A massive increase in spending by English clubs took spending on new players to almost $2 billion during the summer transfer window that closed Wednesday, according to a study released by the firm Deloitte.

Clubs in England’s Premier League spent $790 million, an increase of 33 percent from 2010. Spending also increased in Italy ($651 million) and Spain ($488 million) -- both countries who had to postponement the start of the league season because of player strikes.

“The football authorities’ encouragement for homegrown players has contributed toward the increased scale of fees for the transfer of young English talent this summer,” Deloitte’s Dan Jones said of the EPL spending. “The resurgence of transfer spending is also apparent in other top European leagues. Despite domestic difficulties delaying the start of their seasons, transfer spending is considerably up among clubs in Serie A and La Liga.”

Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal accounted for 66 percent of the EPL spending, and Man. City, backed by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour, led all clubs with $120 million spent on the likes of Argentina striker Sergio Aguero and France midfielder Samir Nasri.