Fair play rules behind spending reduction

Football finance experts believe UEFA’s new financial fair play rules were behind the 70% fall in spending to £60 million (€72.1m) during the January transfer window.

Last year spending reached unparalleled levels, with a record £225m (€300.7m) spent by Premier League clubs according to business analysts Deloitte.

While Chelsea spent £50m (€60m) to acquire Liverpool’s Fernando Torres 12 months ago, the biggest single transaction this year was Papiss Demba Cisse’s move to Newcastle for a reported £9m (€10.8m) fee.