Premier League, Brazilian Serie A & Co. – Which leagues spent the most money this winter?

Top 10 revealed 

Deadline Day was certainly not as busy as it usually is this winter. Just seven Premier League deals got over the line. In general the January window tends to be quieter than the mad flurry of the summer window and that proved to be the case this year. However, some big-money was still splashed out over the course of the window. In total, over €2 billion was spent on players across the month. But where did that money come from? Here at Transfermarkt, we have calculated the top 10 leagues who spent the most on new signings this winter.

Which leagues spent the most this winter?

Unsurprisingly, leading the way, as it usually tends to most windows, is the Premier League. The English top flight spent a total of €453 million. Antoine Semenyo (€72m), Jørgen Strand Larsen (€55m), Brennan Johnson (€40m) and Conor Gallagher (€40m) were the most expensive Premier League deals. In second place, with a total of €244m spent was Serie A – the most expensive deal in the Italian top flight was striker Lorenzo Lucca’s €26m move to Napoli; he has since moved on loan to Nottingham Forest.

In third, we actually leave Europe all together, with Brazilian football showing it’s financial muscle with a total of €202m spent on transfers from Brazilian Serie A clubs, with Lucas Paquetá’s €42m move to Flamengo the most expensive deal. The Brazilian window also doesn’t close for another 29 days so that figure could yet rise further. In fourth was in fact the MLS, with a total of €144m spent by the North American league – their window doesn’t close for another 51 days! Back to Europe for fifth with Ligue 1 spending €105m over the course of the window.

The Bundesliga is sixth, having spent €97m this winter. They are followed by the rich Saudi Pro League in seventh with a spend of €93m. LaLiga takes eighth position with €76m spent. The Turkish Süper Lig is ninth with €71m splashed out on transfers, with Liga Portugal completing the top 10 with a total of €59m spent. As many as 24 leagues spent €10m or more this window.