We’ve taken a look at January spending in the Premier League in recent years – and it doesn’t bode well for Manchester United fans.
The January window is perhaps the most important month of the Premier League season.
A chance to reinforce the squad midway through the campaign, some incredibly important signings have been made during it over the years.
But which clubs tend to spend big in January, and which are more likely to hold onto their cash until the summer?
To find out, we at SportsCasting have gone back over the last ten January windows for all 20 Premier League teams.
We have then calculated the average spend for each team in January, with some interesting results.
Key Data Points:
- Chelsea have the highest average January spend since 2016 (£42m).
- Manchester United have the lowest average January spend of any ‘big six’ club (£15m).
- Manchester City also spend big in January, averaging £34m per season.
- Aston Villa and Newcastle spend more in January than Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Man United.
- Brentford, Sunderland and Fulham spend next to nothing in January.
- January 2023 saw a record-breaking £702m total spend.
Premier League January Spending Over The Past Decade
While not as big as the summer window in terms of spending, January still holds an important place in the Premier League season.
Over the last decade, each January has seen an average spend of £278m across the league, equating to £14m per club.
Earlier this year, every club’s January transfers combined for a total spend of £422m.
January 2023 saw the biggest overall spend, at a whopping £702m.
Unsurprisingly, the Covid-19-affected season in 2020-21 meant that year’s January window saw the lowest spend (£101m) in the last ten years.
Below, we can see the average January spend since 2016 for each of the 20 current Premier League clubs.
Manchester United The Lowest January Spenders Among Rivals
According to the data, Manchester United fans shouldn’t expect a bumper winter window.
The Red Devils have the lowest average January spend of any ‘big six’ club over the past decade, having also spent less than Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
United’s biggest January spend in that period was in 2020, when they splashed £68m in total on Bruno Fernandes and a loan fee for Odion Ighalo.
In January of 2025, United signed Patrick Dorgu and U21s player Ayden Heavan, having spent nothing in the previous three years.
But despite the data hinting at United not spending, bookmakers have slashed odds on an £80m Manchester United transfer happening in January.
Chelsea Have the Highest Average January Spend In The Premier League
If United are known for being frugal in January, Chelsea’s spending under Todd Boehly has been anything but.
The Blues splashed a ridiculous £290m in January of 2023, massively inflating their average spend.
As a result, Chelsea’s average January spend since 2016 is a whopping £42m – the highest in the Premier League.
That 2023 window saw them sign Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Fofana and Joao Felix (£10m loan fee).
It’s therefore fair to say that Chelsea’s panic-buying tactic didn’t exactly pay off.
Manchester City Happy To Splash The Cash Mid-Season
Another club with a strong history of mid-season spending are Manchester City.
Having joined in February of 2016, all but one of City’s windows in our data set have been under Pep Guardiola.
Until 2025, City had never spent above £60m in one January window under Pep.
But like Chelsea, they went big and blew £192m in one winter window at the start of this year.
City brought in Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah in January of 2025.
This pushed up their average spend significantly.
Aston Villa And Newcastle Outspend Most ‘Big Six’ Clubs
For a long time, the Premier League has been divided between the so-called ‘big six’ clubs and the rest.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have been looked at as the top teams since the turn of the millennium.
But league position hasn’t always matched this view. And over the past ten years, nor has January transfer spending.
Both Newcastle (£19m) and Aston Villa (£17m) have spent more in January over the past decade than the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United.
Brentford, Sunderland & Fulham Rarely Make January Signings
While some clubs almost always bring in new players in January, others don’t make a habit of it.
Brentford (£2m), Sunderland (£3m) and Fulham (£4m) have the lowest average January spend across the last ten years.
For Brentford and Sunderland, some of this can be explained by their lack of Premier League status.
But Fulham have spent five of the last ten seasons in the top flight.
And they actually had their biggest January window – spending £23m in 2020 – while in the Championship.
