Premier League clubs splash out 130m in January transfer window

Despite the huge build-up and anticipation from media outlets, namely Sky Sports, the British football transfer window was a relatively quiet affair.

According to research from Deloitte, Premier League clubs spent £130 million during this year's winter window, the same total as January 2014. Title challengers Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal accounted for half the total thanks to a number of big money signings. The final day saw £45 million spent, to bring the overall figure up.

Deloitte said that clubs had shown "relative restraint" during the January window but stated that 2014/15 remained a record season for transfers. Clubs have tended to do more business in the summer with Manchester United spending a record £150 million on players such as Angel Di Maria and Falcao in pre-season.

Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: "Given the record level of spending seen in the summer, it is not entirely surprising that we haven't seen a new record for the January window."

Cautious buying

Managers tend to approach the January transfer window with relative caution. Many bosses bemoan the fact there are not many bargains to be found in the winter as other clubs are more reluctant to sell given the short amount of time needed to recruit a replacement.

The 2015 window has seen the likes of Chelsea splash out £23.3 million for Colombian winder Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina but offset this purchase by selling German World Cup winner Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg. Reigning champions Manchester City spent £28 million on Swansea striker Wilfried Bony.

It is not since Fernando Torres' move to Chelsea and Andy Carroll's subsequent transfer to Liverpool in 2011 has there been much excitement around the January window.