The Premier League: A Record-Breaking January Transfer Window

The Premier League continues to go from strength to strength. The wealthiest league on the planet once again demonstrated its power in the busy January transfer window, which closed on Wednesday evening with record spending and was animated by the moves of Alexis Sánchez, Aymeric Laporte, Virgil van Dijk, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Sustained by their lucrative television rights contracts, clubs in the English football top division have spent more than ever in January: £450 million ($515 million), double the amount spent in the same month in 2011, which was the transfer window with the most money circulating, a staggering £225 million.

Back then, the high-profile signings of Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll by Liverpool, and Fernando Torres by Chelsea on the last day of the winter window, boosted the market seven years ago.

However, this year clubs left very few deals for the last minute. Of the major transfers, only Aubameyang, who arrived at Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for £56 million, Lucas Moura, who moved from PSG to Tottenham for £25 million, and Olivier Giroud, who transferred from the Emirates Stadium to Stamford Bridge for £20 million, changed clubs on January 31.

Liverpool was one of the first teams to make a move, and even before the market opened, they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. Unhappy at Southampton, the club he had tried to leave in the summer, the Dutch international had his wish granted when Liverpool paid £85 million for his services, making him the most expensive defender in history.