EPL clubs on buying spree

– Premier League clubs spent a record £430 million in the January transfer window as top sides scrambled to boost their squads in the race to secure lucrative Champions League spots, according to analysis by Deloitte.

The sum spent was nearly double the previous record of £225m, with deadline day alone, January 31, seeing clubs complete deals totalling £150m, also a new record for the winter window.

Deloitte’s Sports Business Group estimates spending by Premier League clubs in the 2017/18 season to be a record £1.9 billion, eclipsing last season’s record of £1.4bn.

The winter transfer window usually sees the bulk of spending by clubs at the bottom of the league as they attempt to spend their way to survival from relegation, although last month’s splurge is more like a normal summer window.

“Such is the level of competition for a top-four position in the Premier League, as well as ongoing European battles, that top clubs have been willing to break with summer investment strategies to steal a march on their rivals mid-season, with several club transfer records being broken in this window,” said Jones.

He added that international trade had flourished, with the highest-ever January gross overseas outlay in Premier League history (£260m), but also the highest amount of January receipts from abroad (£185m), with names such as Philippe Coutinho (below) and Diego Costa leaving England and (Aymeric) Laporte and (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang arriving.

Brazilian midfielder Coutinho moved from Liverpool to Barcelona after five seasons at Anfield, while Chelsea striker Diego Costa left for Atletico Madrid.

Manchester City spent £57m on Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte and Aubameyang signed for Arsenal for £56m.

Liverpool lined up the costliest deal of the month, signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m. – AFP

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