Changes in summer & winter
©IMAGO
Deadline day comes earlier than ever this summer: the transfer window in Europe’s top leagues closes on August 30th, and in Germany, players work two hours longer than usual on the last day of the transfer period. This time, players can be signed and registered for the Bundesliga until 8 p.m. – in the Premier League, the deadline is midnight, as is the case in Serie A and LaLiga, while in Ligue 1 it ends at 11 p.m. Clubs from Portugal or the Netherlands (September 2nd), Austria (September 5th), Switzerland (September 9th) and Turkey (September 13th) have more time to strengthen their squads.
Last summer, when the Saudi Pro League emerged from nowhere to become one of the biggest investors, there were fears that the Saudis would lure players to the desert with an unbeatable offer after the deadline day of the top leagues. In the newly rich league, the transfer deadline for 2023 fell on September 20th – this time they are getting closer to Europe in terms of the calendar and the transfer period ends on September 2nd.
Interim transfer balance: 1 billion euros less spending
In the summer of 2023, 7.45 billion euros were invested in transfers up to August 26. This summer, it is 6.44 billion euros – a decrease of over a billion. The reasons for this are complex, but the decisive factor is probably the fact that significantly less money is being pumped into the market from Saudi Arabia than in the previous year. In the summer of 2023, it was a total of 950 million euros, currently “only” 207 million euros. The clubs are focusing on keeping their stars and strengthening the squads in specific areas.
This money is missing to give the transfer market even more momentum. With signings worth €2 billion, the Premier League is around 40 percent away from the investments made last summer. Ligue 1 (€671 million) is 36 percent behind, Serie A (€794 million) is 14 percent less, while LaLiga (€522 million) is €80 million above its 2023 spending four days before deadline day. While Juventus Turin in Italy and Atlético Madrid in Spain are the most willing to invest, FC Bayern has made signings worth €142 million – compared to the Bundesliga (€550 million), spending so far is 38 percent lower than in 2023.
A lot of unexpected things will certainly happen or go wrong for strange reasons between now and August 30th, but it is safe to say that the spending levels of the previous summer will not be reached this time. Since the summer transfer window is shorter, the 2025 winter transfer window will be extended and will not close on January 31st as usual, but on February 2nd.
