It’s that time of year again when panic buys galore happen for teams desperate to salvage something from their season, or determined to maintain and improve on the good work they have done thus far.
After a winter World Cup, it seems clubs are even more desperate or determined than ever before. This year, Premier League clubs had a record-breaking January, spending a whooping £815m.
That is almost double the previous record of £430 in 2018 and almost triple the amount from last January of £296m. However, a third of this January record fee came exclusively from Chelsea.
Below is my team-by-team review…..
ARSENAL
Leandro Trossard (Brighton) £27m
Jakub Kiwior (Spezia Calcio) £20m
Jorginho (Chelsea) £12m
It seems everything Arsenal are doing at the moment is working, and it feels they can do no wrong.
Leading the league by seven points but are not sitting on their laurels as they have brought in very decent and experienced individuals in Trossard, who certainly knows how to score a goal or two, and his trickery on the ball will fit right into their play.
Jorginho looks like another solid acquisition in midfield, which surprised one and all. These could really be masterstrokes in claiming the title.
They also brought in unknown defender Kiwior, but with everything they are doing currently, I am willing to bet he will fit in well.
ASTON VILLA
Alex Moreno (Real Betis) £13.3m
Jhon Duran (Chicago Fire) £14.75m
It has been an eventful first half of the season for Villa, with the new manager. I was quite surprised they didn’t have more than just additions to the squad.
Apart from three loan recalls, one being Bertand Troare, they have added talented left-back Moreno, who has already featured and looks like a decent buy. Also, Duran is a tricky Colombian winger who will hope to make an impact.
But I am sure the Villa faithful were hoping for much more.
BOURNEMOUTH
Dango Ouattara (Lorient) £20m
Darren Randolph (West Ham)
Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City) £10.5m
Matias Vina (Roma) Loan
Illia Zabarnyi (Dynamo Kiev) £24m
For me, Bournemouth has had an interesting window, and you cannot say they are not doing everything they can to stay in the league. Randolph brings experience in goal.
Quattara is a young and exciting-looking Burkina Faso forward, who has already made an impact in his debut.
Vina is an experienced full-back and Uruguayan international. Semenyo is a Ghanaian forward who has a good scoring record, albeit in the lower leagues.
But big things are expected from young Ukrainian defender Zabarnyi who is already an established international at 20 and has a promising future.
BRENTFORD
Byron Wilson (Coventry) Free
Conor McManus (Bray Wanderers) Free
Beaux Booth (Dorking) Youth
Kevin Schade (Freiburg) Loan
Romeo Beckham (Inter Miami) Loan
Vincent Angelini (Watford) Free
It was a low-key January window for Thomas Frank. Their emphasis was very much on youth.
Apart from recalling four players from on loan, but took a punt and loaned a very famous son, Romeo Beckham. However, the jury is out on his credentials.
They also loaned Schade, who is a young striker capped at every youth level for Germany. Wilson and McManus who are both young defenders hoping to get minutes. Angelini is a young goalkeeper, and Booth is a young midfielder.
BRIGHTON
Facundo Buonanotte (Rosario Central) £5.3m
Jamie Mullins (Bohemians) Undisclosed
Mark O’Mahony (Cork) Undisclosed
Yasin Ayari (AIK) £3.5m
One of the surprise teams of the season, new manager De Zerbie is really making strides in his first season and has made some interesting, if not unknown young additions this window.
Ayari is a strong, teenage defensive midfielder, who has already been capped for Sweden. Buonanotte is an exciting-looking teenage winger from Argentina. Mulling is a young Irish midfielder, and O’Mahony is a young Irish forward.
CHELSEA
Enzo Fernandez (Benfica) £106.8m
Datro Fofana (Molde) £10.5m
Benoit Badiashile (Monaco) £33m
Andrey Santos (Vasco da Gama) £18m
Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) Loan
Mykhailo Mudryk (Shakhtar Donetsk) £62m
Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven) £30m
Malo Gusto (Lyon) £26.3m
I am not exactly sure how they pulled this off and where the money has come from, but if you look back over the past few decades. Obviously, not to this extent, but this is the Chelsea way.
