La Liga chief Javier Tebas has attacked the Premier League’s January spending, saying it threatens to harm the sustainability of European football.
English clubs invested more money this January than any previous winter window, with just over £800m spent. Chelsea, who accounted for nearly half of the combined sum, not only broke the British transfer fee when prying Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, but the Blues also surpassed Real Madrid’s record of summer 2019 to become the biggest single-window spenders of all-time.
January is typically a short window in which clubs look to invest in any mid-season market opportunities, should an opportunity arise, but this seismic shift towards heavy spending from Premier League clubs highlights its firm grasp over European football.
With the likes of Nottingham Forest bringing in three-time Champions League winner Keylor Navas and Atletico Madrid’s Felipe, Wolves bringing in Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia, and Bournemouth very close to acquiring Nicolo Zaniolo, it shows that even clubs lower down the table are able to attract top European talent, simply by existing in the Premier League.
ALSO SEE: Why The January Window Has Highlighted The Unsettling Power Of The Premier League
Chelsea‘s combined expenditure was more than all of Europe’s other top four leagues combined, and according to La Liga president Javier Tebas, this should be cause for concern.
“The British market is a doped market.
“You can see it clearly in this winter market, where Chelsea have made almost half of the signings in the Premier League. It is quite dangerous that the markets are doped, inflated, as has been happening in recent years in Europe, because that can jeopardise the sustainability of European football.
“I am happy because our clubs are economically sustainable, and that means that we have a future for many years to come.”
Around £1.9bn was spent during the last summer window by Premier League clubs, a record figure, but when combining that with the latest frivolous winter spree, it means English teams surpassed the record total across a season of £1.9bn, set in 2017-18.
Before being ousted for false accounting, former Juventus CEO Andrea Agnelli also shared a similar opinion to Tebas, saying: “I believed and still believe that European soccer needs structural reforms to tackle the future.
“Otherwise we are heading for inexorable decline for soccer in favour of a dominant league, the Premier League, which over a few years will attract all the European talent and marginalise the others.”
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