Transfer Rumours and Confirmed Deals from the Premier League, Women’s Super
The January Football transfer window was once again underway, and with it, the rumour mill kicked into full gear. As different teams looked to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season and players across the leagues sought moves to reignite their careers, we take a look at the biggest transfers and rumours from both the domestic leagues and abroad. The January transfer market is notoriously difficult to navigate, as clubs are reluctant to lose players mid-season and the right players are not always available. What did your team need? Who did they manage to sign? Here’s all you need to know.
In the Premier League, Arsenal fans were left disappointed after the club failed to make any additions during the winter window, particularly in the striker position. Despite links to several top talents such as Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko, nothing materialised, and the Gunners will have to hope for some luck to keep pace with Liverpool in the Premier League title race. In contrast, Manchester City made a significant outlay on transfers in this winter window in their bid to rebuild the squad. Pep Guardiola made it clear that help was needed, and City responded by sealing moves for six players, including Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £57 million.
Elsewhere in the League, Manchester United used the window to resolve a behind-the-scenes controversy, allowing Marcus Rashford to join Aston Villa on loan. Having been frozen out by Ruben Amorim due to disciplinary issues and poor training performances, the England forward has made the move to Birmingham to sign for Villa until the end of the season.
Similar to Villa and Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur also used the January window to make crucial additions to their squad. To address their defensive problems, Spurs signed Austrian central defender Kevin Danso from French side RC Lens. In attack, Tottenham made arguably the most high-profile signing on Deadline Day, securing a loan deal with a £45 million option to buy for French attacker Mathys Tel, who reversed his earlier decision to reject Tottenham and has now made the temporary move to North London from Bayern Munich. Highlights from the rest of the League include West Ham, which made the loan signing of Evan Ferguson from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Ipswich Town, which completed moves for Jaden Philogene from Villa and Ben Godfrey from Atalanta.
The Women’s Super League transfer window was dominated by headlines from Arsenal and Chelsea. The Blues spent big to secure the signing of Keira Walsh from Barcelona for £400,000 and also broke a record when they signed Naomi Girma for £890,000, making the 24-year-old the world’s first $1 million women’s player. Arsenal Women made the controversial loan signing of Chloe Kelly from Manchester City. After reported disagreements with City head coach Gareth Taylor and making things public, the England winger left City to join the Gunners.
In the Scottish Premiership, Celtic, Rangers, Hearts of Midlothian, Hibernian, and Aberdeen have all been active in strengthening their squads ahead of the second half of the season. Celtic Park favourite Jota returned to the Hoops from Rennes in an eight million pound deal, with Kyogo Furuhashi moving in the opposite direction to join the French side for £10 million. Rangers completed a loan deal for Rafael Fernandes from Lille, which includes the option to make the move permanent in the summer. Hearts have had a busy window, bringing in six players, the most notable being striker Elton Kabangu from Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Other Scottish Premiership transfers you might have missed include Hibernian signing Gambian midfielder Alasana Manneh from Odense Boldklub. Aberdeen strengthened with loan moves for Alfie Dorrington from Tottenham and Jeppe Okkels from Preston. Lastly, Kilmarnock secured highly rated Liverpool and Scotland right-back Calvin Ramsay on loan until the end of the season.
With the transfer window now closed, teams across the UK and Europe focus their attention on the second half of the season. While some clubs strengthened in key positions and others didn’t manage to get deals over the line, it promises to be an exciting conclusion to the season and an intriguing summer transfer window ahead!