The deadline record-breaking signing of World Cup winner Fernandez put the cherry on top of an unbelievable window.
They brought in very exciting looking forward Mudryk. Strong defender Badiashile has already looked good. I am interested to see exciting young winger Madueke.
He could be one to watch. Santos is a young exciting-looking midfielder, who has been capped at youth level for Brazil.
Fofana is a young Ivory Coast striker. Gusto is a young French full-back. If that wasn’t enough, they added the loan signing of Felix,
CRYSTAL PALACE
Naouirou Ahamada (Stuttgart) £9.7m
Albert Sambi Lokonga (Arsenal) Loan
It was also a quiet window for Vieira. Although he did target a specific position with his two additions.
The loan move for Arsenal’s Lakonga could be a welcomed addition for numbers in the midfield position. As well as Ahamada, who is a young tough tackling French midfielder.
EVERTON
None
Everton are in the doldrums, and the fans will be fuming at no business this window.
This caused them to recall three young loanees, none who have played any games for Everton, and to make matters worse, they lost their young bright star Gordon to Newcastle.
New manager Sean Dyche will need all his experience and expertise for the second half of the season.
FULHAM
Cedric Soares (Arsenal) Loan
Sasa Lukic (Torino) £8m
Shane Duffy (Brighton) Undisclosed
Fulham are another team had a very quiet window. This is not surprising, considering the West Londoners have been one of the surprise teams in the Premier league so far this season.
Apart from two signings they recalled a name from the past, Knockhaert from his loan spell
They acquired Lukic from Torino, who is an experience Serbian international midfielder. He will no doubt bring something extra to the squad.
They also brought in some Premier League experience at the back in Soares and Duffy.
LEEDS UNITED
Max Wober (RB Salzburg) £11m
Georginio Rutter (Hoffenheim) £35m
Weston McKennie (Juventus) Loan
Diogo Monteiro (Servette) Undisclosed
I will be very interested to see how American attacking midfielder McKinnie does in England.
On loan from Juve, he will come with some expectations. Wober is an Austrian international defender.
Rutter is a promising young forward who has been capped at every youth level for France.
Monterio is a young centre-back born in Switzerland but capped at youth level for Portugal.
LEICESTER CITY
Harry Souttar £15m
Victor Kristiansen (Copenhagen) £17m
Tete (Lyon) Loan
Nathan Opoku (Field Masters Sporting Club) Free
This looks like an interesting window for Brendan Rodgers, with several questions but also potential.
Tete is a pacy, exciting winger who has been capped at U20 & U23 for Brazil. Kristiansen is a young full-back capped at all youth levels for Denmark.
Opoku is a Ghanaian forward loaned straight out to OH Leuven in Belgium, and Souttar is a centre-back whose been in the Championship for a few seasons, but an Australian international who has recently returned from playing in the World Cup.
LIVERPOOL
Cody Gakpo (PSV) £35.4m
With Liverpool’s recent and dramatic fall from grace, it is a huge surprise to see them do such little business this January.
Gakpo seemed to be a good start to the window, but as it started and ended with the Netherlands forward, it turned out to be a very disappointing window.
Especially as they are crying out for midfield reinforcements.
MANCHESTER CITY
Maximo Perrone (Velez Sarsfield) £8m
Pep having a quiet window is something we have not come accustomed to but is starting to happen more frequently.
Just one signing, Perrone, who is a young midfielder capped at youth level for Argentina. Man City recalled one player from on loan.
However with their star-studded squad, it’s no surprise they have eased on the spending.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Jack Butland (Crystal Palace) Loan
Wout Weghorst (Burnley) Loan
Marcel Sabitzer (Bayern Munich) Loan
In a record-breaking window, it’s a surprise that most of the bigger clubs hardly spent.
United did three loan deals this January, and the last deal they did for Sabizer came out of left field and could be a shrewd move.
The experienced midfielder, whose been capped at all levels for Austria, will add something to the squad. The jury is out to see if Weghorst fits well with Man Utd, but we saw from the World Cup he has quality.
