interesting take on our window and those of the clubs all around us. I cannot believe this was a coscious decision on the part of the board, its just the way their incompetence allowed the chips to fall!
Leeds back Marsch with players to suit
Leeds did some good business in January. They paid a club-record fee for the extremely talented
Georginio Rutter, brought
Max Wober in to replace
Diego Llorente, who joined Roma on loan, and added
Weston McKennie on loan.
They strengthened every area of the team and, more importantly, brought in players suited to Jesse Marsch’s system.
It sets them up nicely for the remainder of the campaign, especially now that Patrick Bamford is back from injury. They also managed to keep Jack Harrison despite interest from Leicester.
The quality they have added should be enough to see them navigate their way out of any potential relegation battle.
Forest fairly active again
Nottingham Forest weren’t quite as busy as they were in the summer but Steve Cooper did bring in six new faces. The experience they have added to their ranks could well be the difference between relegation and survival.
Keylor Navas and
Felipe have a winning mentality while
Chris Wood and
Jonjo Shelvey have Premier League experience, knowing what it takes to stay in this league.
The most intriguing signing is Danilo. If they stay up and he impresses, he has the potential to turn a massive profit for the club.
Wolves stronger with good window
Julen Lopetegui now has a squad closer to his image
Wolves wasted little time adding players to their ranks to make it more of a Julen Lopetegui squad. Versatile goal threats in
Matheus Cunha and
Pablo Sarabia were recruited. The Spanish manager does like his wide players to be difference-makers in one-on-one duels, so these tick that box.
They also shored things up in midfield, adding
Mario Lemina and
Joao Gomes. This future-proofs them in a way.
The duo can familiarise themselves with things at the club in the latter half of the season before potentially displacing Joao Moutinho. There’s also uncertainty over the futures of Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes, so getting Lemina and Gomes in now made a lot of sense.
Goncalo Guedes did depart but that was offset by the arrivals of Cunha and Sarabia. All in all, Wolves look much stronger and the playing profiles now align with what the manager wants.
Cherries and Saints plan for future
Backed by new investment, Bournemouth looked to bolster their chances of survival by dipping into the transfer market.
What is particularly interesting about those they have signed is that they all have huge resale value. If they impress in the Premier League,
Hamed Traore, Antoine Semenyo, Dango Ouattara and
Ilya Zabarnyi will all see their valuations increase.
They probably could hae done with some more Premier League experience as Traore, Ouattara and Zabarnyi will all need time to acclimate to the rigours of the English top-flight.
Having to do so during a relegation battle isn’t ideal, so while it might not help them immediately, this window should benefit the Cherries in the long run, regardless of if they fail to beat the drop.
Bournemouth must address their slump quickly
Southampton seemed to take a similar approach by signing players who could be worth significantly more in a year or two. Though having said that, their approach in the summer was practically the same.
They are offering young, talented players the opportunity to play regular Premier League football (for now) while putting themselves in the shop window. It is an attractive proposition and that is how they were likely able to sign
Carlos Alcaraz and
Kamaldeen Sulemana.
They did boost their chances of survival, though, with the arrivals of experienced players
James Bree,
Mislav Orsic and
Paul Onuachu.
They’ve given themselves an opportunity of beating the drop but have also set themselves up to immediately return if they are relegated.
Hoping for Dyche to deliver
Everton tried and failed to add to their squad during the final few days of the window. Despite having a medical, Danjuma opted for Spurs. Conor Gallagher rejected a move to Goodison Park while Sulemana favoured Southampton.
What they did, though, was nail the managerial appointment.
Following the sacking of Frank Lampard,
they brought in Sean Dyche. He worked miracles with Burnley and this Everton squad is better than the one he had at Turf Moor. He will get them organised and make them extremely difficult to break down.
It sounds basic but if you aren’t conceding goals, you aren’t losing games; exactly the basics Everton need to embrace right now.
That will give them a greater chance of survival than any signing would have.
