With the January transfer window now shut until the summer, we take a look at 10 deals, permanent transfers or loans, which represented pretty good business.
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MARC BARTRA
FEE: UNDISCLOSED
An excellent piece of work by the Andalusian side, with Bartra at 27, surely about to reach his peak as a centre-back. The Spaniard had, for whatever reasons, slipped down the pecking order at Dortmund but has excellent pedigree and should still feature in Spain’s World Cup squad for Russia.
Bartra is hungry for first-team football and was desperate to return to Spain, where he previously played for boyhood club Barcelona – winning six La Liga titles and one Champions League crown in six seasons there.
Some may say he never really proved himself as a Blaugrana star and they are right to a large extent, but Bartra will see this as a second-coming to showcase his talent as one of the league’s best defenders for a Betis side very much on the up. After he was caught up in the ugly attack on the Dortmund team bus last April, he may well feel a fresh start was what he needed all round.
Fresh start for Spaniard Bartra.
DANIEL STURRIDGE
LIVERPOOL TO WEST BROM
FEE: LOAN UNTIL END OF SEASON
It was a move which made sense for all parties and even when you factor in the 28-year-old’s woeful injury record, Sturridge has goals in him, when fit, and is a proven Premier League striker. With West Brom rock-bottom in the league and struggling for firepower, the former Chelsea and Manchester City man can benefit from being a mainstay in a struggling Baggies side and a change of scenery should do him the world of good.
Strurridge has that ability to pinch vital goals and perhaps he can have a similar kind of effect to that of Jermain Defoe when his goals single-handedly kept Sunderland in the top-flight in 2015 and 2016. Signing the forward was a win-win for West Brom given the fact that Sturridge still harbours international ambitions and knows his only chance of going to the World Cup with England is playing regularly and scoring frequently. Alongside Salomon Rondon, he should be able to fire enough goals to keep Alan Pardew’s side up.
Shrewd signing: Sturridge.
THEO WALCOTT
ARSENAL TO EVERTON
FEE: £20M
It’s quite easy to include the ex-Gunner in this list after he scored a brace (those two goals coming in Everton’s 2-1 victory over Leicester on Wednesday night) – but genuinely – his switch to Goodison Park could prove to be an excellent bit of business by a club which has overspent on talent in the past year and not had much of a return bar the form of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Similarly to Sturridge, Walcott needed a fresh start and regular first-team football – and brings valuable experience and excellent professionalism to the ranks at a decent price.
Blues boss Sam Allardyce rates the 28-year-old highly and this move should help Walcott reignite a career that had gone cold this season. The question over whether he has or will ever fulfill his full potential hangs over the ex-Southampton prodigy, but he has a good chance to prove the doubters wrong now.
Strong start to Goodison career: Walcott.
LEON GORETZKA
SCHALKE TO BAYERN MUNICH
FEE: UNDISCLOSED
The German giants are renowned for getting first dibs on the best young talent around and wrapping up deals before anyone else. Bayern displayed their predatory instincts once again in the transfer window by securing the signing of the Schalke vice-captain on a pre-agreement, with the 22-year-old heading to the Allianz Arena at the end of the season.
Chased by Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus, among others, Goretzka is billed as one of the most promising talents in world football but he is very much delivering now. Glittering displays in the top-flight and an explosive start to his career as an international midfielder (six goals in nine appearances last year for Germany), should mean he has the world at his feet come this summer’s World Cup.
Rising star: Goretzka.
GERARD DEULOFEU
BARCELONA TO WATFORD
FEE: LOAN UNTIL END OF SEASON
Just a handful of months after finally securing his dream return to the Camp Nou, Deulofeu could be forgiven for thinking he had just woken up from a bad dream when he donned the yellow of Watford for the first time this week.
That’s not necessarily a dig at the Hornets, but for a player who had longed to become a Blaugrana first-team regular, it must be hard to take that he has had to switch clubs again and has ultimately been deemed not good enough for Barca. However, Watford have benefited from his inability to fire consistently for the Spanish giants.
