Fear of missing out on the English Premier League’s huge television money bonanza this year has propelled transfer spending beyond ￡1 billion (US$1.43 billion) for the first time.
England’s 20 elite clubs have collectively spent more than ￡1 billion on new players in the season’s two transfer windows, financial consultants Deloitte revealed before the mid-season transfer deadline fell on Monday.
English top-flight clubs broke new ground by shelling out ￡870 million on new talent in the close-season transfer window last year — a rise of 4 percent on the previous record, established the previous summer.
Together they splurged about ￡172 million in last month’s window, tipping Premier League spending into 10-figure territory and further confirming England’s status as soccer’s financial powerhouse, where 17 of the world’s 30 richest clubs reside, according to the latest data.
However, whereas close-season spending was driven by the leading clubs — Manchester City twice breaking their transfer record to sign Raheem Sterling (￡44 million rising to ￡49 million) and Kevin de Bruyne (￡55 million); Manchester United betting the house on unheralded French teenager Anthony Martial (￡36 million rising to ￡61.5 million) — in January it has been a different story.
Sky and BT Sport’s blockbuster ￡5.14 billion domestic TV rights deal kicks in at the start of next season, with the sale of overseas rights — expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks — set to swell that figure to ￡8 billion for the period from this year to 2019.
It means that the cost of relegation has never been higher, and it is the clubs at the wrong end of the Premier League table who have been opening their wallets the most eagerly during the mid-season transfer period.
Newcastle United, third from bottom ahead of last night’s fixtures, have been the top spenders, parting with about ￡29 million to sign England pair Andros Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey, and Senegal midfielder Henri Saivet.
The Premier League’s other northeast representatives, Sunderland, have brought in five players, including a ￡9 million swoop for Tunisian playmaker Wahbi Khazri from Girondins de Bordeaux.
Bournemouth broke their transfer record by paying about ￡10 million to Wolverhampton Wanderers for former Arsenal youth-team striker Benik Afobe, while Norwich City, Swansea City and Watford have also been active.
The biggest deal of the window was Stoke City’s club-record ￡18.3 million capture of French midfielder Giannelli Imbula from Porto, which was confirmed shortly before the window shut.
Although surprise frontrunners Leicester City have bolstered their ranks with Ghana defender Daniel Amartey and 19-year-old English winger Demarai Gray, the big boys have kept their powder dry.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool made low-key additions, while United and City did no business of note.
In the Premier League this year, it is fear of the void, rather than the pursuit of glory, that is driving spending to new heights.
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