Record Premier League transfers set to continue

By Simon Meads - Analysis

LONDON (Reuters) - Top football stars are well-placed to continue to command record transfer fees from English clubs, with wages to match, but less famous team mates could see their pay come under increasing pressure.

Analysis from consultancy firm Deloitte shows the credit crunch has not dented football transfers, with around 500 million pounds spent on new players by Premiership clubs this summer, up from around 470 million in 2007.

Last-minute deals in the summer transfer window, including Robinho's move to Manchester City from Real Madrid for around 32.5 million pounds and Dimitar Berbatov's signing to Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur for 30.75 million, helped secure the record spend, with January transfers taking the total for 2008 to around 675 million.

Paul Rawnsley, director of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said he was not surprised at the significant level of spending over the summer and said a premium is being paid for the very top talent.

Rawnsley told Reuters he expects spending across the Premier League to be "at least maintained" in coming seasons, thanks to new investors like the Abu Dhabi United Group, which is taking over ownership of Manchester City from Thaksin Shinawatra, and the continuation of the league's lucrative television deals until the end of next season.

The change of ownership at Manchester City and their subsequent move for Robinho helped boost transfer spending on Monday, the final day in the summer transfer window, to almost 100 million pounds.

SQUAD PLAYERS COULD FEEL PINCH

While Rawnsley believes the sums being spent this summer show the Premier League to be recession-resistant, he does see potential for transfer fees for the less-famous squad players, and the wages they can command, to come under pressure, however.