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Wednesday 02 September 2015 7:15 pm

Summer transfer 2015 window in five graphs – Manchester City enjoy FFP easing, Southampton come out quids in, Manchester United biggest sellers

By: Joe Hall

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Deadline day came and went with as much talk about players' errant tweets and superclubs' tardiness as any big money moves even if the Premier League continued to increase its spending.

In total clubs spent around £820m* on 158 new players this summer. But where did the money go and how was it spent? Here's six takeaways from the most recent transfer window.

Manchester City enjoy FFP easing

Manchester City are bidding to return to the top of the Premier League this season and in doing so they've already returned to a familiar position as the league's biggest spenders.

City splashed out just shy of £150m on new players including the high-profile signing of Kevin De Bruyne (£52.5m), Raheem Sterling (£43.8m) and Nicolas Otamendi (£31.2m). That accounted for around £50m more than the Premier League's next biggest spenders Manchester United.

It was only last year that City were fined by Uefa for breaching its financial fair play regulations, yet since then rules have been relaxed and club owners are now permitted to fund spending sprees if they can alongside it demonstrate a clear business plan that will eventually lead to profitability.

Read more: Manchester provides a third of Premier League transfer spend

Southampton come out on top

With the promise of huge revenues on the horizon from the £5bn broadcasting deal which kicks in next season, Premier League clubs have decided to speculate to accumulate in hope of securing their slice. All bar Southampton that is, who were the only club to make a profit this summer.

Read more: Saints go marching on to profitability

Last season, they were one of just two clubs (the similarly well-run Swansea being the other) with a negative net spend. The test for Ronaldo Koeman now is to repeat last season's trick of successfully managing the integration of new players in place of some of last season's Saints stars.

Biggest sale found at Old Trafford

The bizarre collapse of David de Gea's transfer to Real Madrid and the arrival of a largely unknown teenage striker for £35m may have left some United fans frustrated on deadline day, but investors may not be too disappointed with a £27m net spend that was lower than West Ham, Newcastle and even Watford.

Read more: De Gea's transfer collapse explained

United recouped £71.1m from the sale of 12 players including Angel Di Maria (£44.1m), Javier Hernandez (£8.4m) and Robin van Persie (£4.6m) – more than any other Premier League club. No wonder they could afford to take such a punt on 19-year-old Anthony Martial.

English premium? French players cost more on average

English players were the most well-represented in Premier League signigns this summer but they were not the most expensive. In fact, of the 30 most expensive players signed – just two came from England.

Read more: Martial deal will take Premier League summer transfer window spend to record level

Premier League clubs spent more on 14 players from France than they did on 30 from England. Of nationalities represented in 10 or more summer signings, English players came at the lowest average cost.

Bundesliga bonanza

If France was the nationality in vogue this summer, the Bundesliga was the most popular league behind intra-Premier Leauge deals in terms of money spent. Around £150m was spent on players from Germany's top division – although a third of that was on de Bruyne alone.

21 players were signed from Championship clubs but for just £60m – almost £15m more of Premier League money found its way to Belgium and the Netherlands than it did to the Championship.

In total, just 7.7 per cent of the Premier League's money went back into the lower leagues on English football.

*Figures compiled from transfermarkt.co.uk

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