Chelsea's £326million splurge more than all 20 clubs' spend in January 2022

PREM January spending almost DOUBLED the previous record as the top flight splashed the cash like never before.

Chelsea's stunning £326million splurge represented more than a third of the total £815m paid across the Prem.

In fact, the Blues spent as much this month as the entire Premier League did in January 2022.

And it was MORE than ALL the clubs in the other four biggest European leagues - Spain, Germany, Italy and France - put TOGETHER.

Football finance experts Deloitte's analysis of the record-busting window finds that January's outlay took the total value of deals across the Prem's 20 clubs this season to a staggering £2.78BILLION.

That was a fraction under 50 per cent above the previous record, the £1.86bn spent in 2017-2018 and almost double the amount laid out last term.

But the winter window spending - with the Big Six of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and the two Manchester giants contributing 54 per cent of the total - was truly unprecedented and further demonstrated the Prem is in a league of its own financially.

The previous record January spend was the £430m laid out in 2018 but this time Prem clubs spent £275m on deadline day alone.

Last month's net spending - including sales - was £720m, a remarkable 400 per cent increase on the previous high mark, set 12 months ago.

In a worrying trend, 85 per cent of the cash flooded out of English football to other countries, with just £25m spent on landing players from the EFL.

Yet that cash influx did not bolster the European market, with the other major leagues still appearing to be in Covid-related financial decline.

Deloitte found that the other four major leagues spent a total of £225m, with a net surplus of £106m.

Italian Serie A clubs spent just £25m, the same as LaLiga's total spend, with Bundesliga clubs paying £60m and Ligue 1 in France £110m.

Deloitte's Tim Bridge said: “The record spending by Premier League clubs this season is beyond anything that we've seen before.

“It is a clear indication of talent acquisition being core to Premier League clubs' business strategies.

“In securing the best available talent, clubs hope to improve results on the field, which in turn will enhance the appeal of the Premier League and further cement its position at the very top of world football.

“Premier League clubs have held on to their key players, while attracting top-talent from overseas.

“However, while there is a clear need to invest in squad size and quality to retain a competitive edge, there will always be a fine balance to strike between prioritising success on-pitch and maintaining financial sustainability.”

Chelsea's remarkable spending makes qualification for the Champions League and its £60m-plus income stream a must for the books to be balanced, especially as the costs of the deals will be carried across much of the next eight years.

But the latest sign that Prem clubs are not interested in harvesting the lower leagues will increase the worries of EFL chiefs over their long-term financial viability.

Bridge added: “The decline in spending across the English football system is likely to be of growing concern for members of the English Football League and could further fuel the debate around distributing finances more evenly across the pyramid.

“Transfer income from Premier League clubs, which has historically been an important source of club funding, now appears to be less guaranteed, with Premier League clubs choosing to prioritise talent from abroad.”