It’s over, the winter transfer window 2021 has just ended and it’s not bad, as it has been laborious. A transfer window hit hard by the crisis and down 80% compared to last year.
Never very attractive compared to that of the summer, the winter transfer window has been particularly quiet this year, wriggling only in the last few days, before the close. The global health crisis has something to do with it, since the clubs have seen their revenues melt like snow in the sun. The CEIS, a football observatory, has thus established that this transfer window has returned to the level of the year 2012 in terms of trade, going from 1298 million euros to only 295 million euros.. The English blaster has also remained wise, with only 100 million spent, while La Liga looks grim, placing itself behind Ligue 1 with 25 million euros in transfers.
Drastic drop in big-5 league clubs transfer expenditure ⏬ ➖8⃣0⃣% compared to same period in 2020 ???? From ➖7⃣0⃣% in the @premierleague ???????????????????????????? to ➖9⃣0⃣% in @LaLiga ???????? Record low since 2012 ???? More exclusive @CIES_Football data ➡️ https://t.co/2cuyvabijJ pic.twitter.com/MG8x1MrJNf
— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) February 2, 2021
The loan with option to buy, the new fashion
The clubs have used an alternative which is developing more and more, the loan with option to buy. Often compulsory and subject to certain sporting requirements, it allows clubs to postpone the outflow of cash, thus hoping for an exit from the crisis. In France, where the health situation is coupled with a crisis concerning TV rights, the clubs have remained rather wise, with the exception of some who took the opportunity to try to strengthen themselves. OM have been active with departures, including the dry transfer of Sanson to Aston Villa who did good to the cashiers, or the departures of disappointments Strootman, Radonjic and Mitroglou. The Marseille club thus recovered the striker Belong, the Spanish defender Pol Lirola and on the wire, the middle of Celtic Glasgow, Olivier Ntcham.
More unprecedented, Marseille made an exchange of players between Ake who goes to Juve against the youngster Tongya who arrives in France. A situation where the two clubs will cash the same amount, but which does not dig the bank. Monaco broke its piggy bank for Krepin Diatta and carried out the most expensive transfer in France, with 16 million euros invested. Bordeaux pulled off a nice blow by attracting Series who got a little lost. Nice took the opportunity to rebuild its defense by attracting young people on loan Saliba and s hands. Many clubs have remained with the status quo, contenting themselves with the workforce and placing their hopes for renewal in the next summer.
For the rest of Europe, it is roughly the same situation. England did not make delusional transfers while Germany and Italy especially favored exchanges with so-called minor championships. Mainly, a lot of loans have been made like Odegaard to Arsenal, or Luka Jovic loaned to Frankfurt. Spain for its part, has a lot of difficulties. Indeed, the club which has achieved the biggest transfer window is Seville which attracted Papu Gomez of Atalanta, and that’s about it. Some La Liga clubs have also tried to draw from the second division and some have even loaned players from the lower echelon.
This transfer window, which will not be remembered, will take time to regain the levels of 2019 or 2020 but reminds that another mode of operation is possible. If this summer should be explosive with many great players at the end of their contract, the more modest ones may still be impacted, and the transfer window could still suffer in a few months.
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