The closing of the transfer market has left an unappealable fact: the crisis seems to have affected all the leagues except the Premier League. The pandemic has been turning football upside down for some time and has been substantially noticed in this summer market.
Clubs have had to tighten their belts to strengthen their squads, although there are always exceptions. Despite the economic uncertainty generated by the coronavirus, in general terms, English teams cannot be said to have moderated their spending on transfers, being by far the ones that have invested the most.
The 3 most relevant data:
1- The most expensive player has been Havertz who has signed for Chelsea in exchange for 80 million
2- The Club that has invested the most in signings has been Chelsea with 247 million
3- The Club with the highest income from sales has been FC Barcelona with 115.5 million
In an atypical summer, marked by widespread austerity, English clubs have shown financial muscle thanks to a succulent television contract, investing almost 1,400 million euros, more than Serie A and LaLiga combined and staying close to the record of 1,560 'kilos' of 2019.
By contrast, the other leagues have had to drastically cut their spending on transfers. The teams of the Italian league, the second in investment with 763 million, have spent 35% less than last year.
Those of the French Ligue 1, with 449 million invested, have spent 37% less, while those of the Bundesliga are the ones that have scratched their pockets the least with a total of 321 million in transfers, 57% less compared to the previous year .
But without a doubt, where the virus 'hits' the most seems to be in Spain, given that LaLiga clubs have invested 69% less this year (405 million), staying far from the 1,331 'kilos' spent last year.
Chelsea, king of summer
If in the Premier it seems that the crisis affects to a lesser extent it is thanks to cases like Chelsea. Last year the ‘blue’ were left without signing after the FIFA punishment, but in this they have pulled their check book to give Frank Lampard a template to compete for everything.
Between Havertz (the most expensive transfer of the summer), Werner, Ziyech and company, the London team has spent 247 million euros, being the one that has made the most expenditure ahead of Manchester City.
But beyond the ‘summer king’ and its financial might, a fact must be taken into account that explains why the Premier is the most powerful league today.
It is not by chance that the three promoted, Leeds (105), West Bromwich (25) and Fulham (32), have been able to spend 152 million euros on transfers, a figure that is light years away from the 19.2 'kilos' that they have been able to afford their namesakes in LaLiga, Huesca, Cádiz and Elche. The promotion bonuses and the television contract allow the Premier teams to have an economy capable of attracting the big stars, something that ultimately cuts inequalities and enhances competitiveness.