English soccer hit record deals

PREMIER League clubs have shelled out a record £1.4-billion (R23-billion) in transfers this season, according to a report yesterday that warned of overreliance on big Chinese spending.

The Deloitte consultancy study said top-tier English sides made $50-million in profit from the January transfer window, the first time they have come out of the football horse-trading in the black.

The market closed on Tuesday night with Southampton swooping for Napoli’s Italy forward Manolo Gabbiadini for at least £14-million, while Burnley completed the reported clubrecord £13-million signing of Norwich winger Robbie Brady.

Deloitte said total gross spending by Premier League clubs for the 2016/17 season is now almost £1.4-billion, smashing the previous record of £1-billion set last season.

The latest eye-watering outlay was “far in excess of any other league in world football”, said Dan Jones of Deloitte’s sports business department.

In all, the 20 Premier League clubs spent £215-million on new players during the market from January 1 until Tuesday, Deloitte said, the second-highest amount for this window since 2011.

The bottom-six teams fighting for their Premier League lives – Hull City, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Swansea, reigning champions Leicester City and Middlesbrough – accounted for more than 50% of the January sales spending.

But the Premier League still came out in the black as a whole. Sales of Oscar, Dimitri Payet, Odion Ighalo and Memphis Depay have helped Premier League clubs record net receipts for the first time in a transfer window,” said Jones. –