THE January transfer window is usually a good time for managers to bolster their squads ahead of the remainder of the season – but 2024 has been a little different.
England’s top clubs spent a staggering £815million in the 2023 January transfer window which was almost double the previous year.
GettyChelsea spent big in January 2023[/caption]
Chelsea a large percentage of that expenditure after splashing £195m on just Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk.
However, spending has significantly dipped this year across all of the top leagues in Europe.
And SunSport can provide the reasons along with what has been the lowest amount spent in a January transfer window.
What is the lowest amount spent in the January transfer window?
Since the introduction of the January transfer window in 2003, the lowest amount spent by Premier League clubs stands at £34.8m during the 2009/10 campaign.
And the 2002/03 season has the current second lowest with a total of £45.9m being spent.
But shockingly, 2024 ranks 20th of the 22 January transfer windows for expenditure as English top-flight clubs have only spent approximately £55m on the morning of deadline day.
Why are teams not spending much this year?
Teams are reportedly having difficulties spending this year as they are more wary of Financial Fair Play (FFP).
Everton breached the FFP rules and as a result, they were handed a 10-point deduction
FFP – or Financial Fair Play – is a concept originally introduced by Uefa in 2009, officially to prevent clubs from spending money they could not afford.
The Premier League introduced its own FFP regulations which came into effect for the 2013-14 season and which, while less stringent than Uefa regulations, they do impact on club spending.
And under the current Prem “Profitability and Sustainability” regulations, clubs who are constant members of the top flight for a three-year period are allowed total losses of £105m over those three campaigns.
What are the biggest deals of the 2024 January transfer window?
Tottenham have been the busiest this January having spent £26.7m on ex-Genoa defender Radu Dragusin and recruiting former Chelsea star Timo Werner on loan.
Manchester City splashed £12.5m on Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri.
And Aston Villa bought Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade for £7.8m.