February 9 – The first set of data on transfer spending and trends from the January 2022 transfer window has been released by FIFA showing an international market that is very much on the bounceback with fees breaking the $1 billion mark.
The data is compiled from FIFA’s Transfer Match System (TMS) where all transfers and values have to be recorded, and hence is the only accurate source of official transfer data.
FIFA says that generally about 25% of transfers take place in the January window, with that figure rising to 28% in the window just closed and a total of 3,534 player moves recorded in the men’s game.
If the figures from the women’s game are added in that figure grows to 3,791 international transfers completed.
The majority of transfers, at 60.4%, were of out of contract players.
The big jump in fees to $1.03 billion represented a 74.7% increase in spend compared to January 2021.
European clubs accounted for 90.2% of the spend with English clubs spending the most at $349.5 million, followed by Italian clubs at $113.6 million.
Figures for the women’s professional game are obviously lower (there are far fewer professional clubs and leagues) but still saw a 42.8% rise compared to January 2021, with 257 players changing clubs (see chart below). Out-of-contract players represented 80% of the transfers with 209 such players joining a new team based overseas. Total spending on transfer fees was at $487,800.
FIFA highlighted that the numbers confirm that “football is recovering from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, clubs’ spending on transfer fees last month almost returned to the levels of January 2020.”
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