TOP 10 TRANSFERS OF THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW
The European January transfer window opened on New Year’s Day and officially closed at 11 pm GMT on Monday night as the final few hours saw teams pushing last-minute deals across the line. We’ve seen some surprising moves over the past 31 days as teams jockey for position in their leagues. Now as the dust has settled, it begs the question: which transfers have been the best piece of business?
Here are the top 10 transfers of the January transfer window…
10. Adama Traore to Barcelona (Loan)
After losing Phillipe Coutinho and the club anticipating an exit by out-of-form Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona went shopping in the West Midlands for Adama Traore. The Spaniard has been a revelation at Wolves, thrilling fans and brushing off defenders with ease in the Premier League. His low goal turn-out did not deter Tottenham Hotspur who wanted to play him at right wingback and the Spanish giants who wanted their former man to suit up in the red and blue again. Traore has only scored a meager 8 goals in 160 Premier League appearances. He signs on loan but Barcelona have an option to buy him for €30m, plus €5m (£4.2/$5.6m) in variables.
A former Barcelona academy graduate, Traore is well aware of the ‘Barca style of play’ and also played with current manager Xavi Hernandez from 2013 to 2015. Traore will add pace and boisterousness to Barca’s attack and that might just be what Xavi is looking for.
9. Lucas Digne to Aston Villa (£25m)
Long-time Chelsea target, Lucas Digne moved to Birmingham’s Aston Villa on January 13th. The permanent move is understood to have cost Aston Villa up to £25m. Digne had fallen out with manager Rafa Benitez and the club had given Rafa the go-ahead to sell.
The former Barcelona man is a talented fullback who was much desired by London outfits West Ham and Chelsea. Digne revealed that Steven Gerrard was “the main factor” why he decided to choose Aston Villa. Digne had three-and-a-half years remaining on his Everton contract and signed a four-and-a-half-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2026. He made 15 appearances for Everton this campaign, scoring once.
8. Christian Eriksen to Brentford (Free)
Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen finalized his move to London side Brentford Football Club until the end of the 2021/2022 season on Deadline Day. The 29-year-old was released by Inter Milan last month due to Serie A regulations prohibiting players from playing with a pacemaker. The former Spurs midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest in June at Euro 2020 in a group stage game against Finland and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a type of pacemaker that can prevent fatal cardiac arrests.
Eriksen has not played competitively for 7 months but has been training with Ajax in Amsterdam. One of the most dangerous midfielders with the ball at his feet, he brings a world of Premier League experience and leadership to Brentford, who will be keen on staying up this season.
7. Aaron Ramsey to Rangers (Loan)
Defending Scottish champions Rangers Football club completed the loan signing of former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey from Italian giants Juventus on Deadline Day. A major coup for Rangers manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. Ramsey brings leadership, experience, creativity, and goals to the Ibrox-based side. Juventus will cooperate with the Scottish Premiership leaders in paying the 31-year-old’s wages in order to ensure he fits into the wage structure at the club. The Welshman will play for the Glasgow outfit for six months and Rangers have an option to buy in the summer.
Aaron Ramsey has been labeled the best signing in Scottish football since Paul Gascoigne by Kris Boyd and Anton Ferdinand and is proof that Scottish football could still be an attractive opportunity for players plying their trade for the biggest teams and in the biggest leagues in Europe. Ramsey could make his debut for Rangers as early as Wednesday night in the Old Firm Derby against Celtic at Celtic Park.
6. Dele Alli to Everton (Free)
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Bamidele Alli has completed a permanent move from the North Londoners to Everton on an initial free transfer. The transfer involves a €12m fee that is payable after 20 appearances and €35-40m in add ons depending on player performances. Dele Alli joins Everton on a two-and-a-half-year deal until 2024.
Everton have made drastic changes in their bid to be successful this season after starting the year with three consecutive Premier League losses. Farhad Moshiri sacked Rafa Benitez and backed new manager Frank Lampard who’s been hasty in sealing deals by bringing in two world-class midfielders in Donny Van De Beek and Dele Alli. Dele might just be the type of quality they’re lacking with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph out for a minimum of 4 weeks.
