We are in the early knockings of one of the most frantic periods of the season. The January transfer window is the more chaotic cousin of its summer equivalent. While pre-season purchases are made in accordance with a long-term plan and philosophy, January’s buys are often made from the wreckage of something gone awry.
Whether it’s a new manager trying to instil his ideas or an incumbent ripping it up and starting again, January is usually the more desperate of the two windows. That’s not to say there isn’t some gold unearthed too.
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Take the 2022 January window for example. The Premier League’s sides ran the full gamut of transfer window participation. Some teams did not get involved at all. Others carefully selected one or two names to bolster their ranks. Some teams even broke the bank for multiple additions.
But how did these teams get on? Let’s take a look at last season’s January transfer window in the Premier League, and how each club handled the mid-season window.
Arsenal
A lowkey January for the Gunners, Mikel Arteta’s men brought in youth defender Lino Sousa and Colorado Rapids defender Auston Trusty. Sousa is yet to debut but has been named in the matchday squad on a couple of occasions. Trusty was loaned back to Rapids and is now on-loan at Birmingham City.
Aston Villa
Villa certainly backed new manager Steven Gerrard, who had joined at the end of November. Former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho was the pick of a bunch that also included Everton’s Lucas Digne, Arsenal’s Calum Chambers and a loan deal for Roma’s Robin Olsen. One year on, Gerrard himself has been sacked while Coutinho’s form has levelled off after an impressive start.
Brentford
The Bees pulled off one of the coup’s of the season when they signed recently-released Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen. Seen as a gamble at the time due to the player’s collapse during a Euro 2020 tie playing for Denmark, the ex-Spurs midfielder proved he had plenty left in the tank. Brentford secured a second season of Premier League football while Eriksen sealed a move to Manchester United.
Brighton & Hove Albion
19-year-old Kacper Kozlowski joined from Pogon Szczecin, before embarking on a series of loans. Union SG striker Deniz Undav has featured this season, after spending the second half of last term on loan at his former club. Whitehawk’s Billie Clark and Porto starlet Benicio Baker-Boaitey were signed as players for the future.
Burnley
The last signing of the Sean Dyche era at Turf Moor. Wout Weghorst netted just two league goals in 20 appearances for Burnley, as they dropped out of the Premier League for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Made an unlikely comeback as Lionel Messi’s sworn nemesis at the World Cup this winter.
Chelsea
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent effect on Roman Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea was still a few weeks off last January. Therefore, Chelsea’s window was typical of many that had gone before. They didn’t sign anyone, but loaned out a stack of academy products.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles’ biggest business was making Jean-Philippe Mateta’s loan move from Mainz permanent. Luke Plange and Killian Phillips were also brought in with an eye on the future, but Patrick Vieira’s greatest success came from moulding the players already at Selhurst Park.
Everton
One of the busiest sides in the 2022 winter window, Frank Lampard’s appointment as manager on the 31st December saw a flurry of activity. Dele Alli was given one last chance to prove he still had it, while Donny van de Beek was given respite from his Manchester United struggles. Neither man did much, but The Toffees stayed up regardless, while the likes of Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson did catch on.
Leeds United
Considering they were fighting a relegation battle, it is perhaps surprising that Leeds didn’t go the Everton route and buy a whole bunch of players. Instead it would be manager Marcelo Bielsa who would give way the following month, with replacement Jesse Marsch being the man to keep the club in the Premier League.
Leicester City
Brendan Rodgers had overachieved tremendously in previous seasons, winning an FA Cup and taking the Foxes into Europe. But, with his side in midtable, the manager was not given the funds to go again. An eighth-place finish was overachievement in its own way, considering the team had been left to rot in the transfer stakes.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp often frustrates his club’s fanbase by his reticence to overspend. But when the German does dip into the club’s coffers, it’s usually for the right reasons. Luis Diaz’s capture from Porto was a stroke of genius. The wide forward helped the Merseysiders battle on four fronts, capturing the domestic cup double and reaching a Champions League final.
Manchester City
Like Klopp and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City rarely throw money around for the sake of it. Despite being rich beyond the wildest dreams of most clubs, the fact they are investing from a position of strength means Pep can favour quality over quantity. Julian Alvarez was one such purchase. The forward remained on loan at River Plate last season, but has broken through as a capable deputy to Erling Haaland this campaign. Alvarez is also now a World Cup winner. Not a bad investment, then.
Manchester United
The Red Devils were in their Ralf Rangnick-led limbo last winter. The interim manager was either unwilling or unable to bring anyone new through the doors of Old Trafford, depending on who you listen to. The bloom would soon come off the rose, and a planned consultancy role for Rangnick would evaporate at season’s end.
Newcastle United
No team has come further in 12 months than the Magpies. Whether you believe that is due to the smart management of Eddie Howe or the endless pot of Saudi money is a matter of personal preference. What cannot be denied is that January buys like Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn have been vital to the St James’ Park renaissance.
Norwich City
The perennial yo-yo club did not take any steps to prevent the downward half of their usual cycle. There were no incomings at Carrow Road last January. Then, inevitably, the Canaries returned to the Championship.
Southampton
The Saints went marching in to the market to add a little experience in the back-up goalkeeper position. Former Manchester City and Chelsea stopper Willy Caballero is about as good as it gets for that role. He’s only played four times in a year but the 41-year-old is a safe pair of hands in every sense of the word.
Tottenham Hotspur
The January window provided a first opportunity for new manager Antonio Conte, who had joined in November, to start building his team. Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski both arrived from Juventus. Both quickly made themselves indispensable as Conte steered Spurs into the Champions League.
Watford
Taking the opposite approach to the likes of Norwich, Watford threw everything at trying to stay up. New faces like Samir, Samuel Kalu and Hassane Kamara could not stop the Hornets slipping down into the Championship.
West Ham United
The Hammers had a low key time of it in January, despite the fact they were still fighting on the European front as well as domestically. Manager David Moyes’ decision to stick rather than twist paid off, with West Ham finishing a creditable seventh and sealing European football once again.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Young winger Chiquinho, signed from Portuguese side Esotril, has had a positive impact. Japan international Hayao Kawabe has had no impact at all, being shipped back out to Grasshopper Zurich on loan. He has been joined there by Jeong Sang-bin, a fellow January arrival who signed for Wolves from Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
