Thread by @banngr

EPL January Transfer Window Roundup Thread

This window has somewhat amused me with plenty of intriguing pieces of recruitment alongside some humorous buys. I thought I'd go through the various wheels and deals, and give my opinion on those which interest me.

Arsenal

In
Cedric Soares - Southampton, loan
Eddie Nketiah - Leeds United, recalled from loan
Pablo Mari - Flamengo, loan plus option to buy

Out
Tyreece John-Jules - Lincoln, loan
Emile Smith-Rowe - Huddersfield, loan
Dinos Mavropanos - Nuremberg, loan
Deyan Iliev - Jagiellonia

Not a great window for Arsenal, but strengthening the depth of their defence will be useful nonetheless. The most important thing for them is that they managed to keep Aubameyang after rumours of him handing in a transfer request around New Year.

Pablo Mari's connections with Arteta through their time together at City should hopefully help him settle fast, though the step up into the Prem will be large having just been in Brazil. He may have been fantastic last year for Flamengo but the Prem is a different class.

Cedric being signed (on loan) whilst injured is so typically Arsenal (who remembers Kallstrom?). Can do a job covering Bellerin rotation though brings into question what Maitland-Niles role is now?

Aston Villa

In
Danny Drinkwater - Chelsea, loan
Pepe Reina - AC Milan, loan
Mbwena Samatta - Genk, £10m
Borja Baston - Swansea, free

Out
A. Green - Charlton, loan
S. Hogan - Birmingham, loan
R. Hepburn-Murphy - Derby, loan
James Chester - Stoke, loan
J. Ramsey - Doncaster, loan

Drinkwater already looks like a waste of time, though I accept he needs to regain match fitness. Give him said opportunity at your peril though Dean Smith as you don't want to be carrying a DM...
Fab to see Reina back in the Prem though has already picked up a niggle. Good cover.

Samatta interests me. He's good in the air and strong, capable of finishing and holding the ball up well. Wesley hasn't quite found his stride yet and is now injured so it's no surprised Villa dipped into the market for another striker. Baston in same reason, with a decent record

Bournemouth

In
Kyle Taylor - Forest Green Rovers, recalled from loan

Out
Asmir Begovic - AC Milan, loan
Brad Smith - Cardiff, loan
Matt Butcher - St Johnstone, loan

Relegation incoming and Begovic's agent is a wizard. Well done on keeping Josh King, I guess?

Brighton

In
Aaron Mooy - Hudds, undisclosed
Jurgen Locadia - Hoffenheim, recalled from loan
Tariq Lamptey - Chelsea, undisclosed
A. Mac Allister - Boca Juniors, recalled from loan

Out
Gaetan Bong - Notts Forest, undisclosed
L. Balogun - Wigan, loan
J. Mlakar - Wigan, loan

Making Mooy permanent is canny business - he's been in a particular strong vein of form recently and the team are far more cohesive when he's playing. Nabbing Lamptey is an absolute COUP. Very promising wing back whose Chelsea pathway would have been blocked by Reece James.

Burnley

In
Josh Brownhill - Bristol City, £7m

Out
Danny Drinkwater - Chelsea, end of loan
Anthony Glennan - Grimsby, loan
Ryan Cooney - Morecambe, loan
Christian N'Guessan - Oldham, loan
Adam Philips - Morecambe, loan
Nahki Wells - Bristol City, undisclosed

Brownhill is a good talent and should slot right into Burnley's style. Absolute workhouse who loves a tackle, is good in the air and has strong positional awareness - regular making interceptions. Doesn't dribble much but can pick passes for fun. Typical Burnley bastard.

Chelsea

In
-

Out
Danny Drinkwater - Aston Villa, loan
Marc Guehi - Swansea, loan
Conor Gallagher - Swansea, loan
George McEachran - SC Cambuur, loan
Tariq Lamptey - Brighton, undisclosed

Apparently had their transfer ban lifted?

Crystal Palace

In
Cenk Tosun - Everton, loan
Scott Banks - Dundee United, undisclosed

Out
Jason Lokilo - Doncaster, loan
Connor Wickham - Sheffield Wednesday, loan

Even with Ayew playing rather well, Palace need more goals. Tosun was rotting on the bench at Everton. Good move for both parties and was doing well prior to straining his hamstring. Will be intrigued to see how/if he's used alongside Ayew once both are fit for selection.

Everton

In
Joao Virginia - Reading, recalled
Jarrad Branthwaite - Carlisle, undisclosed

Out
Cenk Tosun - Crystal Palace, loan
Callum Connolly - Fleetwood, loan
Kieran Dowell - Wigan, loan
Lewis Gibson - Fleetwood, loan
Morgan Feeney - Tranmere, loan
Jonas Lossl - Hudds, loan

Branthwaite was being scouted by Arsenal, Celtic and Rangers (amongst others) so Everton have done well in principle. 6'4" centre back who shows wisdom and temperament beyond his years. Wouldn't expect to see him starting anytime soon but one to watch.

