FIFA have released figures for the amount of money spent on clubs worldwide on summer transfers, and it has shown a sharp drop due to the pandemic. The overall number of transfers was also down.
They reveal that US $9.2 billion was spent by clubs worldwide between June 1st and October 5th, the date that most transfer windows closed. That compares to US $5.8 billion last year.
There was also a drop in the number of transfers – 7,424, compared to 9,097, a reduction of 18%. And, when it comes to transfers which involved money changing hands, that dropped even further – down 25% from 1,623 to 1,222.
The European clubs were by far the biggest spenders in the market – they spent in total US $3.78 billion ((96% of the total market).
Leading the way were Premier League clubs who spent US $1.35 billion; they were followed by Serie A (US $544 million); and La Liga (US $487 million).
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.