End of 2021/22 season: Which clubs improved the most following the winter transfer window?
Alamy | Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United
After a poor first half of the season, Newcastle United invested heavily in transfers in the latest January window. Still, many doubted whether it was enough to save the club - placed 19th - from relegation.
Off The Pitch has analysed the recently-concluded 2021/22 season of the Big Five European leagues and the Championship, to identify the greatest changes in performance between the first and second halves of the season.
Why it matters: While players are getting some hard-earned rest, clubs are preparing for the next season. Despite the summer transfer window being yet to officially open, several big deals have already been confirmed, with rumours of more to follow.
The perspective: Year after year, billions of euros change hands as players are traded – but does spending big actually improve performance on the pitch?
1 July 2022 - 12:15 PM
Last year’s notorious takeover of Newcastle United meant the club were suddenly among the wealthiest in the world. Newcastle did not take long to flash their newly-available cash, and the relegation-threatened club were the biggest spenders of the latest January transfer window, with transfer expenditures of over €100 million in total.
However, with the most notable transfers being Bruno Guimaraes from Olympique Lyon and ageing Chris Wood from Premier League rivals Burnley, many dou
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