The 2021 summer transfer window has finally slammed shut. What began like any other window quickly unravelled with several unexpected moves before hitting breakneck speed on deadline day.Multiple teams have bolstered their ranks this summer. PSG have obviously been the biggest beneficiaries, picking up Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma on free transfers. The Parisians also went on to add full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes in a restructuring for the ages.In England, Aston Villa lost Jack Grealish to Manchester City, but quickly brought in Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey to fill that gap. Arsenal splashed £149 million on six players, but find themselves bottom of the Premier League table after three games.Without a doubt, there are plenty of talking points to touch upon after the close of the summer window. Here, we look at five key takeaways from this summer and how they could impact their clubs' fortunes this season:#5 The Premier League topped the spending charts, but Liverpool remained largely quietJurgen Klopp (centre) looks on as Liverpool players warm up ahead of a pre-season friendly.According to a report by Deloitte, the Premier League topped the spending charts among the top five European leagues this summer. The English top-flight saw a gross transfer spend of £1.1 billion, followed by Serie A (£475 million), Bundesliga (£360 million), Ligue 1 (£325 million) and La Liga (£250 million).Understandably, the bulk of the Premier League's transfer spendings came from their top six clubs. Arsenal topped the list, spending £149 million on six players, while Manchester United spent £126 million on four. Manchester City splurged £106 million on Jack Grealish, their sole incoming this season, while Chelsea spent £108 million on three players. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur spent £60 million to bring in five players.The only big club missing from this list is Liverpool, who spent £35 million to sign only one player: Ibrahima Konate. Jurgen Klopp's side couldn't offload much of their deadweight either, with the likes of Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino still on their wage list.A quiet transfer window for Liverpool. The fans are getting restless...#LFC#deadlineday pic.twitter.com/52PG9MJV6O— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 30, 2021Liverpool still have plenty of quality in their ranks, but may have missed a trick that could cost them in crunch moments during the 2021-22 season.#4 Free transfers continue to be the preferred mode of business in European football in the COVID-19 eraMemphis Depay in action for Barcelona.The free transfer route has been of massive importance to numerous clubs this summer. In an economy fiercely handicapped by the COVID-19 pandemic, free transfers have offered clubs the opportunity to sign players without incurring any intra-club expenditure.PSG have arguably been the biggest beneficiaries of the free transfer market this summer. The Parisians brought in four world-class players without shelling out any money, in a coup for the ages. Barcelona also used this route, bringing in Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero this summer. Real Madrid, meanwhile, brought in David Alaba from Bayern Munich on a free transfer.OFFICIAL: David Alaba joins Real Madrid on a free transfer after 11 years and 27 trophies at Bayern Munich ⚪ pic.twitter.com/C7y0VmEEU9— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 28, 2021The fact that two of Spain's biggest clubs relied on free transfers to fulfil key roster holes is a testament to the impact the pandemic has had on clubs' finances. The trend only looks set to continue next summer, with Kylian Mbappe, Paulo Dybala and Leon Goretzka among those whose contracts expire in 2022.