In a January transfer window where new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has taken all the headlines, I’ve run down every team’s ins and outs and rated their transfer business. The Blues spent triple the money than all other teams in Europe’s top 5 leagues combined in the winter transfer window, and have seemingly evaded Financial Fair Play regulations despite spending over half a billion pounds.
Arsenal
Transfers In
Jorginho – Chelsea, £20m
Leandro Trossard – Brighton, £27m
Jakub Kiwior – Spezia, £20m
Transfers Out
Albert Sambi-Lokonga – Crystal Palace, loan
Brooke Norton-Cuffy – Coventry, loan
Miguel Azeez – Wigan, loan
Harry Clarke – Ipswich, undisclosed
Marquinhos – Norwich, loan
Omar Rekik – Wigan, loan
Tom Smith – Colchester, loan
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji – Accrington, loan
Taylor Foran – Hartlepool, loan
Cedric Soares – Fulham, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
7 – Arsenal went into the transfer window knowing that it could make or break their season. An injury to an important player like Thomas Partey or Granit Xhaka could well have spelled disaster given their lack of depth in that department. Albert Sambi Lokonga’s runout in the FA Cup against Man City proved exactly that.
Edu and Mikel Arteta’s transfer dealings tend to be good business, and they have refused to over-pay as seen by pulling out of the Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo bidding war. Pinching Belgian winger Leandro Trossard from the South Coast, Italian midfieler Jorginho, as well as Poland and Spezia centre-back Jakub Kiwior could prove so important. They’re Premier League calibre enforcements that will be worthy deputies in their title run in, as substitutes or as injury cover. Although, letting Cedric Soares leave on loan does leave the gunners a little thin at right back with regards to natural options in that area.
Aston Villa
Transfers In
Alex Moreno – Real Betis, £13.3m
John Duran – Chicago Fire, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Cameron Archer – Middlesbrough, loan
Tyreik Wright – Plymouth, undisclosed
Frederic Guilbert – Strasbourg, undisclosed
Indiana Vassilev – St Louis City, undisclosed
Danny Ings – West Ham, £15m
Louie Barry – Salford City, loan
Aaron Ramsey – Middlesbrough, loan
Lamar Bogarde – Bristol Rovers, loan
Morgan Sanson – Strasbourg, loan
Marvelous Nakamba – Luton Town, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
4 – Aston Villa have had some turnaround since Unai Emery took over from Steven Gerrard. He’s already beaten the likes of Man United, Brighton, and Tottenham. Against Brighton, the outgoing Danny Ings scored twice in their 2-1 win, and I can’t help but think there’s a gap there now.
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey are injury-prone, and a knock to either of them could really dent their chances of making the top 10. Additionally, losing the likes of Sanson and Nakamba leaves Villa with few options in the midfield. The only consolation is the signing of left-back Alex Moreno from Real Betis to cover for Lucas Digne’s injury, although he was booked on his first start for the club.
Bournemouth
Transfers In
Dango Ouattara – Lorient, £20m.
Darren Randolph – West Ham, undisclosed
Antoine Semenyo – Bristol City, £10.5m
Matias Vina – Roma, loan
Illia Zabarnyi – Dynamo Kyiv, £24m
Hamed Junior Traore – Sassuolo, loan
Transfers Out
Jamal Lowe – QPR, loan
Emiliano Marcondes – Nordsjaelland, loan
James Hill – Hearts, loan
Gavin Kilkenny – Charlton, loan
Ben Pearson – Stoke, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
8 – Ghanaian striker Antoine Semenyo and Burkina Faso’s Dango Outtarra joined Bournemouth as extra ammunition for a relegation scrap. Even if the Cherries don’t beat the drop, they’ve brought in players that could lead them straight back into the big time.
Semenyo was involved in 9 goals in 23 appearances for Bristol this season alone, while Outtarra provided an assist on his Premier League debut, to help his team earn a point against Nottingham Forest. Elsewhere, the signing of Ukrainian international Illia Zabarnyi is somewhat of a coup. The 20 year old had a number of suitors across Europe, and Bournemouth fans should be excited by what the centre back can offer.
