Sky Sports presenter Jim White might have been disappointed that major last-minute transfer sagas were thin on the ground on transfer deadline day, but the Premier League will certainly be pleased with how things went overall.
Despite spending a six-year January window high of £215m, teams in England's top division actually took in a total of £40m more than they shelled out in fees, according to Deloitte. This marked the first time they made a transfer window profit.
The January spending – which saw Southampton part with £14m for Napoli forward Manolo Gabbiadini and Burnley bringing Ireland's Robbie Brady in for an undisclosed club record fee – is the second biggest since the window was introduced in 2003. It places just behind the record outlay of £225m six years ago, the BBC reports.
A mere £35m was spent in January 2003, owing to inflating player prices since then and teams adjusting to the new mid-season opportunity to freshen up their squads.
Former Watford player Odion Ighalo. Picture by Adam Davy PA Wire/PA Images
Combined with last summer's business, Premier League clubs have spent a record £1.38bn on transfers for the 2016/17 season.
When it comes to big moves in the opposite direction, Watford was a notable financial beneficiary as Odion Ighalo headed for China's Changchun Yatai for £20m, while the wantaway Dimitri Payet's Marseilles return earned West Ham £25m, though they would have preferred to retain the services of the 29-year-old Frenchman.
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