Spain’s La Liga slams England’s Premier League for ‘cheating’ after mega €1bn transfer splurge in January

La Liga bosses have criticized the Premier League for “cheating” after a January transfer window in which English clubs squandered almost 1 billion euros.

LaLiga’s corporate managing director Javier Gomez made the comments after a study by Deloitte’s Sports Business Group found that Chelsea alone were responsible for 37% of the €918m spent.

Spending for the London club, recently acquired by American billionaire Todd Boehly and a consortium of investors, exceeded the combined spending of all top-flight clubs in Spain, Italy, Germany and France combined.

Chelsea managed to snap up the signing of Argentine World Cup winner Enzo Fernández from Benfica for a British record £106.8 million (€120 million) on deadline day after beating fellow Londoners Arsenal for the transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk in a deal that pays off. 88.5 million pounds sterling (100 million euros).

In light of such waste, Gómez has called on UEFA to take action and prevent clubs from spending more than they can afford.

He stated that the inflow of money from shareholders is “doping the club” and puts its viability at risk if the shareholder decides to leave.

He has argued that the practice drags down the rest of the leagues and demands a new economic regulation that prevents shareholders from contributing more money than the club can generate.

In the 2022-23 season, Premier League clubs spent a total of £2.8bn ($3.5bn), breaking the previous record set in 2017-18.

This is a drastic increase in spending compared to the previous year and highlights the financial dominance of the English top flight.

Gomez stated in a video posted by LaLiga president Javier Tebas on Twitter: “We are aware there is a lot of talk about how financial control of LaLiga means Spanish clubs sign less than Premier League clubs.

“The reality is that in LaLiga we want the clubs to spend what they can afford and generate themselves, that is, their own income.

“It is true that shareholders are also allowed to support the club and put money to spend more than the club itself can generate, but within certain limits.”

The Spanish duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona long dominated the transfer markets and the Champions League, but of late they have been sliding down the rich roster of football clubs, with undersupported Manchester City now first.

Liverpool and Manchester United, along with Qatar-owned PSG of France, make up the rest of the top five.

Fallen giants Barcelona, ​​whose fortunes have sunk as Messi’s career has waned, can only go as high as seventh.

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