Now that the busiest period for English clubs is over, we look back in what was one of the most hectic transfer windows in recent history. Alexis Sanchez moving to Manchester United and Arsenal getting the Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund stole the newspapers headlines, but we look what all 20 teams did on the transfer market and more important have they improved their squads:
ARSENAL
INS: Konstantinos Mavropanos (£2.2m, PAS Giannina), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (swap, Manchester United), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£56m, Borussia Dortmund).
OUTS: Stephy Mavididi (loan, Charlton), Francis Coquelin (£12m, Valencia), Tafari Moore (loan, Wycombe), Theo Walcott (£20m, Everton), Alexis Sanchez (swap, Manchester United), Kelechi Nwakali (loan, MVV Maastricht), Ben Sheaf (loan, Stevenage), Marcus McGuane (undisclosed, Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (£15.3m, Chelsea), Mathieu Debuchy (free, Saint-Etienne), Jeff Reine-Adelaide (loan, Angers), Chuba Akpom (loan, Sint-Truidense), Krystian Bielik (loan, Walsall).
Alexis Sanchez was definitely the top transfer of January 2018 – not only because of the reported weekly salary of the Chilean making him the highest earning player in the league but the impact he had on Arsene Wenger’s side over the years. His contract was about to expire in the summer, so the French manager took the unpopular decision to lose his star player. The departure of Sanchez, Walcott, and Giroud definitely took out from the Gunners firepower, but the deadline day transfer of Aubameyang and the prospect of him reuniting with Henrikh Mkhitaryan will sure to please the London’s club fans. The good news was even bigger for Wenger when Mesut Ozil announced that he will extend his contract until 2021.
BOURNEMOUTH
INS:
OUTS: Aaron Ramsdale (loan, Chesterfield), Mihai Dobre (loan, Rochdale), Connor Mahoney (loan, Barnsley), Lewis Grabban (loan, Aston Villa), Ryan Allsop (loan, Lincoln), Benik Afobe (loan, Wolves).
Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth failed to add new players to their squad and will be hoping to avoid any injuries or suspensions because of the lack of squad depth. Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban left on loan and will be willing to impress the Cherries boss during their short terms spells in one of the Championship high flyers. The south coast club is currently 5 points adrift from the relegation zone but knowing that the relegation battle will involve far too many clubs this term, they might find themselves in a very unpleasant position.
BRIGHTON
INS: Viktor Gyokeres (undisclosed, IF Brommapojkarna), Warren O’Hara (undisclosed, Bohemians), Jurgen Locadia (£14m, PSV), Leonardo Ulloa (loan, Brighton).
OUTS: Jordan Maguire-Drew (loan, Coventry), Jamie Murphy (loan, Rangers), Kazenga LuaLua (free, Sunderland), Ben Hall (loan, Notts County).
Brighton added two big-name strikers to their squad by getting Jurgen Locadia from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and the return of talismanic forward Leandro Ulloa. The Argentine striker was crowned as English champion with Leicester City in their miraculous season, but the Seagulls fans will be hoping that he can replicate his form from his previous spell at AmEx. These two additions will have to improve the goalscoring record of the team, which currently stands at 18 goals in 25 league games.
BURNLEY
INS: Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (loan, Tottenham), Aaron Lennon (undisclosed, Everton).
OUTS: Luke Hendrie (undisclosed, Shrewsbury), Jimmy Dunne (loan, Accrington), Josh Ginnelly (loan, Tranmere), Dan Agyei (loan, Burnley), Alex Whitmore (loan, Chesterfield), Tom Anderson (loan, Doncaster).
Burnley had relatively quiet transfer window and the fans and the people from club hierarchy will certainly be very happy that their manager Sean Dyche was not lured by the likes of other clubs. The Lancashire outfit enjoyed very successful campaign so far and the acquisitions of Nkoudou and Lennon will provide other options out wide and in a counter-attack, which is badly needed knowing how the Clarets defend in their away games. Given that the key players remain injury free, the club will certainly surprise a few teams and will finish in the upper half of the table.
CHELSEA
INS: Ross Barkley (£15m, Everton), Emerson Palmieri (£17.6m, Roma), Olivier Giroud (£15.3m, Arsenal)
OUTS: Diego Costa (£58m, Atletico Madrid), Ike Ugbo (loan, MK Dons), Jake Clarke-Salter (loan, Sunderland), Kenedy (loan, Newcastle), Charly Musonda (loan, Celtic), Abdul Baba Rahman (loan, Schalke), Todd Kane (loan, Oxford), Michy Batshuayi (loan, Borussia Dortmund), Kasey Palmer (loan, Derby).
