Top Transfers: January Transfer Window Review

By Vayun Desai, Feature Editor, The Pawprint

The January transfer window this year was relatively eventful. Lots of exciting young prospects have been signed by top tier clubs, getting the recognition they deserve for their talent. So let’s dive into the best, worst, and most controversial loans and signings this month.

To start it off, we’ll head over to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. Chelsea has spent a record amount on new players, over 600 million Euros. Their most notable signings this season are Mykhailo Mudryk for 60 million, Jõao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, and of course, Enzo Fernandez for an incredible 103 million Euros. Fernandez has been receiving calls from teams all over the world after a stunning performance throughout the World Cup, but has decided to go to the West London Blues. His former club Benfica, in Portugal, is well known for producing and developing great talent, including players such as Ruben Dias, Jõao Felix and Jõao Cancelo in recent years. Chelsea have had their eye all over the world ever since the beginning of the World Cup, including a controversial signing before the window even opened: Christopher Nkunku. Nkunku, who currently plays for RB Leipzig in Germany, was signed for 70 million in December. He will begin playing for Chelsea next season in July.

Continuing the theme of German clubs, we next travel to Munich, to talk about a club notorious for signing the very best players, and poaching talent from other clubs. The club in question is, of course, none other than Bayern Munich. They have been surprisingly inactive this window, with only two major incoming players: Jõao Cancelo on loan from Manchester City, and goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The more controversial signing was most definitely Yann Sommer, as it was a very dexterous move by Bayern. The controversy lies within the fact that Bayern’s own goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, is injured. Instead of switching to a backup keeper, like most clubs would, they decided to sign one of the best keepers in the world, from a fellow Bundesliga club, giving them a severe disadvantage. This disadvantage stems from the fact that no Bundesliga club apart from Bayern has the resources necessary to execute the manoeuvre that they did.

Changing the tone slightly, we now focus on a single player rather than a club, who most definitely was not worth the amount he was bought for. Anthony Gordon, who recently moved to Newcastle United from Everton, for 40 million. The reason that this was a complete steal is because Gordon is worth much more than that. In fact, some say that he was worth more than Mudryk (60m). Gordon’s recent performance has exceeded all expectations, especially considering that he was playing for Everton, a team currently facing relegation. Along with this, Gordon also happens to be the fastest player in the Premier League, clocking in at a whopping 36.1 kilometres per hour.

To perfectly summarise the January transfer window, there is one word. Mayhem. Although there are nowhere near as many transfers as there are in the summer window, it’s safe to say that this month did not lack in transfer numbers.