English Premier League football clubs spent about $115 million in the January transfer window, down 70 percent on last year as new rules to curb excessive losses put a damper on the market.
The struggles of the Chelsea striker Fernando Torres and Liverpool's Andy Carroll, the two biggest transfers in last year's window, are also likely to have prompted clubs to think twice before spending heavily mid-season.
But business firm Deloitte says spending was still ahead of the investment in players by top division clubs in other European leagues.
