A clutch of firms have moved to benefit from the recent flurry of transfer activity in English football as major City firms vie with sports boutiques to advise the elite Premiership clubs.

Slaughter and May took a break from big-ticket corporate work to advise defeated Champions League finalists Arsenal on their signing of Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky, with M&A veteran Nigel Boardman taking the lead role alongside corporate partner Andrew Jolly.