A hectic transfer window closed on Wednesday night – amid seven Premier League games – with several clubs able to conclude deals on deadline day. Premier League clubs were responsible for seven out of the 10 most expensive transfers of the window with the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk the costliest for an English club. Amid all the outgoings, there was also money came into the Premier League with Barcelona paying Liverpool £106m (£142m including add-ons) for Philippe Coutinho. That was the most expensive of all transfers in the January window.
As always, some clubs were happier than others with Arsenal, in particular, having a busy window while Newcastle’s season may have been saved by the late arrival, on loan, of Islam Slimani from Leicester City. Here our writers look at all the 20 clubs and how their business unfolded.
Arsenal (net spend £7.9m)
Arsène Wenger described it as the most “destabilising” January he has known and there can be no sugar-coating the loss of Alexis Sánchez. That said, the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has brought the wow factor, even if Olivier Giroud had to be sacrificed. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is another interesting addition. David Hytner
Ins Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Dortmund, £56m; Henrikh Mkhitaryan Manchester United, swap; Konstantinos Mavropanos PAS Giannina, £1.9m
Outs Alexis Sánchez Manchester United, swap; Olivier Giroud Chelsea, £18m; Theo Walcott Everton, £20m; Francis Coquelin Valencia, £12m; Mathieu Debuchy St-Étienne, free; Marcus McGuane Barcelona, compensation; Chuba Akpom Sint-Truidense, loan; Krystian Bielik Walsall, loan; Jeff Reine-Adélaïde Angers, loan
Bournemouth (£0)
First and foremost, Eddie Howe will be delighted at retaining his key players. He streamlined his squad, with the strikers Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban exiting on loan. It is difficult to see either playing for the club again. In terms of signings, they failed with a deadline-day move for the Brentford and Wales Under-21 defender Chris Mepham. Ben Fisher
Outs Lewis Grabban Aston Villa, loan; Benik Afobe Wolves, loan; Baily Cargill Partick Thistle, loan; Ryan Allsop Lincoln, loan
Brighton (£14m)
Brighton’s need for strikers was stark, so if Jürgen Locadia and Leonardo Ulloa can fire them to safety this will have been a very positive window. There are a few question marks: Locadia cost a club-record fee but has been recovering from an injury and is earmarked for a debut at Stoke on 10 February; Ulloa needs no introduction but has barely played any senior football this season. Chris Hughton made a late move for Wigan’s Nick Powell but the player wanted to stay put, and the rest of Brighton’s business involved loans out. Nick Ames
Ins Jürgen Locadia PSV Eindhoven, £14m; Warren O’Hara Bohemians, undisclosed; Viktor Gyökeres Brommapojkarna, undisclosed; Leonardo Ulloa Leicester, loan
Outs Jordan Maguire-Drew Coventry, loan; Jamie Murphy Rangers, loan; Soufyan Ahannach Sparta Rotterdam, loan; Ben Hall Notts County, loan; Tom Anderson Doncaster, loan; Mathias Normann Molde, loan extended; Kazenga LuaLua released
Burnley (£0)
Modest but sound. The Clarets’ only real worry was the loss of Robbie Brady to long-term knee injury before Christmas, and in the event Sean Dyche managed to sign not one but two wide men as cover. Georges-Kévin Nkoudou has joined from Tottenham on loan, seeking more game time, while another former Spurs winger, Aaron Lennon, completed a permanent transfer from Everton. Paul Wilson
Ins Georges-Kévin N’Koudou Tottenham, loan; Aaron Lennon Everton, undisclosed
Outs Luke Hendrie Shrewsbury, undisclosed; Alex Whitmore Chesterfield, undisclosed; Harry Flowers Guiseley, undisclosed Jimmy Dunne Accrington, loan; Dan Agyei Blackpool, loan; Josh Ginnelly Tranmere, loan
Chelsea (£50m)
There was a time when Antonio Conte hoped to welcome Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Sánchez and Alex Sandro. He ended up with Ross Barkley, Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmieri and with tensions mounting behind the scenes. If the trio of new arrivals are fit and firing then the £50m spent represents good business, yet two have had injury-wrecked campaigns and, in the context of the additions made by the top two, it still feels as if Chelsea have slipped behind. Dominic Fifield
