Staff Reporter, Dhaka : As the January transfer window officially closed, it left most of football’s avid followers with the breathlessness of a wild horse ride! The season undoubtedly witnessed some of the most historic signings of the decade, take Cristiano Ronaldo’s switch to Saudi giant Al Nassar, for instance. And not to mention, the drama of World Cup stars being sought after by desperate clubs in attempts to bolster own squads to get into the final half of the season!

Let’s take a closer look at the top five highest Spenders of this season –

Chelsea FC – €328 million
Securing a total signing of eight players, The Blues welcomed the newcomers with a payment of a whopping 328 million euros! The figure stands 260 million euros higher than any other club, as of yet. World Cup winner Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez joined the team against a record fee of 121 million Euros. On the other hand, Mykhailo Mudryk was bought for 70 million euros. Other key Chelsea signings this window include Malo Gusto, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos. The team has also welcomed Joao Felix on loan till the end of the season.

Southampton FC – €65.25 million
As shocking as it sounds, Southampton actually took everyone aback with their incredible transfer window move, welcoming Kamaldeen Sulemana from Ligue 1 club Rennes as the club’s biggest transfer. The club record has been reportedly logged at a price of 25 million euros. Besides, Paul Onuachu was also taken from Genk in exchange of 18 million Euros, while Carlos Alcaraz joined the club for 13.7 million Euros. The Saints also welcomed Mislav Orsic and James Bree, against sums of 5.8 million Euros, and 900 thousand euros, respectively.

Arsenal FC – €60.3 million
After an overwhelmingly long time since their last big win, it looks like Arsenal is finally back in force this season to marchi towards lifting their first Premier League trophy! This season Arsenal signed in players like Jakub Kiwior, Leandro Trossard and Jorginho, for transfer fees of 25 million, 24 million and 11.3 million euros. Albeit all these names possess the potential to turn out to be an incredible addition to the squad, whether the Arteta magic works on them or not should be one joy to watch!

Bournemouth FC – €56.2 million
The transfer window witnessed a somewhat heavy spending from Bournemouth, as the club stands on the edges of relegation alongside Everton and Southampton. The club has signed Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarnyi for 22.7 million euros. Lorient player Dango Ouattara has been welcomed in exchange of 22.5 million Euros. Against a transfer fee of 10.3 million Euros, Antoine Semenyo from Bristol City was also brought in by The Cherries. A bounce back doesn’t look too difficult anymore, now!

Newcastle United – €49.3 million
Newcastle United has paid 49.3 million euros this season in total, with the hefty portion of 45 million euros spent after Anthony Gordon alone. It also welcomed former West Ham player Harrison Ashby, who was taken in against a deal of up to 3 million euros.

Looking at the numbers this year, the clubs seem to have left no stones unturned in preparing in full force. But on the flipside, the rise in spending culture is also instigating questions about financial fair play rules. For more interesting contents on football and your other favorite sports, try parimatchnews.com!