Leicester

In
Ryan Bennett - Wolves, loan

Out
Andy King - Huddersfield, loan
Mitchell Clark - Port Vale, loan

Not much to see here. Bennett decent rotation cover. Andy King goes on his 4th loan in 2 years - his contract expires end of May and I'm sure he can't wait.

Liverpool

In
Takumi Minamino - Red Bull Salzburg, £7.25m
Joe Hardy - Brentford, undisclosed

Out
Herbie Kane - Hull, loan
Rhian Brewster - Swansea, loan
Allan Rodrigues de Souza - Atletico Mineiro, £3m

HUGE fan of Minamino - Liverpool abusing the criminally small release clause for an exciting talent. Fits their philosophy well with relentless work rate out of possession and superb technique with the ball. Capable of playing anywhere across the front or in mid - Klopp's dream.

On a side note, I think Rhian Brewster could thrive at Swansea. Talented youngster who just needs regular game time to make the step up. Herbie Kane could play an important role for Hull too, capable of bossing the midfield and dictating play from deep.

Manchester City

In
-

Out
Lukas Nmecha - Boro, loan
Patrick Roberts - Boro, loan
Angelino - RB Leipzig, loan

I'm disappointed Angelino hasn't made more of an impression in his City second coming. Should suit Leipzig well though and hopefully regain confidence under Nagelsmann.

Manchester United

In
Bruno Fernandes - Sporting Lisbon, £68m
Nathan Bishop - Southend, undisclosed
Odion Ighalo - Shanghai Shenhua, loan

Out
Ethan Hamilton - Bolton, loan
Marcos Rojo - Estudiantes, loan

THEY'VE FINALLY DONE IT

God knows how long Bruno rumours have been floating around, but they've got their man. Gives United long shot threat which will hopefully draw defenders to close down. Can also slice open a defence - something they desperately need.

Oh yeah, Ighalo is back. Apparently almost solely organised via a frantic collection of emails on deadline day. Sounds like a lot of thought went into planning it...

If he does well then props to them but this reeks of impulse buy.

Newcastle

In
Valentino Lazaro - Inter Milan, loan
Nabil Bentaleb - Schalke, loan
Danny Rose - Tottenham, loan

Out
Ki Sung-Yueng - contract cancelled by mutual consent

I have no clue what happened to Newcastle's recruitment policy between 2018/19 but they've been bossing the market. Lazaro and Rose are monumental improvements at wing back and Bentaleb should make a tidy partnership with Shelvey. Great work.

Norwich

In
Sam McCallum - Coventry, undisclosed
Ondrej Duda - Hertha Berlin, loan
Lukas Rupp - Hoffenheim, undisclosed

Out
Philip Heise - FC Nurnberg, loan
Akin Famewo - St Mirren, loan
Carlton Morris - MK, loan
Sam McCallum - Coventry, loan
Isak Thorvaldsson - Fleetwood, loan

This'll sound strange, but Norwich have had a marvellous window for their promotion from the Championship 20/21. They know they don't have the financial clout to chuck funds around and have made canny signings which should help them improve, but miracle aside they're going down.

Ondrej Duda is a creative midfielder and I'm somewhat perplexed Klinsmann (of the dive) let him leave Hertha so soon after becoming manager. Duda should provide Buendia with respite, as Norwich have relied heavily on the Argentine. Keep an eye FPL players, Pukki Party may return.

Lukas Rupp will be a handy asset for Norwich due to his versatility - he can play in midfield or defence which will be particularly useful in the short term due to their injury problems. Plays relatively safe passes but is dependable and wears his heart on his sleeve.

Sheffield United

In
Sander Berge - Genk, £22m
Richairo Zivkovic - Changchun Yatai, loan
Jack Rodwell - Unattached, free
Jack Robinson - Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Panagiotis Retsos - Bayer Leverkusen, loan

Out
Richard Stearman - Huddersfield, free
Tyler Smith - Rochdale, loan
David Parkhouse - Stevenage, loan
Kean Bryan - Bolton, loan
Marcus Dewhurst - Carlisle, loan
Jake Wright - contract terminated
Ravel Morrison - Middlesbrough, loan
Mark Duffy - ADO Den Haag, loan

Berge joining Sheffield is a huge statement - not only that they mean business putting down 22m on a young talent, but also that they can attract one of Europe's most wanted prospects. Needs some defensive coaching that I have no doubt Wilder will address, but the kid is special.

Berge is 6'4" and a bitch to get the ball off due to clever use of his body. He is a strong dribbler and good reader of the game, but his most valuable asset is his pinpoint pass accuracy across the full range. There's a reason CHE, LIV & MNU wanted him.

