The January transfer window was a complete departure from the past - but Premier League clubs are convinced it is here to stay.
Incredibly, top-flight clubs only spent £100m last month compared to a record-breaking £830m the previous year. Clearly, it was partly driven by Profit and Sustainability Rules which hamstrung big clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa in terms of what they could spend.
But all of those clubs are gearing up for a much bigger window this summer when the shackles come off again because effectively PSR resets and allows them to balance the books again. Prem clubs are also set to vote through increased PSR figures from the outdated losses limit of £105m over three years which were set more than a decade ago.
But there is certainly a feeling among the Big Six that transfers windows in the future will see a seismic change in the next few years which will see a regular pattern of big-spending in the summer and fewer deals in January. That is the pattern within other major leagues in Europe who often look at the Premier League and see a crazy and panic-buy approach to January.
Arsenal want a centre forward while United boss Erik ten Hag has insisted he wanted another striker while Newcastle are having to grow steadily because of PSR but want to go big and improve.
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The other issue affecting PSR is that several clubs have complained that until they know the exact figures and implications then they cannot budget for a new financial deal for the EFL and the rest of the football pyramid.
It is the smaller clubs who are digging in particularly hard over how the deal will be funded, even if the long drawn out process is certain to have a negative effect on how the Premier League is viewed.
Clubs are also watching with great interest about Chelsea’s spending and whether they will scrape inside PSR after £1billion worth of spending under owner Todd Boehly.
Chelsea have been keen to stress they will meet the guidelines but their willingness to cash in on homegrown talents Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja - who eventually went out on loan to Fulham - suggest they are nervous.
Conor Gallagher faces an uncertain future at Chelsea (Katie Chan/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)Toney abuse and Premier League's good work
Ivan Toney was again subjected to racist abuse online and the issue feels harder than ever to solve. However, the Premier League have been making inroads since 2019 in trying to track down, catch and potentially take action against the abusers.
They also set up a reporting system for players, managers and their families in 2020 and in 2023 it was the extended to allow fans to report any abuse they saw towards players.
Prem bosses have had successes with a previous case of abuse towards Toney led to a man in North Shields being given a four year suspended sentence and a three year stadium ban. In 2021, a man in Singapore was prosecuted after they traced online abuse towards Neal Maupay.
There was a recent case involving a Newcastle fan in which the club had contacted the Premier League. They then provided a full report on online comments made in an open forum of social media, so it does seem strange there has been criticism of this process.
The Premier League are endeavouring to take action against online abuse. They are trying to identify issues and ultimately it was Newcastle who imposed a two-year stadium on the supporter.
Ivan Toney was again subjected to racist abuse online (JAMES WHITEHEAD/PPAUK/REX/Shutterstock)Illegal streaming boss jailed
TV watchdogs have successfully prosecuted an illegal streaming boss which led to him being given a 12-month prison sentence and had £91,000 of earnings confiscated.
World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow
Paul Merrell, a 42-year-old resident of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, ran a “sophisticated” operation for four years illegally showing Premier League games in one of the biggest ever streaming offences.
Brighton's Postecoglou chase
Brighton face Tottenham on Saturday and, if things had worked out differently, it could have been Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou in the away dugout.
Brighton were big admirers of Postecoglou and were more than likely to have moved for the former Celtic boss if they had not got Roberto De Zerbi to replace Graham Potter.
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