Alli has had a drop in form over the past two years and has struggled to break into Antonio Conte’s first 11 but he’s still a quality player and has scored one goal in 10 Premier League appearances this season. Still only 25, Dele could be a steal for Everton if the England player can find his form in the next few months.
5. Luis Diaz to Liverpool (£49m)
2019/20 Premier League champions Liverpool have signed Porto winger Luis Diaz on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an initial fee of £37m. The fee will potentially rise to £49m after add ons. The 25-year old Colombia international will bolster a high-quality Liverpool attack that needs help with both Mo Salah and Sadio Mane turning 30 this year.
The speedster will fight for a starting place with other key Liverpool players like Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, and even rotational players like Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott. Diaz was a top summer target for Liverpool but interest from Tottenham accelerated their plans to get him in this transfer window.
“This team deserved to add quality and when we played against Luis earlier this season, we saw what a danger he is, how fast he is and how his mentality was to help his team,” said Jurgen Klopp. “Luis is a player we believe will make us better now and in the future. He’s the player we really wanted and they’ve (the owners) made it happen, so I’m very happy.”
4. Bruno Guimaraes to Newcastle United (£40m)
One of Arsenal’s key targets during this transfer window was Olympique Lyon midfielder, Bruno Guimaraes. The 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder has, however, sealed a move to Tyneside instead of North London with Newcastle United paying a whopping £39.8m for him. Guimaraes completed a medical in Brazil on Friday the 29th before signing a 4-and-a-half-year deal that will keep him with the club until 2026.
Guimaraes is a brilliant box-to-box midfielder who can also double up as an attacking midfielder. He ranks first in passes completed in the final third and passes completed in the opposition’s half in Ligue Un this season.
3. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona (TBD)
Arsenal striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has made a switch to Catalunya and will now suit up for Spanish giants Barcelona. One of the biggest headlines of deadline day, Aubameyang flew to Barcelona even before Barcelona agreed to the deal with Arsenal. Barca eventually got him just in time. As of February 1, the deal has not been declared official but Aubameyang has signed the contracts, and has trained with the first team at Barcelona’s training ground.
Aubameyang fell out of favor with manager Mikel Arteta and had not featured for the Gunners since the club’s 2-1 defeat at Everton on December 6th, making only 15 appearances all season across all competitions. Aubameyang was recently diagnosed with heart lesions and did not feature for Gabon in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. His move from Arsenal will save the club up to £27.3m worth of wages.
2. Phillipe Coutinho to Aston Villa (loan)
Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa got most of their business done early in the transfer window and didn’t bring anyone in on Deadline Day. Aston Villa, however, let players like Anwar El Ghazi (Everton), Wesley (Internacional), and Matt Target (Newcastle United) leave on loan. Their most impressive piece of business came on January 7th when they finalized a deal to bring Barcelona winger Phillipe Coutinho to Villa Park. Phillipe Coutinho is a world-class player and will not only add quality to Aston Villa’s attack, but he’ll also bring tons of Premier League experience and leadership. The first of four January signings, Phillipe Coutinho could be a focal point for this team’s attack in the long-term future if the club decides to pick up on his £33m buy-option.
Coutinho made a sensational debut for Aston Villa by coming off the bench and scoring the equalizer against Manchester United in a come from behind 2-2 draw at home.
1. Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus (£76.2m)
One of the most thrilling and expensive transfers of the winter window came down to the decision of a 22-year-old. One of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, Arsenal’s chief target Dusan Vlahovic ended up signing with Juventus in a gut-punch to the North Londoners. The Serbian international said his decision to join ‘glorious’ Juventus was an “easy” one.
The Gunners were always in the running to secure the signature of the 22-year-old striker and were reported to have had a £66.6m (€80m) bid accepted by Fiorentina. However, that didn’t materialize and Vlahovic signed for Serie A rivals Juventus for £58m (€70m) instead, with €10m in potential add ons, and €11.6m in agent’s fees.
The 6 ft 3 in forward scored 20 goals for Fiorentina this season and signed a four-year deal with the Turin outfit.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero