Thursday 12 September 2019, 12:29

FIFA’s Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis: Spain joins England in topping USD 1 billion in spending on international transfers

The summer 2019 edition of FIFA’s Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis is now available. The report is a summary of activity in the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) involving clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain (the “Big 5”).

Key statistics on international transfer activity from 1 June to 2 September 2019:

  • Big 5 clubs accounted for 75.7 per cent of the global spending on transfer fees during this period, with a combined total of USD 4.38 billion spent (+8.3 per cent).

  • 446 clubs from the Big 5 engaged at least one player from an overseas club, at an average of four incoming international transfers per club.

  • Despite a 7.5per cent decrease in spending compared to last summer, English clubs were once again the world‘s biggest spenders during the period, with USD 1.36 billion spent on transfer fees.

  • Spain became the second-ever association to surpass the USD-1-billion mark in spending on international transfers in a single registration period, with a combined USD 1.17 billion spent by its clubs (+20.4 per cent).

  • French clubs recorded the world’s highest receipts and largest positive net balance, having completed 359 outgoing international transfers worth a total of USD 876 million.

The report also includes detailed information at association level including transfer types, the origin and destination of transfers, the nationality and age of the players involved, and historical comparisons with past registration periods.

The Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis Summer 2019 report is available for free download at: www.fifatms.com/data-reports/reports/

The data published in this report is extracted from the ITMS, which is used by all 211 FIFA member associations and over 8,000 professional football clubs around the globe for the international transfer of professional football players.