English clubs are "dominating the football transfer market to such an extent that they are now involved in nearly as many deals as clubs in Brazil, the world’s biggest factory for players," according to Roger Blitz of the FINANCIAL TIMES. An annual report on the market compiled by FIFA found that out of 13,090 transfers in '14, Brazil was involved in just more than 10% while England was responsible for 9.6%. The gap between them "is shrinking, highlighting the spending strength of English clubs in the wake of new TV rights deals." The number of transfers involving English clubs in '14 grew 193 on the previous year, while Brazil’s total declined by 101. English clubs' spending in '14 totalled $1.17B, or 28.7% of the $4.1B global spend. The next highest spenders were clubs in Spain, with $700M. China broke into the top 10 for the first time, its clubs spending $101M. But Europe "dominates the market." The top 10 countries accounted for 81% of the transfer market, "and all but two of them -- Brazil and China -- were European" (FT, 1/28). In London, Matt Dickinson reported the dependence of English football clubs on imported talent "continues to grow, with its inevitable knock-on effect of making progress ever harder for home-grown players." A record £772M was spent by English clubs on int'l transfers in '14, rising £162M from '13, and that figure is "certain to leap again on the back of an unprecedented broadcast deal that could be announced by the Premier League next week." The effects of Financial Fair Play have forced some clubs to "tread more carefully in the transfer market." Among the figures revealed by FIFA, along with a "continuing surge in agents' fees," perhaps the most revealing is the "net spend by nations, in which England are runaway leaders with a trading deficit" of £426M (£772M spent, £346M recouped) over 12 months. To "put that in context, Germany ranks second in net outlay" at only £111M. Intriguingly, "though perhaps not surprisingly, given the emirate’s wealth and sporting ambitions, Qatar lies third, largely because of the spending spree" by Doha club Al Arabi (LONDON TIMES, 1/28). The PA's Martyn Ziegler reported Angel di Maria was the most expensive transfer of '14, costing ManU £60M in the summer. The report for the first time includes details of the int'l transfer of players aged under 18. Strict rules "govern such transfers, such as the parents of the player involved having moved countries 'for non-football reasons.'" The report states, "In 2014, Spain was the country that engaged the highest number of minors. 400 minor applications were submitted, and 352 were accepted. This is... a much higher number than any other association worldwide." Portugal made 188 applications and England 135. A "staggering" £155M was paid to agents acting on int'l in '14, with the "thriving English transfer market making up the highest percentage of fees" (PA, 1/28).
