Football clubs shun January sales

SPENDING on new players by Premier League football clubs during the January transfer window is set to fall for the first time since 2012, according to Deloitte.

Gross spending by top-flight clubs in the January window is £105 million, compared to £175 million spent at the same point last year.

A record £430 million was spent on players for the 2018 winter window, with

Liverpool’s £75 million purchase of defender Virgil van Dijk among the notable deals. The expected fall in player deals this month will ensure that spending for this season will be down on 2017/18, when a record £1.9billion was spent during the summer and winter transfer windows. So far, clubs’ spending for this season stands at £1.3billion.

Deloitte partner Dan Jones said: “Premier League clubs’ January spending to date has been muted, possibly as a result of the relatively stable positions of the top six clubs in the table. At the same time, there is a lack of available squad-enhancing talent in the wider transfer market in mid-season.”

He predicted that deals will increase as Thursday’s deadline approaches: “This will most likely be driven by clubs looking to bolster their squads to either maintain Premier League status or make a final push for promotion. This is likely to include a number of loan deals as well as permanent transfers.”

In January 2012, the 20 clubs in the Premier League spent £60 million on new players.