The Spoiler considers the decline in big money transfer activity

The credit crunch is affecting everyone in the UK at the moment: bread now costs more than a Ford Fiesta did ten years ago, house prices in the north have fallen below £25 for a two bed semi, and pretty soon, Cristiano Ronaldo will start having to using cheaper prostitutes just to get by.

The transfer rumours thrown around each day seem to assume that the Premier League’s elite are not affected by the global financial problems, but the cost of obtaining loans has clearly stalled the summer transfer market.

Consider the list below, which details each Premier League club’s biggest summer signing last year and the date on which they occurred:

Eduardo to Arsenal - July 3
Reo Coker to Villa - July 5
Muamba to Birmingham - May 11
Santa Cruz to Blackburn - July 28
Samuel to Bolton - July 1
Malouda to Chelsea - July 9
Earnshaw to Derby - June 29
Yakubu to Everton - August 29
Kamara to Fulham - July 9
Torres to Liverpool - July 3
Elano to Man City - August 2