A report from ESADE that looks into transfer activity in Europe’s top soccer leagues has revealed that La Liga has seen total transfer investment drop by a whopping 62 percent during the2012-2013 season. Of the top five leagues, Spain saw the lowest investment, spending just $187 million in the summer and winter transfer markets this year. By comparison, the English Premier Leaguespent $1.02 billion, Serie A spent $570 million, the Bundesliga $362 million and Ligue 1 $330 million.
However, perhaps more significantly, La Liga topped the list as the league that usesthe most homegrown players for the third consecutive year, with 155 recorded in 2012-2013.
At an individual club level, Paris Saint-Germain’s $196 million was the most spent thisseason on transfers, followed by Chelsea and Zenit St. Petersburg, while no Spanish club made the top 10.