Another frantic January Transfer Window has come to an end, with many clubs hurriedly making last-minute deals. Unlike the summer window, the winter transfer window is small, adding pressure on clubs to complete deals in a short span of time. It isn’t uncommon to see clubs making panic buys 
which aren’t in the best interest of the club as a whole. These panic buys often result into panic flops and leave the club in no better situation than they were before January.
Convincing players to join a new club can be a herculean task, as players are familiar with their surroundings and don’t want to abruptly join a new club. It’s a race against time and players don’t have the time which is deemed sufficient to weigh their options. Clubs often make the mistake of buying players who’ve had a good first-half of the season and end regretting the decision heavily as the player fails to eclipse the form he showed earlier. But when a club snatches a player who’s been their long-term target, the player is often a hit.
Unsurprisingly, rumors were rife, as sought-after players like Paul Pogba and Marco Reus were reportedly ready to leave their clubs. Mats Hummels stayed put at Borussia Dortmund despite quite openly acknowledging the fact that he’d like to switch loyalties. Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain were reported to cross the English Channel and complete moves in the English Premier League.
Midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Kevin Strootman were reported to join Arsenal and Manchester United respectively, but talks broke down as their current managers weren’t ready to let them depart. Despite all these talks, which failed to materialize, many deals were completed with many players crossing boundaries to join their new teammates. Here’s a brief analysis of the notable deals which took place across Europe’s biggest leagues.
For the English Premier League, the biggest spenders in the world, it was a relatively quiet Winter Window, with numerous inquiries not transforming to concrete deals. Despite this, it was one of the most expensive windows, with the clubs spending around £130 million. Heavyweights like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City shelled out around £60-£65 million combined, but the only major deadline deal was that of Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina to Chelsea. Other giants like Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur had relatively quiet windows, as all hot pursuits, failed to convert to pen & paper. Manchester United brought in former Barcelona ‘keeper, Victor Valdes and a couple of young defenders to strengthen their weak and inexperienced defense.
Manchester City bolstered their attack with the signing of Ivorian Wilfried Bony from Swansea City for a reported fee of £28 million, thus becoming the most expensive signing of the window. Bony can prove to be the difference between finishing above or below Chelsea in the title-race.
Arsenal strengthened their shaky defense; with dynamic centre-back Gabriel Paulista arriving from Villareal along with acclaimed teenage Polish defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw.
Aston Villa were desperate for creativity and with a goal drought of over 10 hours, the arrivals of Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair will certainly boost their confidence. Crystal Palace had a successful window as 5 new players arrived along with a vibrant new manager – Alan Pardew. Aaron Lennon’s arrival on loan from Tottenham was the only deal of the winter for Everton, 
culminating yet another futile January window. Leicester City added veteran German defender Robert Huth from Stoke City while Croatian striker Andrej Kramaric joined the Foxes, shockingly rejecting Chelsea. Eljero Elia and Filip Djuricic added firepower to the Southampton strikeforce and former on-loan Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand, made his deal permanent with the Saints.
Sunderland signed seasoned campaigner Jermaine Defoe, who will surely boost their survival hopes this season. West Bromwich Albion signed Callum McManaman and long-serving Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, and let go of misfiring record-signing Brown Ideye, concluding a relatively calm yet fruitful transfer window. West Ham’s chase for Emmanuel Adebayor and Younes Kaboul proved to be futile as the deals didn’t work out. Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace proved to be the greatest benefactors from this window, showcasing shrewd business strategy and smart buys which cannot be deemed unnecessary.
In Spain, Norwegian teenage sensation Martin Odegaard grabbed headlines across the globe as he signed for Real Madrid, snubbing the likes of Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Arsenal. Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva signed from Cruzerio and was immediately asked to beef-up by manager Carlo Ancelotti, who believes he’ll be a success at the Spanish capital. Barcelona, under a transfer ban, couldn’t make any transfers at all this winter. Arch rivals Real definitely utilized their advantage to great effect.
Atletico Madrid brought in Chelsea-flop Fernando on loan from AC Milan, supposedly rejuvenating his career, along with midfielder Cani from Villareal. Cordoba signed 5 players, all on loan, including former Manchester United winger from Benfica. Granada also raised eyebrows as they brought in 7 new players, while Levante celebrated the arrival of 3 new players, particularly that of Bryan Ruiz from Fulham. Valencia signed Enzo Perez from Benfica for a whooping 25 million as Villareal signed Joel Campbell on loan from Arsenal.
World beaters Bayern Munich had no players coming to the Allianz Arena but Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri departed after an indifferent time at the capital. Andre Schurrle moved to Wolfsburg from Chelsea, to fund the move of Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina. One of the most underutilized players at his time at his time at Stamford Bridge, we’ll have to wait and watch if Jose Mourinho’s decision to let go of this German World-Cup winner proves to be successful.
It was quite shocking to see Borussia Dortmund to make only one acquisition, that of Kevin Kampl from Red Bull Salzburg, given the fact that the team is languishing at bottom of the Bundesliga. With stars like Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mats Hummels almost destined to leave the Westfalenstadion in summer, manager Jurgen Klopp, was expected to and should have brought in new players. And with only the Champions League to look forward to, it won’t be a surprise if there is a mass exodus at Dortmund.
Mohammed Salah joined Fiorentina on loan after a torrid time at Chelsea. Ivorian Seydou Doumbia signed for AS Roma from CSKA Moscow on a permanent deal for a reported fee of £11 million. Former Liverpool man Suso signed for AC Milan, along with Luca Antonelli and Mattia Destro. Their neighbors Inter signed wingers Xherdan Shaqiri and Lucas Podolski in an exciting window for the Milanese club as Davide Santon completed a deadline day move from Newcastle as well.
Parma signed Cristian Rodriquez and Silvestre Varela from Atletico Madrid and Porto respectively. Napoli completed the signing of Manolo Gabbiadini from Sampdoria, as some consider him to be the replacement of star-striker Gonzalo Higuain. Samuel Eto’o’s loan move to Sampdoria has reportedly hit a roadblock just one week in after a bust-up with the manager.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni, the highest scoring African in the Premier League joined Championship-side Reading from Qatari outfit Al-Rayyan. Scottish giants Rangers signed 5 Newcastle youngsters on loan. France and the Netherlands were quiet throughout the month-long window and only a handful of deals took place. Portugal proved yet again that it is one of the greatest exporters of talent, as Enzo Perez moved to Valencia for a large fee. Russia oversaw only the departure of players and no major players arrived in the country. MLS side LA Galaxy, confirmed the signing of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who will go to the States in summer.
Jose Mourinho proved once again that he’s one of the most cunning tacticians in the world as he made smart business. Real Madrid signed one for the present and one for the future. Hopefully, Dortmund will revive their horrible season and make a turnaround but if they don’t, this quite transfer window can prove to be final nail in the coffin for the former German champions. The Milanese clubs had quite a few incomings and outgoings and Inter undoubtedly did better business signing utility players unlike rivals AC Milan who made some unnecessary buys. Given the horrible condition Italian football is in, it isn’t a surprise to see that most deals were loan moves.
January was relatively hushed up but be prepared, the summer window is going to be an absolute riot!!
