Despite significant signings and heavy investments in a summer market dominated by the liquidity of English and Saudi clubs, European clubs spent 8% less than during the 2023 window.

Clubs invested a total of €6.7 billion, according to UEFA’s annual Talent and Competitions report, making it the third-highest window on record. Last year, spending was €7.3 billion, and in 2019, €7.0 billion.

The report notes that this summer saw another high-spending transfer window, which "reflects the confidence that has returned to the European football market, driven by record club revenues." Alongside the Premier League and Saudi clubs, the French, German, and Italian markets were also very active.

The decrease in spending can partly be attributed to the Euro 2024 tournament, as the report indicates that transfer activity is typically 8-10% lower in such years due to reduced time for transfer chains to develop.

By mid-July, when Euro 2024 ended, European club spending was 12% (€300 million) lower than last summer, the report states, adding that clubs spent just under €1.6 billion in the final two weeks.

As of September 3, when some countries had not yet closed their transfer windows, the report notes that European club transfer revenues had dropped 13%, to an estimated €6.9 billion, with about €600 million less in net revenue from Saudi clubs.

At that time, 47% of global transfers involved at least one English club, and 94% involved at least one European club. On average, clubs signed 8.9 players for their senior teams this summer, 5% less than last year.

The report estimates that the average player joining the Premier League cost €15.6 million, three to four times the average cost of players entering Serie A or La Liga. It also highlights a record trend where 13% of total European club transfer spending was invested in teenagers this summer.

Additionally, the report notes that spending on players 23 years or younger has increased in recent windows, with the proportion of minutes played by these players remaining steady at 34% over the past three seasons.

The proportion of minutes played by teenagers in national leagues remained at a record 6% across the top 20 leagues in the 2023/24 season, maintaining the increase reported last year.

Meanwhile, players aged 30 and older accounted for 33% of all minutes played in Greece, 31% in Turkey, and 27% in Spain, compared to 11% in Austria and 14% in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The report also reveals that clubs are adapting their squad usage to manage player workloads by using more players and spreading out minutes.

Clubs in the top 20 leagues used an average of 30.2 different players during their league campaigns, the same as the previous season. Australia had the lowest usage with an average of 27.6 players, while among the top five leagues, Serie A clubs used 30.8 and La Liga clubs used 30.5, partly due to the increase to five substitutions.

In 2023/24, teams made an average of 4.3 substitutions per match, a 0.1 increase from 2022/23. Italian clubs made the most substitutions on average (4.7), followed by Spain, Portugal, and Germany (4.6). Norway had the lowest average (3.9), slightly below Scotland, England, and Sweden (4.0).

The club with the fewest substitutions among the 324 evaluated was Sweden’s Halmstads BK, with an average of just 2.8 per match, followed by two English clubs: West Ham United (2.9) and Manchester City (3.0). On the other hand, Inter Milan was the only club to use all five allowed substitutions in every league match.

According to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the organization "places the health and well-being of players at the core of its mission."

"The recent report reveals the real impact of changes to substitution rules and squad limits, which have been crucial in managing player workloads. By involving more players in top-level football, these adjustments help prevent overexertion and reduce the burden on athletes," Ceferin said, referring to the five-substitution rule.

"Notably, compared to the 2018/19 season, clubs now use two additional players per season on average in Europe’s top divisions. This has led to 1,330 more players being fielded last season than five years ago. We remain committed to closely monitoring this evolution to ensure the well-being of our players," he assured.

"UEFA will continue to listen to the voices of national associations, leagues, clubs, players, coaches, referees, and fans, fostering open dialogue within the football community," Ceferin added.

Regarding match duration, the report shows that a quarter of league matches now extend beyond 100 minutes. The average match length for the 2023/24 season was 98.2 minutes, with the Premier League averaging 101.6 and Ligue 1 at 98.8.

In terms of coaching, the report highlights that coaches in European top-flight football spent an average of 1.3 years (less than 16 months) in their roles, 2% more than the previous season.

While only ten top-tier and five second-tier coaches had been in their positions for ten years or more last season, 63% of European top-flight clubs made at least one managerial change, with 779 replacements—1% more than the previous season.

Forty percent of head coach appointments over the year came directly from another job (less than three months) and another 29% had recently held a previous head coach role (between three and 12 months).

Only 6% of head coaches appointed during the year were taking on their first managerial role. Of all new coaches, 24% had less than one year of professional experience as a head coach.

Sixty-seven percent of the head coaches hired by clubs last season were former professional players (either in the top or second division). The proportion of ex-professional players is highest in Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, and Ukraine, and lowest in Poland and Portugal.

Spanish coaches are the most sought-after, with 56% working abroad at other top-tier European clubs or in head coaching positions for international national teams.

The report also details where and when head coaches began their careers. Around 69% start their careers in their home countries, with the average age for a coach’s first job being 35.

Only 3% of head coaches with previous playing experience are former goalkeepers. In contrast, 43% were formerly midfielders, 35% were defenders, and 18% were forwards.

The report also highlights that in the landscape of European football competitions, a meritocracy pyramid is applied. The pyramid of sporting merit shows that 1,244 different clubs played in their national top leagues in the past decade, 564 clubs have competed in UEFA’s club competitions, with 210 qualifying for the group stages.

It also notes that in women’s football, as professionalization progresses, there is some concentration of talent in the top clubs, particularly those with strong financial support from their parent clubs.

Despite this, there has been a slight improvement in competitive balance, with matches featuring a three-goal margin or more decreasing from 34% to 33%.

Women’s head coaches faced less pressure during the 2023/24 season, with a dismissal rate of just 0.73 per club, 21% lower than the average for men’s teams in the same countries (0.92). Except for Italy, all other countries had a lower rate.

This evolution highlights a clear trend in recent years toward integrating women’s football clubs into the existing organizational structures of men’s clubs, reflecting a growing interest in investing in women’s football.

The percentage of clubs integrated into existing structures has increased from 49% in 2022 to 56% this upcoming season.