Soccer-January Transfer Spend Up Almost 75% From Last Year, Says FIFA Study

Transfer spending in men’s soccer went up by 74.7% in the January window compared to last year as clubs signed more players in a sign of a recovery following two pandemic-hit years, world governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.

Clubs spent $1.03 billion on players last month, just shy of the $1.16 billion recorded in January 2020.

A total of 3,791 international transfers were completed across men’s and women’s soccer — a rise of 28% compared to 2021 among male players, and a new all-time high of 42.8% increase in the women’s game.

“For the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, transfer fees and the number of transfers experienced significant growth,” a study from FIFA said.

English clubs topped spending with an outlay of $349.5 million, followed by Italy with $113.6 million and Spain with $111.1 million. England was also the top gainer in terms of transfer receipts, earning $108.6 million.