Chelsea’s transfer window headlines were mainly with the large number of strikers who were linked with the Blues. Going for Crouch, having multiple bids turned down by Roma for Edin Dzeko, Antonio Conte finally got his man in Olivier Giroud, who was out of depth after the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrival. The merry-go-round deadline day saw Michy Batshuayi going on loan to Borussia Dortmund despite having impressed in league and cup matches during January. Ross Barkley overcame his injury problems and ended his 8-year spell with Everton. Emerson Palimeri is the other signing the club made and he will be cover for ever-present Marcos Alonso.
CRYSTAL PALACE
INS: Erdal Rakip (loan, Benfica), Jaroslaw Jach (£2m, Zaglebie Lubin), Alexander Sorloth (£9m, Midtylland).
OUTS: Noor Husin (undisclosed, Notts County), Keshi Anderson (undisclosed, Swindon), Sullay Kaikai (loan, Charlton), Freddie Ladapo (undisclosed, Southend).
Following Roy Hodgson’s appointment, the Eagles improved their league form and eased their relegation fears. The importance of Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha led the club in going for a striker cover, which they got on the final day of the transfer window – Alexander Sorloth from Danish side Midtylland. The 22-year old Norwegian forward was enjoying fine form in Denmark and will be hoping to continue to impress in order to force himself in the Norway national side.
EVERTON
INS: Cenk Tosun (£27m, Besiktas), Theo Walcott (£20m, Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (loan, Manchester City).
OUTS: Ross Barkley (£15m, Chelsea), Gethin Jones (undisclosed, Fleetwood), Liam Walsh (undisclosed, Bristol City), Kevin Mirallas (loan, Olympiakos), Harry Charsley (loan, Bolton), Aaron Lennon (undisclosed, Burnley), Boris Mathis (loan, Northampton), Sandro Ramirez (loan, Sevilla), Ademola Lookman (loan, RB Leipzig), Mo Besic (loan, Middlesbrough).
Toffees new boss Sam Allardyce had the chance to evaluate his squad when getting the job in October and identified the need for a new main striker and further options in attack. He got his man early on in the transfer window by getting Cenk Tosun from Besiktas after the Turkish side impressed in the Champions League. The forward hardly hit the ground running but with the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Niasse waiting to impress, he will have no time to adapt. Theo Walcott ended his 12-year stay with Arsenal and moved to Merseyside in order to revive his career. Eliaquim Mangala completed his loan move on the transfer deadline day and certainly will improve Everton’s defensive options. The return of Seamus Coleman from lengthy injury spell will certainly be valued as an incoming transfer.
HUDDERSFIELD
INS: Terence Kongolo (loan, Monaco), Alex Pritchard (£12m, Norwich).
OUTS: Fraser Horsfall (undisclosed, Kidderminster), Ryan Schofield (loan, Telford), Tadhg Ryan (free, Galway United), Jack Payne (loan, Blackburn), Jack Boyle and Dylan Cogill (both loan, FC Clyde), Joe Lolley (undisclosed, Nottingham Forest), Martin Cranie (undisclosed, Middlesbrough).
Wagner and Huddersfield refused to make panic buys and the German is keeping faith in his squad which got promotion last term. Former Spurs academy prospect Alex Pritchard joined from Norwich and will provide creativity from the midfield area. His set pieces qualities were highly impressive for his previous side Norwich City, but he is yet to shine on top level with a number of injuries limiting his chances. Dutch center-back Terence Kongolo was supposed to be the next best thing coming from the Feyenoord’s youth ranks, but he didn’t quite make the step up after his transfer to Monaco, so he will be eager to impress.
LEICESTER
INS: Fousseni Diabate (£4.4m, Ajaccio), Callum Wright (undisclosed, Blackburn).
OUTS: Leonardo Ulloa (loan, Leicester), Ahmed Musa (loan, CSKA Moscow), Andy King (loan, Swansea), Islam Slimani (loan, Newcastle).
Leicester main business on the transfer from was to convince star players to remain and have successfully done so. Jamie Vardy was not so heavily linked with a move away, but Riyad Mahrez was again on the front pages with the likes of Liverpool and Man City trying to lure the Algerian playmaker. The Merseyside club tried to replace Coutinho earlier in January, but the interest from Pep Guardiola’s City was so high, that the player wrote in a transfer request and refused to train with the squad. What impact on the Foxes season this turn of events is yet to be seen. In terms of outgoing transfers Ulloa, Slimani and Musa will relish their new starts, having failed to cement their place in Claude Puelle’s first-team plans.
LIVERPOOL
INS: Virgil van Dijk (£75m, Southampton), Tony Gallacher (£200,000, Falkirk).
