2014 summer transfer window: Ligue 1 reinforces four of the six leagues ahead of it in UEFA rankings

The Liga BBVA (ESP), the top European league according to the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) rankings on 29/08/2014, bought €94.6m worth of Ligue 1 (FRA) players during the 2014 summer transfer window (from 10/06 to 01/09/2014). This represents 41.9% of the money received by clubs in the first French division through the period (€225.8m).

On the other hand, Ligue 1 did not buy a Liga BBVA player during the 2014 summer transfer window. The two arrivals to Ligue 1 from the Spanish first division concerned players returning from loans. The total amount invested by Spanish clubs in Ligue 1 players is represented, in a large share, by the transfer of the Colombian international James Rodriguez, from AS Monaco to Real Madrid, for €80m.

Without this transfer, Liga BBVA would have been the third buyer in Ligue 1 this summer, behind the Premier League (ENG, second in the UEFA rankings) with €51.5m spent in the French league (22.8% of the total) and Ligue 1 itself domestically (€45.1m, 20%).

The English first division also represents 37% of the spending of Ligue 1 clubs during…