Ins Ross Barkley Everton, £15m; Olivier Giroud Arsenal, £18m; Emerson Palmieri Roma, £17m
Outs Miro Muheim St Gallen, undisclosed; Charly Musonda Jr Celtic, 18-month loan; Baba Rahman Schalke, 18-month loan; Michy Batshuayi Borussia Dortmund, loan; Ike Ugbo MK Dons, loan; Nathan Belenenses, loan; Kenedy Newcastle, loan; Kasey Palmer Derby, loan; Todd Kane Oxford, loan; Jake Clarke-Salter Sunderland, loan; Josimar Quintero Real Betis, loan
Crystal Palace (£9.8m)
Roy Hodgson had stressed “a successful window would be cover at goalkeeper and centre-forward”. So, while Alexander Sørloth’s arrival provides back-up for Christian Benteke, the manager will be privately alarmed that his only other additions were youngsters who need time to adjust. Palace have lost three senior players to long-term injury since New Year’s Eve, so is their squad stronger now? Their window was rather summed up by the sight of a glum Ibrahim Amadou trudging into the night with his move from Lille unfulfilled. DF
Ins Jaroslaw Jach Zaglebie Lubin, £2m; Erdal Rakip Benfica, loan; Alexander Sørloth Midtjylland, £8.8m
Outs Noor Husin Notts County, undisclosed; Keshi Anderson Swindon, undisclosed; Freddie Ladapo Southend, undisclosed; Sullay Kaikai Charlton, loan; Andre Coker Maidstone, loan
Everton (£32m)
Everton’s January business was shaped by last summer’s mistakes. A striker was finally secured in Cenk Tosun, pace arrived in Theo Walcott and another imbalance, left-sided defensive reinforcement, came on deadline day with Eliaquim Mangala. Ideally, Sam Allardyce would have also improved central midfield and off-loaded Davy Klaassen. Ross Barkley’s exit sparked uproar inside the Mayor of Liverpool’s office. Andy Hunter
Ins Cenk Tosun Besiktas, £27m; Theo Walcott Arsenal, £20m; Eliaquim Mangala Manchester City, loan
Outs Ross Barkley Chelsea, £15m; Aaron Lennon Burnley, undisclosed; Kevin Mirallas Olympiakos, loan
Huddersfield (£10m)
The arrival of the centre-back Terence Kongolo increases defensive options, notably by offering the possibility of playing with a back three. But Huddersfield’s attempt to avoid relegation could depend on how well Alex Pritchard takes to the Premier League, the hope being that the former Norwich schemer provides the creativity that Huddersfield have too often lacked during their recent slide. Paul Doyle
Ins Alex Pritchard Norwich, £10m; Terence Kongolo Monaco, loan
Outs Joe Lolley Nottingham Forest, undisclosed; Martin Cranie Middlesbrough, undisclosed, Fraser Horsfall Kidderminster, undisclosed; Danny Kane Cork City, undisclosed; Cedwyn Scott Dundee, undisclosed; Jack Payne Blackburn, loan; Ryan Schofield AFC Telford, loan; Dylan Cogill Clyde FC, loan; Tadhg Ryan released
Leicester (£3.5m)
Despite the comings and goings, which included loaning out three forwards who were signed for a combined total in excess of £50m, the main talking point surrounded a player that stayed put: Riyad Mahrez. Leicester would not be bullied into selling to Manchester City at the last minute but how will Mahrez now react? Stuart James
Ins Fousseni Diabaté Gazélec Ajaccio, £3.5m; Callum Wright Blackburn, undisclosed
Outs Raúl Uche Real Betis, loan; Leonardo Ulloa Brighton, loan; Ahmed Musa CSKA Moscow, loan; Andy King Swansea, loan; Islam Slimani Newcastle, loan
Liverpool (£31m profit)
It started with an emphatic statement of intent when Liverpool made Virgil van Dijk the world’s most expensive defender at £75m. It ended with accusations that Jürgen Klopp and owners Fenway Sports Group have jeopardised the campaign by allowing Philippe Coutinho his dream move to Barcelona without securing a replacement. AH
Ins Virgil van Dijk Southampton, £75m; Tony Gallacher Falkirk, £200,000
Outs Philippe Coutinho Barcelona, £106m; Cameron Brannagan Oxford, undisclosed; Lloyd Jones Luton, undisclosed; Daniel Sturridge West Brom, loan; Ovie Ejaria Sunderland, loan; Lazar Markovic Anderlecht, loan; Harry Wilson Hull, loan; Jon Flanagan Bolton, loan Corey Whelan Yeovil, loan; Matty Virtue Notts County, loan; Ryan Kent Bristol City, loan; Marko Grujic Cardiff, loan
Quick GuideA history of highest football transfer fees
Show
£1,000: Alf Common, 1905
The English striker joins Middlesbrough from Sunderland in the first four‑figure transfer fee for a player.