Brentford
Transfers In
Kevin Schade – Freiburg, loan
Romeo Beckham – Inter Miami, loan
Vincent Angelini – Watford, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Aaron Pressley – Accrington, loan
Edon Pruti – Hartlepool, undisclosed
Mads Bech Sorensen – Groningen, loan
Ellery Balcombe – Bristol Rovers, loan
Tariqe Fosu – Rotherham, loan
Paris Maghoma – MK Dons, undisclosed
Charlie Goode – Blackpool, loan
Sergi Canos – Olympiacos, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
4 – Nothing too exciting for Brentford ins and outs, but they won’t be too disappointed. They’ve been in decent form sitting in the top half and have already dispatched Man City, Man United and Liverpool.
The only notable transfer dealing to make the headlines was Romeo Beckham on loan, and hopefully that brings in some commercial revenue from the Beckham name.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Transfers In
Jamie Mullins – Bohemians, undisclosed
Facundo Buonanotte – Rosario Central, undisclosed
Yasin Ayari – AIK Solna, £3.5m
Transfers Out
Leandro Trossard – Arsenal, £27m
Aaron Connolly – Hull, loan
Reda Khadra – Birmingham, loan
Todd Miller – Doncaster, loan
Ed Turns – Leyton Orient, loan
James Beadle – Crewe, loan
Antef Tsoungui – Lommel, loan
Jack Spong – Crawley, loan
James Furlong – Motherwell, loan
Lorent Tolaj – Dundee, loan
Shane Duffy – Fulham, undisclosed
January Transfer Window Rated
2 – Unlike Brentford, Brighton lost a first team name in this window and haven’t replaced him. Leandro Trossard forced his way out while Moises Caicedo tried to do the same. He publicly announced that he was “grateful to Mr. Bloom [Brighton Chairman] and Brighton” and that he dreamed of being the “most decorated player in the history of Ecuador”, however his club refused three bids from Arsenal that reached a massive £75m.
That, along with Trossard’s outgoing, implies not all is as merry as it may have seemed in Roberto De Zerbi’s camp, and if Caicedo gets disciplined with a spell out of the team I can’t see this transfer window as anything but a failure.
Chelsea
Transfers In
Enzo Fernandez – Benfica, £105m
Mykhailo Mudryk – Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
Benoit Badiashile – Monaco, £35m
David Datro Fofana – Molde, undisclosed
Andrey Santos – Vasco da Gama, undisclosed
Joao Felix – Atletico Madrid, loan
Noni Madueke – PSV, £29m
Malo Gusto – Lyon, £26.3m
Transfers Out
Teddy Sharman-Lowe – Havant & Waterlooville, loan
Malo Gusto – Lyon, loan
Jude Soonsup-Bell – Tottenham, undisclosed
Cesare Casadei – Reading, loan
Jorginho – Arsenal, £12m
Bashir Humphreys – Paderborn, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
10– Signal of intent. This window has been absolutely ridiculous for Chelsea. Any other fan would be lying if they weren’t scared by the prospect of Chelsea next season, although it’s a real shock that Todd Boehly has so dramatically avoided the Financial Fair Play authorities.
Enzo Fernandez completed his deadline day move to even outshine Mykhailo Mudryk’s transfer fee. The Ukrainian midfielder looked a class above the rest in his short cameo against Liverpool, almost dribbling his way through to a debut goal. Benoit Badiashile has also slotted seamlessly into the first-team defence since his transfer from Monaco, while Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto were late additions which add much needed injury cover.
Even Joao Felix should be a great, albeit expensive, loan signing until the end of the campaign (once he returns from his debut suspension) in a void that will be filled by Christopher Nkunku next season.
Crystal Palace
Transfers In
Albert Sambi-Lokonga – Arsenal, loan
Naouirou Ahamada – Stuttgart, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Jack Butland – Manchester United, loan
Killian Phillips – Shrewsbury, loan
John-Kymani Gordon – Carlisle, loan
Malcolm Ebiowei – Hull City, loan
Luke Plange – Lincoln, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
5 – Just the 2 signings for Palace towards the tail end of the January transfer window. Both Ahamada and Lokonga provide much needed midfield cover for Patrick Vieira’s side. However, for a side that are pushing for a top half finish, it’s not a great sign that they’ll be making no big changes going into the second half of the campaign.