#FootballManager2020 players may remember Zivkovic from 2017. He was banging goals in for fun at Groningen, and was linked with Liverpool. Since then he dotted around other Dutch clubs, spent 2 years in Belgium and then ended up in China.

Still young at 23, this loan is low risk but potentially high reward. Zivkovic has searing pace and natural finishing ability. He will take some pressure off Mousset for matches in which The Blades need a forward capable of getting in behind.

Retsos is another fantastic buy, perfectly suited to Wilder's tactical setup. He is the archetypal ball playing defender, and will fight for one of the overlapping centre back roles. Retsos likes to nip in to cut out balls before they become a danger -

when this works it puts his team immediately on the front foot, but sometimes his youthful eccentrity can lead to mistakes. Wilder is most definitely the type of manager who'll coach exactly when and how he may want this action to be undertaken.

Southampton

In
Kyle Walker-Peters - Tottenham, loan

Out
Cedric Soares - Arsenal, loan
Maya Yoshida - Sampdoria, loan

Tidy work shipping out an underperforming and injured Cedric, then immediately replacing him with an exciting and desperate to get experience Walker-Peters. I'll miss singing "Maya Yoshida" to the tune of Dragostea Din Tei whenever he scored.

Spurs

In
G. Fernandes, Benfica, loan
G. Lo Celso - Real Betis, £27m
S. Bergwijn - PSV, undisclosed

Out
C. Eriksen - Inter, undisclosed
J. Clarke - QPR, loan
K. W-P - Soton, loan
C. C-V - Luton, loan
D. Rose - Newcastle, loan
S. Tracey - Macclesfield, loan
T. O-B - Stoke, ud.

Must have been a frustrating window for Jose. Yet again Spurs don't sign a centre forward even though they're desperate for one (LLORENTE WAS USEFUL). Eriksen out unsurprising but Lo Celso nailed is fab news.

Gedson has had a frustrating season thus far at Benfica, only play a bit-part. Primarily a central midfield, Fernandes drifts between the lines giving his defence an outlet, and is capable of picking passes of all ranges (averaging 2.48 long balls per game in 18/19).

On top of this, he is 6ft tall and puts himself about without hesitation. He is aggressive in tackle and has a tendency to want to press high. I am super excited to see what may happen with him alongside a fit Ndombele.

Looking at what Spurs needed this window, I dont really rate the addition of Steven Bergwijn. They already have pacey wingers who can also play centrally in Son and Moura. That being said, it would be idiotic to ignore Bergwijn's individual quality.

The Dutchman has exceptional skill in dribbling at pace, but is also capable of picking accurate crosses consistently and is a reliable finisher. I do hope he hasn't been bought to play as a lone striker as it would be a waste of his best traits.

Watford

In
Ignacio Pussetto - Udinese, undisclosed

Out
Alex Jakubiak - St Mirren, loan
Sebastian Prodl - released

The Pozzos continue their Udinese money laundering. Nothing to see here.

West Ham United

In
Darren Randolph - Middlesbrough, undisclosed
Tomas Soucek - Slavia Prague, undisclosed
Jarrod Bowen - Hull City, undisclosed

Out
N. Holland - Oxford United, loan
C. Coventry - Lincoln City, loan
J. Powell - Burton Albion, undisclosed
M. Samuelsen - Hull City

Fabianski perpetual injury problems lead WHam to rebuying Randolph. Merry-go-round, no pat on the back from me.

Soucek has great passing range, fantastic defensively and has Champo League experience. Still young but I reckon will step up fast. Noble beware.

Bowen has been one of the most exciting players in the Championship for a couple of seasons now, and it's no surprise he's finally received his Prem calling. Haller has needed a runner off him since Antonio and Felipe picked up injuries, and Bowen can be that man.

Wolves
In
Leonardo Campana - Barcelona SC, undisclosed
Enzo Loiodice - Dijon, loan
Daniel Podence - Olympiakos, £16.9m
Luke Matheson - Rochdale, £1m

Out
J. Vallejo - Real Madrid, end of loan
E. Watt - Carlisle, loan
I.Cavaleiro - Fulham, undisclosed
P. Cutrone - Fiorentina, loan

Out (Cont.)
Luke Matheson - Rochdale, loan
Ryan Giles - Coventry, loan
Ryan Bennett - Leicester, loan
Dion Sanderson - Cardiff, loan

Cutrone failure is a shame. Matheson being nabbed and immediately loaned back is good business - kid is bloody exciting as exemplified by his goal against Man Utd in the EFL Cup earlier this season. Scary pace, decision making beyond his years and a hunger to win possession back.

Podence has been outstanding for Olympiacos this season domestically and in the Champions League. He is a versatile player that can play anywhere across the frontline, and perform either as a finisher or creator having a powerful shot and deft passing ability. Fab signing.