£10,890: David Jack, 1928
The English striker joins Middlesbrough from Sunderland in the first five‑figure transfer fee for a player.
£23,000: Bernabé Ferreyra, 1932
The Argentinian became the first non-British player to break the world record, joining River Plate from Tigre.
£152,000 Luis Suárez Miramontes, 1961
The Spanish midfielder’s move from Barcelona to Internazionale is the first six-figure transfer deal.
£1.2m: Giuseppe Savoldi, 1975
The Italian striker, who made only four international appearances, joined Napoli from Bologna in the first £1m-plus deal.
£3m: Diego Maradona, 1982
The record was twice broken for Maradona, with his move from Boca Juniors to Barça and his £5m switch to Napoli in 1984.
£15m: Alan Shearer, 1996
The Premier League showed its emerging financial muscle when the England striker, a star at Euro 96, joined Newcastle from Blackburn.
£21.5m: Denilson, 1998
The Brazilian winger’s move from São Paulo to Real Betis was an eye opener, but Denilson never fully built on his youthful talent.
£37m: Luis Figo, 2000
The Portugal playmaker’s acrimonious move from Barcelona to Real Madrid kickstarted the galáctico era in earnest.
£80m: Cristiano Ronaldo, 2009
Real cemented their position as the game’s biggest spenders when they prised the Portuguese from Manchester United.
£89m: Paul Pogba, 2016
The Frenchman overtook Gareth Bale as the world’s most expensive player in rejoining Manchester United from Juventus.
£198m: Neymar, 2017
The Brazilian’s huge release clause means PSG have to dwarf all previous transfer records to get their man.
Manchester City (£61.2m)
Pep Guardiola’s January window ended with Alexis Sánchez having gone to Manchester United and the manager acquiring only one of the two players for positions he wanted, with Aymeric Laporte not his first-choice as a new centre-back. Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk was that man so Guardiola must be disappointed. So, too, on missing out on Sánchez, which was compounded by the late rush for Riyad Mahrez that was also unsuccessful because of Leicester’s £95m valuation of the Algerian. Jamie Jackson
Ins Aymeric Laporte Athletic Bilbao, £57.2m; Jack Harrison New York City FC, £4m
Outs Shay Facey Northampton, undisclosed; Eliaquim Mangala Everton loan; Marlos Moreno Flamengo loan; Chidi Nwakali Aberdeen, loan; Isaac Buckley Oxford, loan; Ashley Smith-Brown Oxford, loan; Kean Bryan Oldham, loan; Jack Harrison Middlesbrough, loan; Jacob Davenport Burton, loan
Manchester United (£0)
This may go down as the pivotal winter window of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era because of José Mourinho’s capture of Alexis Sánchez, which elevated the side’s quality and was a morale-booster in a season in which City are resetting standards. The Chilean cost nothing from Arsenal as Henrikh Mkhitaryan went in the opposite direction, which adds to the sense this was a coup for United. JJ
Ins Alexis Sánchez Arsenal, swap; Matej Kovar FC Slovacko, undisclosed
Outs Henrikh Mkhitaryan Arsenal, swap; James Wilson Sheffield United, loan; Demi Mitchell Hearts, loan; Axel Tuanzebe Aston Villa, loan; Matty Willock St Johnstone, loan; Charlie Scott Hamilton Academical, loan
Newcastle (£0)
Better late than never. Just as hopes of the striker that Rafael Benítez so desperately craved actually arriving were fading a deadline-day private jet was tracked flying from East Midlands to Newcastle. Out stepped the Leicester loanee Islam Slimani and Benítez’s hopes of avoiding relegation soared. Slimani joins fellow loanees, the Chelsea wing-back Kenedy and Sparta Prague goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, whose footwork is apparently stellar. Louise Taylor
Ins Islam Slimani Leicester, loan; Martin Dubravka Sparta Prague, loan; Kenedy Chelsea loan
Outs Henri Saivet Sivasspor, loan; Jack Colback Nottingham Forest loan; Aleksandar Mitrovic Fulham, loan; Freddie Woodman Abderdeen, loan; Dan Barlaser Crewe, loan; Jamie Sterry Crewe, loan
Southampton (£55.9m profit)
Southampton made a stand that they felt they had to last summer over Virgil van Dijk but there could be no holding him back this time. The defender had not played well and the club was able to extract an extra £15m from Liverpool. The striker Guido Carrillo has come in but it has hardly been a wholesale reinvestment. DH
