Deadline day in January is one of my most favorite days on the soccer calendar because so many clubs are susceptible to making drastic moves to try and improve their squads for the rest of the season.
This year was no different. We had so many notable deals completed that there isn’t enough room to break them all down in one post. I did my best to split the news evenly between two parts, and this is part one. Let’s go!
Chelsea spent HOW MUCH!?
This will likely get its own blog at some point, but Chelsea was clearly the story of the 2023 January transfer window. After finally securing the world-record signing of Argentinian World Cup star Enzo Fernandez, the Blues brought their January spending up to just under $400 million (!!). In one month. New owner Todd Boehly is not messing around.
With Fernandez, Chelsea gets a player that was arguably the best overall performer at the recent World Cup. He’s at least second behind Leo Messi. For a $131 million fee, he better be able to keep that form up for his new club. That’s all I’ll say for now.
Leeds United States of America!!
In big American news, Weston McKennie joined Leeds from Juventus. The deal is an initial loan that will become permanent in the summer in all likelihood. Now, the Leeds midfield contains Americans Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, and McKennie, is managed by American Jesse Marsch, AND is about to be majority-owned by the San Francisco 49ers. Pretty cool!
If you’re an American fan looking to get into the Premier League, Leeds is probably the team for you!
United replaces Eriksen
After news broke that Christian Eriksen would miss the majority of the season through injury, Manchester United immediately sought a short-term stopgap. Given the circumstances, I don’t think it gets much better than Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich.
Sabitzer has been one of the Bundesliga’s better attacking midfielders for years, and he clearly fits the bill for what the Red Devils needed. Great signing, in my opinion.
Arsenal bulks up for the title race
Jorginho completed a permanent transfer to Arsenal from Chelsea on deadline day. Arsenal paid $13 million to get him. He probably doesn’t figure as an everyday starter, but he provides some solid depth in midfield as they ramp up for the stretch title run. Overall, solid addition here.
Polish defender Jakub Kiwior joined the Gunners earlier this week in a deal worth just north of $27 million. It’s a hefty fee, but when you’re leading the Premier League, even your depth-type signings are worth tens of millions. Don’t know too much about him in general, but I trust Arteta’s eye for signings.
Spurs… WYD?
Out of nowhere, Tottenham hijacked Everton’s move to sign Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal. Danjuma has already scored for Spurs and is a very good player, but he’s a forward. It doesn’t really feel like a position where they really needed to add.
In that vein, Spurs allowed multiple defenders to leave on loan. Djed Spence, who only just joined in the summer, will play for Rennes in France, and Matt Doherty is gone for good to Atletico Madrid. In positions where they were less deep, it is surprising that these were the moves they chose to make.
They could have recouped a fee for Doherty, but they just cut his contract and let him walk!? WTF!?
Marseille making moves!
Azzedine Ounahi, one of the breakout stars of the recent World Cup, completed a cut-price move to Marseille this week. It’s a great move for the player whose name was tossed around at multiple Premier League clubs before settling in France. If he can keep up his World Cup form, he’ll be a great signing.
On a much more expensive note, Les Olympiens completed the ambitious signing of Portuguese forward Vitinha from SC Braga. I’m a bit surprised they beat out Premier League interest, but when you’re willing to break your own transfer record, it’s hard to say no. We’ll see how this one ultimately turns out.
Nice make promising signings
Promising striker Terem Moffi elected to join Nice in France over the likes of Bournemouth, West Ham, and others. It’s an initial loan deal with an option to buy. Moffi has solid potential and great ability as it stands, and honestly, I like that he decided to stay in France where he will likely play a bit more. Good for his development.
Youssof Ndayishimiye moved to France earlier in the week for nearly $12 million. The player can play pretty much anywhere in the middle or defensive third, and that kind of versatility is valuable for any club.
Nottingham Forest – Transfer vacuum cleaner
Forest continued its post-promotion trend of sweeping up every signing it can possibly find on deadline day, bringing in Keylor Navas (yes, that Keylor Navas, on loan), Jonjo Shelvey from Newcastle, and the corpse of Felipe from Atletico Madrid. One man’s trash could be another man’s treasure, I suppose.
Life was better when Jonjo Shelvey was doing this for Swansea in the Premier League:
Wolves sign promising Brazilian
João Gomes, an exciting midfielder, made the move to Wolverhampton from Brazil this week for around $20 million. Time will tell if he is talented enough to actually have a bearing on the team right away, but he definitely has potential to become a key figure.
Lyon takes a flier
Young Brazilian attacker Jeffinho made a deadline day move to Lyon in a deal worth just shy of $11 million. There’s a lot of potential with him, and I’m curious to see how he develops in Lyon’s system, which has a good reputation for developing forwards.
Sevilla adds intriguing loan duo
Attacker Bryan Gil and midfielder Pape Gueye each completed loan deals from Tottenham Hotspur and Marseille, respectfully. They both figure to be key pieces for a Sevilla team that is shockingly in serious relegation trouble. Could be big signings in La Liga.
Thauvin returns to Europe
Florian Thauvin left Mexican side Tigres after his contract was terminated and joined Udinese in Serie A. He feels way older than 30, but he’s still got decent ability. Nonetheless, his name is probably bigger than his current skill level, and that’s the only reason he gets a mention here.
MLS gets in on the action
So many MLS deals get confirmed at the end of January. There are too many to even mention, but here are a few incomings that caught my eye. MLS definitely impressed me with its volume and profile of transfers in January.
Sigurd Rosted – Bröndby to Toronto
Carlos Gruezo – Augsburg to San Jose
Enzo Copetti – Racing Club to Charlotte FC
Carlos Andrés Gómez – Millonarios to Real Salt Lake
Amine Bassi – FC Metz to Houston Dynamo
Ramiro Enrique – Banfield to Orlando City
Martín Ojeda – Godoy Cruz to Orlando City
Indiana Vassilev – Aston Villa to St. Louis City
Mateusz Klich – Leeds United to DC United
Leo Väisänen – Elfsborg to Austin FC
Stipe Biuk – Hajduk Split to LAFC
Marco Angulo – Independiente to FC Cincinnati
Evander – Midtjylland to Portland Timbers
Leonardo Campana – Wolves to Inter Miami
All of this was only half of the transfer news I thought was notable at the end of the window. Stay tuned for PART 2 tomorrow.
Follow Nick Hedges on Twitter @nicktrimshedges or Instagram @nicktrimshedges