The vastly experienced Butland will add cover in goal.
NEWCASTLE
Amadou Diallo (free)
Garang Kuol (Central Coast Mariners) 3k
Anthony Gordon (Everton) £40M
Harrison Ashby (West Ham) £3m
With Newcastle’s newfound success story, I was surprised they didn’t do more business.
However, they did flex their muscle eventually by prising Gordon away from Everton. From how he performed in the struggling Everton team, you can’t help but get excited for this move.
Ashby is a young full-back, capped at youth level for Scotland. Kuol is a teenage forward capped for Australia, and Diallo is a teenage striker formerly at West Ham.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Gustavo Scarpa (Palmeiras) Free
Danilo (Palmeiras) £16m
Chris Wood (Newcastle United) Loan
Felipe (Atletico Madrid) £2m
Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle United) Undisclosed
Keylor Navas (Paris Saint-Germain) Loan
Forest continued their recent tradition of bringing in a host of players, and the fans must love it.
The biggest surprise must have been Navas on loan. The vastly experienced goalkeeper could be very important. It will be interesting to see how Wood adapts to Forest after it not quite working at Newcastle.
Another from Newcastle, Shelvey could bring a lot in experience and ability, providing he stays fit. Danilo looks an exciting acquisition.
He is a highly rated young Brazilian midfielder who won it all at Palmeiras and was voted in the 2022 Brazilian league team of the year. Felipe is a very experienced centre-back who has won league titles in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and also won the Club World Club.
SOUTHAMPTON
Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb) £8m
Carlos Alcaraz (Racing Club) £12m
James Bree (Luton) 750k
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennes) £22m
Paul Onuachu (Genk) £18m
An unusually busy window for the Saints. They have brought in the vastly experienced Croatian winger Orsic, who has been capped at all levels, recently played in the World Cup.
He is hoping the hit the ground running. They are also hoping for Sulemana to hit the ground running for the fee. He is a young Ghanaian winger with bags of potential.
They also have experience with Nigerian international forward Onuachu, who will be relishing the step up. Alcaraz is an Argentine midfielder, who is hoping to make a name for himself.
TOTTENHAM
Arnaut Danjuma (Villarreal) Loan
Jude Soonsup-Bell (Chelsea) Loan
Pedro Porro (Sporting Lisbon) Undisclosed
I am not sure the Spurs faithful are happy with this window, especially given what their London rivals are doing in the Premier League on the pitch and in the transfer window.
They will, however, be happy with the way they snatched Danjuma at the last seconds, and he already looks promising in the team.
Porro was a deadline-day loan signing. He is an exciting attacking full-back who has recently been capped for Spain. Soonsup-Bell is a teenage striker capped at youth level for England.
WEST HAM UNITED
Luizao (Sao Paulo) Free
Danny Ings (Aston Villa) £15m
This was a lowkey window for David Moyes, and I am sure the West Ham fans were hoping for more incomings, considering where they are in the league.
However, they cannot be upset with the signing of Ings, I was surprised Villa let him go, he looks exactly what West Ham needs currently.
Luizao is a young Brazilian centre-back hoping to get some games in the top flight.
WOLVES
Matheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid) Loan
Mario Lemina (Nice) £9m
Pablo Sarabia (Paris Saint-Germain) £4.4m
Craig Dawson (West Ham) £3.3m
Dan Bentley (Bristol City)
Joao Gomes (Flamengo)
I must say, I was impressed by Wolves’ January business, starting with the vastly experienced midfield Sarabia, who has been capped at all levels for Spain and was recently at the World Cup.
He will be complemented by Cunha, a forward who has been capped by Brazil and has a few tricks up his sleeve.
I really like the acquisition of Lamina, who will bring something different to the midfield. As will the experienced Dawson at the back, who looks like another decent signing for the fee.
Gomes is a young Brazilian midfielder named in the Brazilian league team of the year, and Bentley is an experienced goalkeeper who had been at Brentford in his career. Wolves have also recalled five loan players, including Ki-Jana Hoever,
