Why The Transfer Market Is So Slow This Season

The transfer season is always exciting. Who will leave which club? Who will join? Or even who will go out on loan? And with the stakes even higher for the Premier League 2020/21 season, we did expect a lot more activity at this stage in the game.

But other than one or two big headline grabbers, there’s actually very little happening. With just under two weeks until the international transfer window closes on October 5th, surely there should be a few more moves. So what exactly has happened in this transfer window?

The stark reality is that given the current situation around the world, a lot of players simply don’t want to move. Premier League clubs are struggling to shift players and the takings are well and truly down. While that hasn’t affected the punters on the betting markets, with online soccer betting at Betway still at an all-time high, it has affected the clubs themselves.

Top tier clubs earned over £600m last season by selling players. This time, however, they have barely recouped £210m. With games played behind doors, ticket sales are at zero. That also impacts club sales of merchandise and player jerseys. So with significantly less cash in the coffers, clubs are not in the buying mood. And when clubs don’t buy, other clubs can’t sell.

That situation is compounded by the fact that there is a reluctance from players to relocate. Players who may have considered a transfer are happier just to stay put until everything returns to normal.

Clubs Sales So Far

Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester City and Manchester United are all trying to shift players off their books. However, the fees for some of their players would be so high that other clubs are not willing to take the financial risk.

You also have to consider players who thought that a solid performance in Euro 2020 would have increased their overall value. When the tournament didn’t take place, their brand took a hit, and rather than go for less money, they are holding out until 2021. And yes, we’re talking about the likes of Paul Pogba at Manchester United!

Half the Premier League clubs are yet to sell a single player. Sure, some have managed to send one or two out on loan but the money is still low. Everton has sold Schneiderlin and Dowell for a total of £4m. And even West Brom have managed to sell Leko but only for £1m!

Despite winning the Premier League last season, Liverpool have only made a few purchases. They include Diogo Jota from Wolves for £45m, Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich for £20m and Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos for £11.8m. They have managed two sales in Dejan Lovren to Zenit for £11m and Ovie Ejaria to Reading for £3.5m.

The rest, seven in total, have either been released from their contracts, gone on frees or out on loan. Despite this, they are still not favourites with Betway to retain the Premier League this season. That honour goes to Manchester City.

Biggest Transfers To Date

There have been some big sales so far. They have come from Leicester, who have sold Ben Chilwell to Chelsea for around £45m plus add-ons. Man City have sold Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich in a deal worth £55m. And Dioga Jota from Wolves to Liverpool.

But it’s Chelsea who lead the way with their big purchases. In fact they have bought three of the top five most expensive players so far in this window. They are Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for £71m, Timo Werner from RB Leipzig for £48m and Ben Chilwell from Leicester for £45m. Add in Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for £36m and they are already hitting the £200m in transfers.

Will we see a last ditch attempt to sell and buy more players before the window closes? Of course we will. But will they actually be any good for their new clubs is the bigger question!