Transfer Window Deadline Special: Premier League Clubs Break All Records

English Premier League soccer clubs defied the current global economic problems by spending a staggering £218,525,000 in the January transfer window with the British transfer record twice broken in one evening.

The £50m transfer of Spaniard Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea wasn’t unexpected after media reports over the weekend suggested the two clubs were in advanced talks.

Torres, likened to the great Marco Van Basten, a World Cup and European Championship winner with Spain put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract, with wages reported to be in the £150k to £200k a week bracket.

Earlier in the evening Chelsea signalled their intent to halt their slide further down the Premier League table with the £21m addition of Benfica’s Brazilian centre half David Luis. Luis, 23, has four caps for Brazil and is seen as a long-term replacement for Ricardo Carvalho who was sold to Real Madrid in the summer.

On joining Chelsea, Luis said, "I am delighted to be joining a big English club, I know very well the quality that Chelsea has.  It is a major challenge for me, but I am determined and confident in my ability to adapt to this excellent league, and I look forward to meeting my new teammates."

The knock on effect of the Torres deal, enabled Liverpool to break its club transfer record with the £35m purchase of highly-rated English striker Andy Carroll from Newcastle United. Carroll was in the middle of a breakthrough season on Tyneside which resulted in his first England cap in the recent friendly defeat to France.

At 22, Liverpool were forced to pay a higher price to secure his services with Carroll seen as a long-term investment who will look to add strength and options to a Liverpool attack which has faltered this season.

Whilst Liverpool fans will bemoan the loss of Torres, new manager Kenny Dalglish has invested the £50m wisely in two quality strikers and the Kop will be licking their lips at the prospect of Suarez and Carroll in action together once the latter recovers from a thigh injury.

Player movement continued right up to the deadline as clubs rushed to complete paper work on time. Aston Villa signed United States international Michael Bradley on loan from Borussia Moenchengladbach until the end of the season. The 23-year-old midfielder passed a medical late into the evening and hopes to make his debut once he receives international clearance.

One club noted for their late transfer dealings are Tottenham Hotspur. Reports across Spain over the weekend touted Tottenham making big money bids for a number of La Liga’s finest. A £38m offer to Atletico Madrid for Sergio Aguero was rejected and the player has subsequently put pen to paper on a new contract.

Contact was made with the agents of Aguero’s Uruguayan teammate, former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan. Along with enquiries for Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi and Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente and Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, Harry Redknapp was unable to capture the striker he has been longing for.

A number of the leading clubs had a quiet transfer window with the three clubs at the top of the Premier League allowing more players to leave than were brought to their clubs. The two Manchester clubs brought one player each to Old Trafford and Eastlands with goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard and striker Edin Dzeko making the move to Manchester.

The amount of money spent by the English clubs was staggering given that this transfer window is usually a quiet period for spending. Last season's equivalent window saw only £25m spent in total on transfers in the EPL. Across Europe, leading clubs will be reflecting on the Premier League spending power and wondering just how can they compete for players with spending like that.

Barcelona and Real Madrid aside, there are no other clubs across Europe who can compete with the English clubs when it comes to transfer fees and wages. Whilst there is very little value in the English transfer market, it’s no surprise that clubs look to buy abroad first.

The £35m paid for Andy Carroll, who has only 19 Premier League career appearances so far, is more than Barcelona paid Valencia for the services of World Cup winner David Villa. English clubs have made a statement, but money doesn’t always buy you success.

See Real Madrid for confirmation of that!