Deloitte reports that clubs committed around £30 million more this summer than in 2007 – a six per cent increase and around double that of each of the previous summer transfer windows since 2003 with Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly spending more than £30 million each on player acquisitions over the period.
Director of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, Paul Rawnsley, said: “Last summer saw a new record level of transfer spending that was fuelled by the new TV monies and new owners. This trend has continued with this summer's transfer spending £30 million higher at £500 million. This level of transfer spending is far in excess of other European Leagues. With the majority of their revenues streams already contractually secured, English football clubs are proving resilient to the current challenging economic environment. Whilst football is not recession-proof, it is recession-resistant”.
Premier league clubs have spent around £215 million on players from within the league, according to the report. This intra-Premier League spending represents over 40 per cent of the total committed transfer activity – up on the third of total spending it accounted for in previous windows.
Overall, the Premier League's transfer spending far exceeded that of other European leagues – with clubs spending almost double the amount of their rivals in Italy's Serie A and Spain's Primera Liga.
