Philippe Coutinho [23]

The winter transfer window is rapidly approaching with clubs finalising their strategies to improve their squads, but some deals could be sealed before then. While major permanent transfers aren’t as frequent in January as the summer window, some big players could still switch clubs with the loan market a popular avenue. Chelsea were extremely active last January, spending big money on Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez. Virgil Van Dijk famously swapped Southampton for Liverpool in January 2018 with the Merseyside club recouping €135m for Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona during the same window. But clubs could add new signings before the January window opens with a number of high-profile players still without a club.

The January transfer window officially opens on Monday with clubs across Europe eyeing deals to improve their squads for the second half of the season. While the winter window is considerably quieter than the summer, some major deals have been completed across the last few seasons.

The January transfer window has been open for over a week but it’s been relatively quiet in terms of big permanent deals. Clubs across the market are actively trying to improve their squads with new arrivals but it’s notoriously difficult to seal major deals in January compared to the summer market. Ivan Toney’s return from an eight-month ban is pending and the Brentford striker has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal despite Mikel Arteta downplaying reports that he could add a new striker this month. FFP restrictions are limiting several English Premier League clubs’ ability to spend in January and they will need to offload players before reinvesting. Manchester United are scouring the market for a new striker but a loan deal is more realistic, while Chelsea and Liverpool are unlikely to make major additions. Everton’s Amadou Onana is on the radar of top English clubs with a move to Arsenal most feasible and it would require a substantial fee to prise the Belgian away from Goodison Park. We’ve analysed the top ten highest transfer fees paid by clubs in the January with English clubs dominating the list. 

The January transfer window continues to rumble on but it’s incredibly unlikely that any player will swap clubs in a big-money move this month. English Premier League clubs spent an absolute fortune last season as they splurged €842.5 million on new signings but that figure still remains below €50m this January. The financial power of English clubs is renowned and it’s dwarfed their European rivals across the last decade. 

While not at the levels of Jürgen Klopp, Xavi recently announced his shock decision to depart Barcelona at the end of the season. The 44-year-old enjoys legendary status at Camp Nou after an illustrious playing career that yielded eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies. After hanging up his boots, Xavi embarked on his managerial career away from the spotlight at Al Sadd in Qatar, winning seven trophies before his high-profile return to Barcelona in November.