Ins Guido Carrillo Monaco, £19.1m
Outs Virgil Van Dijk Liverpool, £75m; Ryan Seager Yeovil, loan; Matt Targett Fulham, loan; Marcus Barnes Yeovil, loan
Stoke (£19m)
Quietly promising. The most significant deal the Potters concluded in January is likely to be the one that saw Paul Lambert take over from Mark Hughes. Stoke already have some decent players, they just need to get the best from them. Lambert left the chief executive, Tony Scholes, to complete the club’s transfer business and on the evening of deadline day they announced that Galatasaray’s Senegal international midfielder Badou Ndiaye was joining for £14m. PW
Ins Badou Ndiaye Galatasaray, £14m; Moussa Niakate Paris FC, undisclosed; Kostas Stafylidis Augsburg, loan; Moritz Bauer Rubin Kazan, £5m
Outs Harry Souttar Ross County, loan; Josh Tymon MK Dons, loan; Jake Dunwoody Curzon Ashton, loan
Swansea (£18m)
Swansea desperately needed to add goals and creativity, and paid a club-record fee to re-sign André Ayew with that in mind, yet they arguably needed at least one other attacking player. The decision to take Andy King on loan in preference to Lazar Markovic was surprising; Roque Mesa’s departure less so. SJ
Ins André Ayew West Ham, £18m; Andy King Leicester, loan
Outs Josh Sheehan Newport, undisclosed; Roque Mesa Sevilla, loan; Oli McBurnie Barnsley, loan; Jay Fulton Wigan, loan; Tyler Reid Newport, loan; Ryan Blair Falkirk, loan; Adam King Mansfield, loan; Joe Rodon Cheltenham, loan
Tottenham (£25m)
Mauricio Pochettino wanted a game-changing attacking option, a player with pace and end product, and he got Lucas Moura – a move that feels exciting. Other than that, it was always likely to be quiet as the manager wrestled with a familiar dilemma. How to add Champions League-level quality without a mega budget? DH
Ins Lucas Moura Paris St-Germain, £25m
Outs Georges-Kévin N’Koudou Burnley, loan; Marcus Edwards Norwich, loan; Cameron Carter-Vickers Ipswich, loan, Ryan Loft Exeter, loan; Shayon Harrison Southend, loan
Watford (£3.1m)
“We like to get our business concluded very early, otherwise it is inefficient and inflationary,” said the Watford chairman, Scott Duxbury, looking ahead to the window in December. In the end there were four arrivals, the earliest on 29 January, and the departure of two players with recent first-team involvement, both on deadline day. Didier Ndong’s arrival is a response to the continued absence of Nathaniel Chalobah, who has been out since September, while Gerard Deulofeu adds important creativity and will reduce the team’s reliance on Richarlison, a 20-year-old whose season started in Brazil in April and has not stopped since. Simon Burnton
Ins Gerard Deulofeu Barcelona, loan; Dodi Lukebakio Charleroi, undisclosed; Didier Ndong Sunderland, loan; Pontus Dahlberg IFK Gothenburg, £3.1m
Outs Pontus Dahlberg IFK Gothenburg; Brice Dja Djédjé Lens; Costel Pantilimon Nottingham Forest; Isaac Success Málaga; Mauro Zárate Vélez; Michael Folivi Boreham Wood; Alex Jakubiak Falkirk; Brandon Mason Dundee; Charlie Rowan Accrington Stanley; Randell Williams Wycombe, all loan; Ben Watson released
West Brom (£1.5m)
The acquisition of Daniel Sturridge on loan is potentially one of the best pieces of business anywhere. Sturridge is a class act – the big question is whether he can stay fit. With Albion also holding on to Jonny Evans, despite a late Arsenal bid, the Midlands club can reflect on a successful window. SJ
Ins Ahmed Hegazi Al Ahly, £4m; Ali Gabr Zamalek, loan; Daniel Sturridge Liverpool, loan
Outs Tyler Roberts Leeds, £2.5m; Kane Wilson Exeter, loan extended; Dara O’Shea Hereford, loan extended; Tahvon Campbell Forest Green Rovers, loan
West Ham (£18.8m profit)
Although João Mário joined on loan from Internazionale, the window ended messily once again when negotiations with Anderlecht over Leander Dendoncker broke down, leaving West Ham short of central midfielders. Their injury-hit attack also needed bolstering but the £8m signing of Jordan Hugill from Preston looks like a panic buy. Jacob Steinberg
Ins João Mário Inter, loan; Jordan Hugill Preston, £8m
Outs André Ayew Swansea, £18m; Diafra Sakho Rennes, £8.8m; Martin Samuelsen Burton, loan; Reece Oxford Borussia Mönchengladbach, loan
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