Saudi disruption, Brighton mastery: Five talking points from Premier League transfer window

Premier League clubs smashed their previous record spend in a single transfer window by splashing over 2 billion ($2.5 billion) on new talent ahead of Friday's deadline.

Chelsea led the way by breaking the British transfer record for Moises Caicedo.

England's top-flight clubs were again able to flex their financial muscle over their European rivals.

But they did not have things all their own way as the Saudi Pro League emerged as a rival for top players thanks to the lavish salaries on offer to players in the Gulf kingdom.

Here are five talking points from the Premier League transfer window:

Saudi give and take

The influx of cash from Saudi contributed to the record outlay by Premier League clubs as Manchester City, Liverpool and Fulham were forced into the market to replace the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Jordan Henderson and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

For the most part, the English clubs were grateful sellers, managing to recoup top dollar for ageing stars.

But Ruben Neves' move from Wolves to Al-Hilal at 26 was a warning of what the future may hold, particularly for the flow of talent the Premier League has become accustomed to poaching from other European leagues.

Another break with the norm in that regard was the fact that two of England's biggest stars chose to make major moves to the continent over the options in their homeland.

Real Madrid won the battle for Jude Bellingham's signature from Borussia Dortmund, while Harry Kane turned his back on Tottenham to join Bayern Munich.

Chelsea's billion pound gamble 

The Blues broke the British transfer record for the second time in seven months by beating Liverpool to Caicedo for a fee that could rise to 115 million.

The Ecuador international penned an eight-year contract at Stamford