"The British market is doped" - La Liga president Javier Tebas lashes out at Chelsea's January spending spree

La Liga president Javier Tebas recently criticized Chelsea's exorbitant spending spree during the January transfer window. The Blues had a busy January with multiple arrivals, including Enzo Fernandez, for a record British transfer fee of €121 million.

David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, and Fernandez were signed by the West London-based side on a permanent basis. Joao Felix also arrived on loan from Atletico Madrid. Chelsea's total spending in January was close to £300million.

Tebas spoke about the financial disparity between the Premier League and other top European leagues. He added that the Blues made nearly half of the entire league's signings. Tebas said (h/t Ben Jacobs):

“The British market is a doped market. You can see it clearly in this winter market where Chelsea have made almost half of the signings in the Premier League…"

In stark contrast to the busy window that the Blues had, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona made no new signings in January. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, brought in Memphis Depay for a meager fee of €3 million and Matt Doherty on a free transfer.

Which players left Chelsea in the January transfer window?

Jorginho left Stamford Bridge to join Arsenal

While the incomings at Chelsea stole the headlines, a few players left the club as well. Jorginho was their most notable departure, as the Italian joined Arsenal for a fee of €12 million.

Malo Gusto, on the other hand, will remain at his former club Lyon for the remainder of the season on loan. Upon his return, Gusto will provide competition to Reece James in the right-back position.

The Blues still have a lot of work to do to get their season back on track. They are tenth in the Premier League table with 29 points from 20 games, and are ten points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

They are set to face Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League on February 15 as well. While the arrival of new players will give Graham Potter's team a much-needed boost, there could be a settling-in period for the new signings.

The Blues, however, don't have much time to spare. They will need to get immediate results to secure a respectable end to their lackluster campaign.