It was a transfer window dominated by Chelsea’s unprecedented spending from start to finish. But it was also a month that underlined how the Premier League is a de facto Super League, possessing financial muscles that the vast majority of European sides can no longer compete with.
Some of the numbers are astounding. And while it is impossible to not be drawn to the activity at Stamford Bridge, even the smaller English clubs have comfortably spent more than entire leagues on the continent.
Ten of the 11 biggest spending clubs were from the Premier League as 19 out of 20 welcomed new arrivals with a total value of €830m (£734m) - more than the GDP of small countries such as Tonga or Samoa.