Everton
Transfers In
None
Transfers Out
Anthony Gordon – Newcastle, £45m
Tom Cannon – Preston, loan
Nathan Broadhead – Ipswich, undisclosed
Niels Nkounkou – St Etienne, loan
Seb Quirk – Accrington, undisclosed
Tyler Onyango – Forest Green, loan
Salomon Rondon – Everton to River Plate, free
Joe Anderson – Sunderland, undisclosed
January Transfer Window Rated
1 – No doubt the worst, and most embarrassing, transfer window for any Premier League team. First up, joint top scorer Antony Gordon forced his move out of the club, although Everton fans will be pleasantly surprised by the incoming transfer funds.
The embarrassment didn’t end there though, with Arnaut Danjuma making a last minute swerve after his medical to make the late trip to Tottenham. There’s not really much surprise here, given he was turning up at a club in turmoil and in severe threat of Championship football next season. Along with that, Sean Dyche took over from Frank Lampard – not the most exciting prospect for the Toffees.
Fulham
Transfers In
Sasa Lukic – Torino, £8m
Cedric Soares – Arsenal, loan
Shane Duffy – Brighton, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Anthony Knockaert – Huddersfield, loan
Connor McAvoy – Partick Thistle, loan
Nathaniel Chalobah – West Brom, undisclosed
Josh Onomah – Preston, free
January Transfer Window Rated
6 – It must be hard for Fulham fans to see all the flights coming in to West London and finding Stamford Bridge instead of Craven Cottage. However, Marco Silva’s side have definitely strengthened, and can largely label their window a success. Cedric Soares comes in and will provide competition for Kenny Tete, perhaps spelling the end of Kevin Mbabu’s time in London.
Serbian midfielder Sasa Lukic also made the switch to the capital on deadline day, and is expected to bolster Silva’s midfield options, an area of the pitch that has been occupied by Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed all season. It could afford the pair a much needed rest.
Leeds United
Transfers In
Max Wober – Red Bull Salzburg, £11m
Georginio Rutter – Hoffenheim, £35.5m
Weston McKennie – Juventus, loan
Diogo Monteiro – Servette, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Mateusz Klich – DC United, free
Leo Hjelde – Rotherham, loan
Alfie McCalmont – Carlisle, loan
Max Dean – MK Dons, undisclosed
Cody Drameh – Luton, loan
Joe Gelhardt – Sunderland, loan
Diego Llorente – Roma, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
8 – Leeds will have feared that no additions will mean they’ll be well and truly in the relegation fight with their wishy washy defence. But Jesse Marsch has been able to sure up his back line with the signing of Austrian centre-back Max Wober from RB Salzburg.
Two more statement signings were made, with 20 year-old French forward Georginio Rutter joining from Hoffenheim, and Weston Mckennie joining on loan from Juventus. The latter said it was an easy decision to change from Turin to Elland Road, and there’s no surprise given the wealth of American’s in Jesse Marsch’s squad.
Leicester City
Transfers In
Harry Souttar – Stoke City, £15m
Victor Kristiansen – FC Copenhagen, £17.5m
Tete – Shakhtar Donetsk, free
Nathan Opoku – FDM Field Masters Sporting Club, free
Transfers Out
George Hirst – Ipswich, loan
Ben Nelson – Doncaster, loan
Jakub Stolarczyk – Hartlepool, loan
Nathan Opoku – OH Leuven, loan
Ayoze Perez – Real Betis, loan
Kasey McAteer – Wimbledon, loan
Marc Albrighton – West Brom, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
5 – Leicester had a woeful start to the season, and if they didn’t recover so well their winter transfer window would likely have been much busier.
The big addition is Danish left-back Victor Kristiansen from FC Copenhagen. He’ll look to slip into the team over Luke Thomas, who himself is deputising for an injured James Justin.
Liverpool
Transfers In
Cody Gakpo – PSV Eindhoven, £45m
Transfers Out
Jake Cain – Swindon, undisclosed
Jarell Quansah – Bristol Rovers, loan
Luke Chambers – Kilmarnock, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
4 – It’s difficult to make much of Liverpool’s January transfer business. Injuries have ravaged the squad, and Liverpool fans were begging for more signings given their side are 9th in the league and out of both domestic cups, being beaten by Brighton twice in the last two weeks.
The only signing they have made has failed to make an impact so far, although Gakpo may take some time to warm up. He was involved in 27 goals (15 goals, 12 assists) in 19 appearances this season alone for PSV, and had a starring role in taking the Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals.
