It’s been an exceptionally quiet transfer window…

With the state of the pandemic and Brexit-stricken economy, it was to be expected.

Even wealthy Premier League clubs have taken precaution with their spending and it’s definitely showed.

Whilst we all presume that this lack of movement in the transfer window is a temporary measure, it might be time to think again.

The below graph demonstrates Premier League clubs’ estimated January spends from the year of 2012 up to 2021.

Since 2012, we have witnessed a somewhat steady increase in transfer fees forked out by Premier League clubs.

Reverse those last two numbers though and you’ll see that 2021 displays an eerily low drop-off in money spent during the January window.

It’s not just the spending that has seen a drop-off in numbers either.

For most clubs in world football, lost revenues such as gate receipts, sponsorship, advertisements and corporate fees have been the primary factors in a loss of remuneration.

This has been the atypical case for British clubs.

However, other leagues such as France’s Ligue 1 have taken bigger hits.

The collapse of Mediapro’s £760m deal has rendered Ligue 1 clubs’ financial status as touch-and-go, with no new TV deal on the horizon.

Of course, this has resulted in a significant decrease for British clubs looking to offload players, with most clubs around Europe not in the financial position to fork out.

“Is this the new norm?”

One agent told Sky Sports News: “In the summer we had dozens of transfers over £25m. From now on, they will become the exception, rather than the norm.”

“There’s no reason to think that this is a temporary spending blip. There’s no reason to think we’ll be back to pre-Covid transfer fees in a couple of years. We won’t.” (As per SkySports)

Personally, I believe the recruitment side of football is an aspect that brings an unrivalled value of entertainment to the game.

It’s a facet that allows tacticians of the game to recruit players who fit a specific system that will help to bolster their squad.

As we’ve seen in Manchester United’s acquisition of Bruno Fernandes, in some cases, a player can completely change the mentality and dynamic of the team.

Whilst I am majorly entertained by the happenings of the transfer window, I do also concede the fact that some fees have been ridiculously astronomical.

Some fans across the game will no doubt believe that this humbling is the best thing to happen to the game, due to the excessive fees that have been paid out recently.

If anything, this may help to level out the playing field - at least for the next few years, as the world’s economy attempts to get back on its feet.

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