Neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona bring in a single player during the January transfer window, but the reality is, they were much more in keeping with the rest of La Liga than they usually are.
With the exception of the season following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, spending in La Liga hit a six-year low for the January transfer window, as per Diario AS.
As a whole, La Liga spent just €37.6m, while they took in €78.4m in fees. The pandemic year (2020-21) saw just over €20m spent and received in Primera, but outside of that, it was the lowest spend since 2017 (€27.7m).
The money taken in beat all but two years over the last decade, while net profit for La Liga clubs was up at €40.7m – the highest over the previous ten years.
Espanyol (€13m), Rayo Vallecano (€8m) and Real Betis (€7m) spent the most of any club, with Perico central defender Cesar Montes costing €8m, although that could rise to €11m.
The atmosphere in Spain, justified or not, has been one of concern in the face of the Premier League’s continued financial rampage. In particular it was pointed out that Aston Villa had spent more money than the entirety of La Liga, while Chelsea’s €326m spend was more than the entirety of the other four major leagues.