Manchester City
Transfers In
Maximo Perrone – Velez Sarsfield, £8m
Transfers Out
Morgan Rogers – Blackpool, loan
Liam Delap – Preston, loan
Josh Wilson-Esbrand – Coventry, loan
Kayky – Bahia, loan
Joao Cancelo – Bayern Munich, loan
Luke Mbete – Bolton, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
2 – All is not well in Pep Guardiola’s camp, evidenced by Joao Cancelo’s shock loan with option to buy to Bayern Munich. Cancelo has been a main stay and arguably the best left-back in the world over recent seasons in Pep’s renowned inverted full-back tactical role. Although, £61.5 million in revenue for a 29 year-old defender could end up being a good deal.
That being said, with the Cityzens 5 points behind league leaders Arsenal having played an extra game, along with former substitute left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko at their title rivals, it’s a surprise they haven’t made any noteworthy additions. I can’t help but think they won’t be able to fight for titles on both domestic and European fronts.
Manchester United
Transfers In
Marcel Sabitzer – Bayern Munich, loan
Jack Butland – Crystal Palace, loan
Wout Weghorst – Burnley, loan
Transfers Out
Cristiano Ronaldo – Al Nassr, free
Shola Shoretire – Bolton, loan
Charlie Savage – Forest Green, loan
Charlie McNeill – Newport, loan
Di’Shon Bernard – Portsmouth, loan
Axel Tuanzebe – Stoke, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
5 – A strange transfer window for the Red Devils. It’s summed up by losing the big name and commercial revenue from Cristiano Ronaldo and replacing him with a former Burnley striker on loan in Wout Weghorst. Jack Butland isn’t the statement signing that United fans were calling for either, but the deadline day loan move for Marcel Sabitzer at least covers for Christian Eriksen’s injury.
United are one of the highest-performing teams in Europe though, led by Marcus Rashford’s dazzling form, and so Ten Hag won’t be too worried about the squad he has. They’ll be going for a League Cup trophy at the end of the month, and hope to keep tabs with Arsenal and City in the title race.
Newcastle United
Transfers In
Garang Kuol – Central Coast Mariners, £300k
Anthony Gordon – Everton, £45m
Harrison Ashby – West Ham, £3m
Transfers Out
Chris Wood – Nottingham Forest, loan
Daniel Langley – Spennymoor Town, loan
Garang Kuol – Hearts, loan
Joe White – Exeter, loan
Niall Brookwell – Darlington, loan
Dylan Stephenson – Hamilton, loan
Jonjo Shelvey – Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Karl Darlow – Hull City, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
7 – Newcastle fans won’t be too worried about the transfer window given they sit pretty in 3rd in the table. Eddie Howe has taken this side to new levels since taking over in November 2021.
Their signings from last January and last summer are proving they’re bang for buck. Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Sven Botman and Nick Pope form 4 out of the 5 bricks in the wall of the best defence in the league. Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak haven’t been too shabby either. Adding in Antony Gordon as healthy competition can be seen as a successful window.
Nottingham Forest
Transfers In
Danilo – Palmeiras, undisclosed
Gustavo Scarpa – Palmeiras, free
Chris Wood – Newcastle, loan
Felipe – Atletico Madrid, undisclosed
Keylor Navas – Paris Saint-Germain, loan
Jonjo Shelvey – Newcastle, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Josh Bowler – Blackpool, loan
Dale Taylor – Burton Albion, loan
Aaron Donnelly – Port Vale, loan
Loic Mbe Soh – Guingamp, loan
Ateef Konate – Oxford, loan
Brandon Aguilera – Estoril Praia, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
8 – Back in the summer, Forest did the business. After being promoted they made a ridiculous 22 signings spending over £150m, and have surprisingly made another 6 signings in January.
Brazil and Palmeiras’ midfield duo Danilo and Gustavo Scarpa both joined and squeezed straight into the first team. Premier League-experienced Chris Wood also signed as healthy competition and injury cover for Taiwo Awoniyi. Cooper’s side were busy on deadline day, with 3 more names coming in to join up with what is an already large squad.
