The 2022 January Transfer Window has slammed shut, and the level of spending has slowly crept back to pre-pandemic levels with £295 million spent by the 20 Premier League clubs throughout the winter, over four times the amount expended in 2021.
In total, the top five leagues in Europe spent over £600 million on players, with the likes of Ferran Torres, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Dusan Vlahovic all switching allegiances in January. Clubs like Liverpool, Barcelona, Newcastle United and Everton splashed the cash in this transfer window in the hopes of avoiding relegation or securing Champions League football for next season, while others such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal opted to keep their powders dry.
Here are the winners and the losers of the January Transfer Window.
WINNERS
▶ Newcastle United
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Backed by the bottomless pit of cash from the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, Newcastle United were the heaviest spenders in January, with £92 million spent on five players – Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimares, Matt Targett, Dan Burn – that instantly improve their starting XI. The addition of two Champions League calibre players – Trippier and Guimares – and three solid Premier League starters should – in theory – help the Magpies avoid relegation, providing them with enough quality to reach the magical 37-point mark in the league.
More impressively, despite their desperation to avoid relegation, apart from the release clause activated to sign Chris Wood from Burnley, Newcastle didn’t pay over the odds for any of their additions.
▶ Barcelona
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Having lost Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez over the past 18 months, Barcelona were in dire need of some attacking improvements in January, and despite their perceived financial issues, the Catalan club added plenty of firepower in this window. The most significant addition was Ferran Torres, the former Manchester City winger who adds to Barcelona’s young core of Spanish wonderkids and offers plenty of dynamism and creativity to the front three.
Additionally, Barcelona added former La Masia graduate Adama Traore on a loan deal with an option to buy and Arsenal outcast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer. Although neither Aubameyang or Traore exactly fit the ideal Cruyffian Barcelona style of football, both players are relatively low-risk transfers given the money involved and add some much-needed pace to their frontline.
▶ Aston Villa
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Although Aston Villa were unable to sign the central midfielder (Bissouma or Bentancur) they desperately wanted in the latter stages of the window, it was an excellent first window for Steven Gerrard as manager of the club. Villa added significant quality in January in the form of Philippe Coutinho, who provides some star power to the line-up and is a perfect tactical fit as a wide-playmaker in the 4-3-3.
Villa also upgraded their left-back from Matt Targett to Lucas Digne, while Calum Chambers arrived from Arsenal to add some depth in defence on a free transfer.
LOSERS
▶ Arsenal
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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have ended the January Transfer Window with a weaker squad than they had at the start, following the departure of plenty of their squad players without any additions to offset the high volume of outgoings. While most of the transfer exits – Chambers, Kolasinac, Mari, Maitland-Niles and Balogun – have little effect on the first team, the Gunners also chose to part ways with their former captain Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang permanently.
Aubameyang’s exit leaves the Gunners very thin in the attacking department, significantly weakening their offensive armoury with only Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette remaining as the two specialist strikers in the squad. Admittedly, Arsenal may have only 17 games left to play this season, but any injuries to Lacazette, Ben White or Gabriel will expose their poor squad depth and significantly reduce their chances of securing Champions League football.
▶ Everton
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Everton’s transfer dealings in the January Transfer Window can be used as the perfect case study of what not to do as a football club if you wish to be successful. In January, the Toffees sold their best left-back – Lucas Digne – for having a falling out with Rafael Benitez before sacking the Spaniard as manager just five days later.
Moreover, his replacement – Frank Lampard – has already made mistakes in the transfer window, opting to sign two out of favour attacking midfielders – Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek – who can’t work together instead of addressing the more glaring issues in defence.
[Featured Image Credit: FC Barcelona]
Shivaan Shah