OUTS: Philippe Coutinho (£142m, Barcelona), Corey Whelan (loan, Yeovil Town), Cameron Brannagan (undisclosed, Oxford United), Matty Virtue (loan, Notts County), Ryan Kent (loan, Bristol City), Marko Grujic (loan, Cardiff City), Daniel Sturridge (loan, West Brom), Lloyd Jones (undisclosed, Luton), Ovie Ejaria (loan, Sunderland), Lazar Markovic (loan, Anderlecht), Harry Wilson (loan, Hull), Jon Flanagan (loan, Bolton).
Liverpool fans will turn back to the transfer window with mixed feelings having lost their Brazilian star Phillippe Coutinho, who finalized his transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona. The amount the Merseyside club receive was the record fee of £142m and certainly will improve the financial stature of the club. Virgil van Dijk completed his move for the astonishing £75m and increased the number of players bought from Southampton. The Dutchman is yet to impress and show why the Reds paid so much, but the winning goal against Everton in the FA Cup was a good start. Danny Sturridge went for a short loan spell to West Brom in order to try and force himself in the plans of Gareth Southgate for the forthcoming World Cup in the summer.
MANCHESTER CITY
INS: Aymeric Laporte (£57m, Athletic Bilbao), Jack Harrison (undisclosed, New York City FC)
OUTS: Shay Facey (undisclosed, Northampton Town), Chidiebere Nwakali (loan, Aberdeen), Isaac Buckley-Ricketts (loan, Oxford), Kean Bryan (loan, Oldham), Marlos Moreno (loan, Flamengo), Ashley Smith-Brown (loan, Oxford), Jack Harrison (loan, Middlesbrough), Jacob Davenport (loan, Burton), Charlie Oliver (loan, Fleetwood), Eliaquim Mangala (loan, Everton).
City continued to impress in the league and in the cup competitions, so Pep opted not to dip heavily into the transfer market. Well, at least based on City’s standards. The late acquisition of highly-rated French defender Aymeric Laporte certainly will ease the disappointment of the injury fears over John Stones and club captain Vincent Kompany and will add depth to City’s ever-growing squad. Eliaquim Mangala’s transfer was the only major outgoing transfer, so City can look to the rest of the season with optimism. It will be interesting to see how Alexis Sanchez’s snub will develop in the relationship between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
MANCHESTER UNITED
INS: Alexis Sanchez (swap, Arsenal), Matej Kovar (undisclosed, FC Slovacko).
OUTS: James Wilson (loan, Sheffield United), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (swap, Arsenal), Axel Tuanzebe (loan, Aston Villa), Matty Willock (loan, St Johnstone), Charlie Scott (loan, Hamilton).
United completed the transfer of the window by swapping Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Alexis Sanchez who will certainly add more firepower up front. The Chilean, together with Antony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and players from center midfield will have to provide Romelu Lukaku with more opportunities as Man United’s season will enter its’ most important period – with European football returns later this month and league games and FA Cup games coming thick and thin. The biggest challenge Jose Mourinho will have to overcome is to prove his side’s style critics wrong by putting some strong attacking displays in the second half of the season. Signing the creative Alexis is certainly a step in the right direction.
NEWCASTLE
INS: Kenedy (loan, Chelsea), Martin Dubravka (loan, Sparta Prague), Islam Slimani (loan, Leicester).
OUTS: Adam Armstrong (loan, Blackburn), Ivan Toney (loan, Scunthorpe), Daniel Barlaser (loan, Crewe), Jamie Sterry (loan, Crewe), Rolando Aarons (loan, Verona), Henri Saivet (loan, Sivasspor), Freddie Woodman (loan, Aberdeen), Aleksandar Mitrovic (loan, Fulham), Jack Colback (loan, Nottingham Forest).
Newcastle finished yet another difficult transfer window under Raffa Benitez. The Spaniard didn’t have enough luck over the summer as the Magpies board didn’t quite fulfill his transfer desires. The transfers of Islam Slimani and Kenedy hardly impress the demanding Geordie fanbase, but Slimani goalscoring record could earn him a starting berth ahead of Joselu and Dwight Gayle.
SOUTHAMPTON
INS: Guido Carrillo (£19.2m, Monaco).
OUTS: Virgil van Dijk (£75m, Liverpool), Marcus Barnes (loan, Yeovil), Matt Targett (loan, Fulham), Ryan Seager (loan, Yeovil).
Losing their star players is no something new to Saints and their fans, so the departure of Virgil Van Dijk was hardly a surprise. The relegation battle that the south-coast club are finding themselves in cane as something new given the record of the previous campaigns, but Pellegrino and his squad must get results really fast if they don’t want to end up in the Football League again. Guido Carillo is arriving with a good goalscoring history and is coming with a reputation with one of the most gifted players in terms of heading, so the wide players must provide him with chances.
