If it was still necessary to confirm the superiority of the Premier League over the other five major European championships, the January window did it, in a brilliant way. Chelsea alone have spent more on new players than Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and La Liga clubs combined. England is seen as the ultimate destination for all up-and-coming talents looking to make their mark at the highest level.
Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli admitted as much after stepping down from his post in November, while insisting that a much-maligned European Super League format must be considered to restore balance. “I believed and I still believe that European football needs structural reforms to face the future”did he declare. “Otherwise we are heading for an inexorable decline in football in favor of a dominant league, the Premier League, which in a few years will attract all European talent and marginalize the rest.”
In the case of the Blues, Roman Abramovich has been replaced by Todd Boehly, another big investor, while public clubs Man City and Newcastle are also able to offer players lucrative contracts than some of Europe’s most old ones, like FC Barcelona, Bayern and Milan, simply cannot match.
Paris Saint-Germain can compete thanks to their Qatari backing, and Real Madrid remain a global spending force, but even those clubs are much stricter on the purse strings today than they once were. The Premier League is the place to be at the moment, and the high-quality competition will only increase on English shores in the years to come.
