham (Wilson Palacios, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane) and one from Arsenal (Andrey Arshavin).
Spending between Premier League clubs accounts for around half of all Premier League clubs’ transfer spending.
Premier League clubs’ net transfer spend was just £10m (down from £45m in 2009), being the net amount that flows to non-English clubs and Football League clubs.
Around 70 per cent of Premier League clubs’ player transactions (both in and out) in January 2010 were loan arrangements.
None of the so-called Big Four spent any money, with only Arsenal and Liverpool signing anyone at all, and then they were free transfers (Sol Campbell and Maxi Rodriguez).
The change reflects the huge debts facing a number of clubs. West Ham owe around £110m while Portsmouth face a winding-up order.
Despite a significant reduction in money spent on transfers, Premier League clubs have still far out-spent the top divisions in France, Germany and Spain in the January window. Italian Serie A clubs, however, have reportedly spent £37m on transfers.
Figures courtesy of Deloitte