STOKE
INS: Moussa Niakate (free, Paris FC), Moritz Bauer (£5m, Rubin Kazan), Kostas Stafylidis (loan, Augsburg), Badou Ndiaye (£13.9m, Galatasaray).
OUTS: Josh Tymon (loan, MK Dons), Julien Ngoy (loan, Walsall).
Stoke City is also one of well-established Premier League teams which are dragged into a relegation fight this term. Their long-serving manager Mark Hughes lost his job at the beginning of the transfer window, so new boss Paul Lambert had to act really fast on the market. Senegalese striker Ndiaye arrives from Turkey without his record to impress, but Lambert will look to use his physical presence up front.
SWANSEA
INS: Andre Ayew (£18m, West Ham), Andy King (loan, Leicester).
OUTS: Tyler Reid (loan, Newport), Josh Sheehan (free, Newport), Ryan Blair (loan, Falkirk), Jay Fulton (loan, Wigan), Adam King (loan, Mansfield), Roque Mesa (loan, Sevilla), Oliver McBurnie (loan, Barnsley).
Swansea’s new manager Carlos Carvahal described the transfer window a nightmare. Maybe the Portuguese’s opinion on his side will different after the Swans impressive wins against Arsenal and Liverpool. Andre Ayew returned with a record and transfer and will look to form a partnership with his brother Jordan. Andy King adds experience in the center field and this transfer will come as a new chapter in his career after so many years representing Leicester City.
TOTTENHAM
INS: Lucas Moura (£25m, Paris Saint-Germain).
OUTS: Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (loan, Burnley), Marcus Edwards (loan, Norwich), Cameron Carter-Vickers (loan, Ipswich), Ryan Loft (loan, Exeter), Anton Walkes (loan, Portsmouth), Luke Amos (loan, Stevenage), Shayon Harrison (loan, Southend).
Tottenham like most of the Top 6 sides completed only 1 major transfer and even waited for the final day. Lucas Moura chose the England capital and Pochettino’s side over Napoli and remaining to fight for his place in the Paris team. The return of the long-term absentees Toby Alderweild and Vincent Wanayama will bolster Spurs squad which will face the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Juventus in space of just a few days. The big question remains – will Harry Kane stay in Tottenham upon next summer?
WATFORD
INS: Gerard Deulofeu (loan, Barcelona), Dodi Lukebakio (undisclosed, Anderlecht), Didier Ndong (loan, Sunderland), Pontus Dahlberg (£3.5m, Goteborg).
OUTS: Brandon Mason (loan, Dundee United), Alex Jakubiak (loan, Falkirk), Michael Folivi (loan, Boreham Wood), Charlie Rowan (loan, Accrington Stanley), Brice Dja Djedje (loan, RC Lens), Matheus Aias (loan, Valencia B) Isaac Success (loan, Malaga), Costel Pantilimon (loan, Nottingham Forest).
Watford’s new boss Javi Gracia had absolutely no time preparing for the life in the top-flight life and got quickly 4 players before the window slam shut. Gerard Deulofeu is a familiar face to the league and could become a good acquisition.
WEST BROM
INS: Ali Gabr (loan, Zamalek), Daniel Sturridge (loan, Liverpool).
OUTS: Kyle Edwards (loan, Exeter), Shaun Donnellan (free, Yeovil), Tyler Roberts (£2.5m, Leeds), Kyle Howkins (loan, Port Vale), Jack Fitzwater (loan, Walsall).
Tony Pulis’ sacking came as a surprise for the Baggies fans, but Alan Pardew is an experienced manager on this level and managed to beat the competition of other teams by bringing in Sturridge who will add to Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon in the strikers’ department.
WEST HAM
INS: Joao Mario (loan, Inter Milan), Jordan Hugill (£8m, Preston).
OUTS: Martin Samuelsen (loan, Burton), Diafra Sakho (£8m, Rennes), Reece Oxford (loan, Borussia Monchengladbach), Moses Makasi (loan, Plymouth), Andre Ayew (£18m, Swansea), Reece Burke (loan, Bolton).
David Moyes and West Ham improved over the course of the season – on the pitch, and now on the transfer market. The loan signing of Joao Mario raised a few eyebrows knowing that the Portugal midfielder was one of the best-valued players not only of Inter but in the whole Serie A, and now he will have to live up those expectations after falling down the pecking order at the Italian side. Jordan Hugill is a proven striker on Championship level and could turn out to be a real gem, but it’s to be seen whether he can make the step up to higher level.
