Why did the big Premier League clubs not sign any players?

Unless of course if you count Arsenal bringing in the amateur Cohen Bramall, a 19-year-old who used to work at a factory, for a total fee close to 40,000 pounds – less than what Carlos Tevez earns in China in one morning.

One can also point to Gabriel Jesus’s arrival at Manchester City, but that deal was sealed last summer and the fee was already set, it is just that the Brazilian spent a few more months in his country before coming to the Premier League.

So what is the reason behind this unimpressive transfer window?

In the case of Chelsea, Antonio Conte and the club subscribed to the American notion of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The Blues have a healthy cushion at the top of the standings and once they resolved out in mid-January their only real issue, namely a disgruntled Diego Costa feeling, they had no reason to mess with a squad they are very satisfied with at this point.

In the case of Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham meanwhile, there were no players available on the market that would have made a real difference in the second half of the season and would justify over-spending at this point.

For example, if you are in need of a top striker the likes of Aubameyang, Benzema or Dybala are set to exit their clubs in the summer and that’s when you have to enter the bidding war if you want one of them – in January, you would have to settle for a lesser player and pay almost as much.