It was a quiet transfer window across the ‘top five’ leagues as the routine Premier League spending that has characterised windows for the last decade was nowhere to be seen.
The money spent by the English sides usually circulates across Europe lifting spending, but this window instead reflected a greater deal of caution on behalf of the Premier League.
Everton have already faced a points deduction this season, and may well receive another in due course, while Nottingham Forest also have the same threat hanging over their head as the league begins to clampdown on clubs breaking their Profit and Sustainability rules.
This left the unique and unlikely scenario where it was Ligue 1 that represented the biggest spenders across the top five European leagues.
With teams like AS Monaco only bringing Kassoum Ouattara on a small fee and Thilo Kehrer on loan but with an option to purchase in the summer, the money being spent in Ligue during this window was predominantly influenced by three clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, and Olympique Lyonnais.
PSG looked to bring in extra reinforcements but due to the nature of their squad, any supporting players will have to be of a certain calibre and with that condition comes a price. The club spent €40 million on two promising Brazilians: Lucas Beraldo and Gabriel Moscardo.
Beraldo has already made his debut for the club coming in to replace the injured Milan Škriniar, while Moscardo was sent back to Corinthians on loan following concerns found during his medical.
Marseille’s change of manager midway through the season has led to some disorder at the club, as Gennaro Gattuso desires a different profile of player than his predecessor Marcelino would value. However, despite this situation, the club were limited by the need to sell before they could buy.
Renan Lodi represented the biggest sale in Ligue 1 as the left-back departed Marseille after only six months to join Al-Hilal for €23 million. His departure necessitated Les Phocéens to find cover at a position they were already light in, and that’s where they spent their biggest fee. Quentin Merlin arrived for €12 million from FC Nantes.
Lyon were by far the most active club in the league as their summer restrictions placed by the DNCG were finally lifted. The squad was in need of a revamp with their perilous position near the foot of the table meaning that relegation is not simply a fear but a very real threat.
The club brought in the likes of Malick Fofana (€15 million) and Gift Orban (€13 million) for not insignificant fees from the Belgian league and looked to complete a deal for Saïd Benrahma for an initial €5 million loan fee but with an option to buy that could raise the price to €15 million in total. However, this deal failed to be ratified before the end of the transfer window.
The deadline day deal for Orel Mangala from Nottingham Forest sees Lyon spend €10 million to loan the defensive midfielder, but the price of the player if they exercise their purchase option could see his total rise to a record-breaking €30 million.
Lyon hope that by spending now they will skirt the huge financial implications that could come with a disastrous relegation, a fact which has helped develop a freak occurrence as for a single window the poorest of the top five European leagues has spent the most.
GFFN | Nick Hartland