Southampton
Transfers In
Kamaldeen Sulemana – Rennes, £20m
Mislav Orsic – Dinamo Zagreb, £8m
Carlos Alcaraz – Racing Club, £12m
James Bree – Luton Town, undisclosed
Paul Onuachu – Genk, £18m
Transfers Out
Dynel Simeu – Morecambe, loan
Nico Lawrence – Torquay, loan
Dan Nlundulu – Bolton, loan
Ryan Finnigan – Crewe, loan
Kazeem Olaigbe – Harrogate, loan
Lewis Payne – Eastleigh, loan
Thierry Small – St Mirren, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
8 – Overall, a great transfer window for the Saints. Mislav Orsic for £8m is a class signing for me, even at the age of 30, as he’s well-and-truly proven himself in the Champions League against Premier League opposition. A hat-trick against Tottenham and a winner against Chelsea, I’m sure he’s looking forward to his next trip to London.
Young Argentinian defensive midfielder Carlos Alcaraz has also joined from Racing Club, and has allowed James Ward-Prowse to move into more of an advanced role. The deadline day deal for 20 year-old Kamaldeen Sulemana should bring an added zing to the wing too, with Nigerian giant Paul Onuachu hoping to provide the goals. He’s scored 16 in 18 for Genk this season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Transfers In
Arnaut Danjuma – Villarreal, loan
Pedro Porro – Sporting Lisbon, loan
Jude Soonsup-Bell – Chelsea, undisclosed
Transfers Out
Matt Doherty – Atletico Madrid, free
Bryan Gil – Sevilla, loan
Djed Spence – Rennes, loan
Adam Hayton – Barnsley, undisclosed
Harvey White – Derby, loan
January Transfer Window Rated
5 – It wasn’t a busy window until Deadline Day, but that doesn’t mean Spurs didn’t make headlines. The Arnaut Danjuma spectacle didn’t fail to entertain as they rubbed salt into the wounds of the Everton decline.
What can arguably be seen as a success is keeping Harry Kane, who despite Man United rumours is set to stay at Tottenham, trophyless, for the rest of his career. Without Kane, I’m not scared to say Tottenham would be a midtable team.
West Ham United
Transfers In
Luizao – Sau Paulo, free
Danny Ings – Aston Villa, £15m
Transfers Out
Thierry Nevers – Bradford, loan
Craig Dawson – Wolves, £3.3m
Pierre Ekwah – Sunderland, undisclosed
Darren Randolph – Bournemouth, undisclosed
Conor Coventry – Rotherham, loan
Will Greenidge – Colchester, undisclosed
Harrison Ashby – Newcastle, £3m
Emmanuel Longelo – Birmingham, undisclosed
January Transfer Window Rated
6 – West Ham have been crying out for a striker. They’ve been creating their fair share of chances with an expected goals per game of 1.60, but converting just 0.85 of them into the back of the net. This is in part due to Gianluca Scamacca’s injury prone start to his Hammers career, but bringing in Danny Ings (also injury prone) doesn’t convince me as the solution.
He should provide some good competition with a struggling-to-finish Michail Antonio though, and he has proven he can score in the Premier League this season. He’s managed 6 goals for Villa in 19 games, and converted from an xG of 5.3.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Transfers In
Matheus Cunha – Atletico Madrid, loan
Mario Lemina – Nice, undisclosed
Pablo Sarabia – Paris Saint-Germain, £4.4m
Craig Dawson – West Ham, £3.3m
Daniel Bentley – Bristol City, undisclosed
Joao Gomes – Flamengo, £15m
Transfers Out
Goncalo Guedes – Benfica, loan
Leonardo Campana – Inter Miami, free
Theo Corbeanu – Arminia, loan
Matija Sarkic – Stoke, loan
Fabio Silva – PSV, loan
Ki-Jana Hoever – Stoke, loan
Jackson Smith – Walsall, loan
Chem Campbell – Wycombe, loan
Joe O’Shaughnessy – Released
January Transfer Window Rated
6 – Personally, I really like Matheus Cunha and I think that he could be an upgrade on Goncalo Guedes. Just like West Ham, Wolves have been struggling to score goals, sitting dead last for goals scored with 12 in 20. Full faith will be in the Brazilian striker to change their fortunes and save them from relegation for the rest of the season.
Craig Dawson stands out as a shrewd signing, and should provide some serious competition to Max Kilman and Nathan Collins. I can’t say I see Pablo Sarabia as an upgrade though, I just don’t rate him.
