Like it's Christmas

The pre-season is a time of merry shopping and this one is no different. What I find interesting is, the clubs who are tradtitionally not big spenders are spending like Christmas came early. Exact figures are hard to obtain as many transfers have their value undisclosed. Below is a few of the busier clubs in the market.

1. Tottenham
They have spent at least £29.5m with further spending expected.

2. West Ham
Total estimated spending so far is at least £20.5m with further expenditure expected.

3. Bolton
They have made 6 purchases so far, of which 3 have their value undisclosed.

4. Portsmouth
Made one signing worth £7m, with 2 more undisclosed

This puts the minimum expenditure for these 4 clubs at £15m. This is a spillover effect from 2 circumstances. Firstly, for clubs like Spurs and Bolton, they have the economic benefits of being in Europe while Portsmouth and West Ham have rich owners. Secondly, the recent change of television and sponsorship rights meant that each Barclays Premiership League (BPL) club is gifted a hefty sum of £50m at the start of this season (little wonder why Sheffield United is going to court over this).

The BPL is certainly showing itself to be the most cash-rich league in the world and the club's spending power has certainly moved on from the days where the Big Four (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal) were the only big spenders. The only problem now is that with the money, can they attract the talents? Only time will tell but I can tell you that this up-coming season is going to be its most exciting judging from the players that have been signed so far.

In the weeks leading up to to the Community Shield and the League's first game, I will do articles on selected teams as some sort of preview. Till then, happy shopping.