Indeed, the former Everton man is very much an impact player, a January-type signing if you like, and is someone who has the ability to change a game and conjure up a bit of magic. There was a period during the first-half of Roberto Martinez’s last season at Goodison (2015-16) where he looked like he was finally coming of age and there’s no doubt he has that in his locker.
Take his all too brief stint with AC Milan, for instance. Deulofeu is a snip as a loan buy and having Javi Gracia’s support should help the Premier League strugglers get the best out of him.
Now a Hornet: Deulofeu.
YERRY MINA
PALMEIRAS TO BARCELONA
FEE: €11.8m
In today’s world of over-inflated prices, the Catalan giants actually got Mina on the cheap. While the Colombian may not have been widely known before Barca’s interest, the 23-year-old powerhouse is a signing for now, the future and he should slot in alongside the experienced Gerard Pique.
With doubts over the future of Samuel Umtiti and Javier Mascherano’s departure, Ernesto Valverde’s men cleverly scouted the defender and given how affordable he was, Mina’s acquisition is a good signing. Pace, power and comfortable on the ball, he fits the Barcelona mould and can very much go about his work without the pressure of a huge price tag hanging over him.
Barcelona new recruit: Mina.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN
EVERTON TO RB LEIPZIG
FEE: LOAN UNTIL END OF SEASON
Prior to Everton’s home clash with Leicester, Allardyce said the 20-year-old prospect would not be leaving the club. But, in fairness to Lookman – a kid desperate for game time – he forced through a loan move out of Goodison Park. And, what an opportunity he now has to experience a new league, a new country and truly find himself as a player.
There’s an element of mystery surrounding the England under-21 attacker who has made just seven Premier League appearances – with only one coming from the start – since joining from Charlton for £11m in January 2017.
Is it his attitude in training? Is he too raw? Is he just a winger or can he play up top? These questions have been raised but Lookman is a young man with great potential and talent and just needs to be given a go regularly.
Clearly neither Ronald Koeman or Allardyce entrusted just that in him so it is somewhat of a coup from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men to secure his signature. Again, it’s another move which is very much a win-win for all involved.
Lookman deserves a run.
RAFINHA
BARCELONA TO INTER MILAN
FEE: LOAN
Another case of a player in need of a fresh start. Rafinha’s career had gone completely stale at the Camp Nou with the Brazilian surplus to requirements and wondering where he was heading. But, given the fact he is only 24, the dynamic midfielder – brother of Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara – still has time on his side to prove his worth.
Inter Milan is a great switch for him. Rafinha is used to being around a big club and he’s really got a chance to show what he is made of at the Nerazzurri – and if he impresses – there’s plenty of reasons why his loan can be turned into a permanent deal. The key for the La Masia youth graduate will be staying fit and ensuring he is always available for selection – something that has been far from a given over the past two seasons.
Rafinha has been given a new chance to shine.
PIETRO PELLEGRI
GENOA TO MONACO
FEE: £18m
Buying in the January transfer window is usually all about impulse – bringing in personnel to make a difference there and then. But, sometimes, you have to look to the future. Monaco, who have had to do their fair share of selling over the past 12 months, are known for buying youth and turning them into stars so this deal fits their policy.
16-year-old Pellegri is raw but has bags of potential and has already been scoring in Serie A. It’s a huge move for the promising Italian and it will be difficult for the Genoa-born man to adapt initially and fulfill the large expectations placed on his shoulders at the Stade Louis II. There’s no hiding from that fact given the fee involved was a world record for someone of his age.
Bags of potential: Pellegri.
LUCAS MOURA
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN TO TOTTENHAM
FEE: £25M
By no means least on this list, the new Whites signing can rejuvenate his career with Mauricio Pochettino’s outfit and is an exciting signing. The Brazilian was unlucky the high-profile arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe brought to an end what had been a stellar few seasons for the 25-year-old at PSG but Moura will be chomping at the bit to have a clean slate with Spurs.
He can deliver goals and assists by the bucket-load and will offer a new dimension of pace and width on either flank. While a return to the Brazilian international fold won’t be at the forefront of his mind, Moura has plenty more to give and is available for the second round Champions League clash against Juventus.
A new beginning for Moura in the Premier League.