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The highlights from a quiet transfer window

By on February 1, 2016

Perhaps it was down to the noticeable lack of drenched and endlessly taunted journalists standing in stadium parking lots across the Premier League, or simply the shortage of big name deals, but this January’s transfer deadline day went by entirely without buzz or drama. Of the nineteen deadline-day deals done in England’s top division, only ten were coming inbound and none to any of the league’s big seven.

The big guns basically stayed out of the transfer market this winter, accounting for just €18.5M of the €233M spent across the league this winter. Manchester United and Tottenham invested not a single dime and Manchester City only €320,000 in Anthony Caceres, a midfielder from the Australian side Central Coast Mariners.

Earlier in the month, Arsenal invested €6m in FC Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny, perhaps the physical midfielder for which the Gunners have long pined, and simultaneously released Mathieu Debuchy on loan to Bordeaux.

Liverpool signed promising midfielder Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade, but promptly loaned him back for the rest of the season. United also reluctantly recalled Adnan Januzaj from his unsuccessful loan move to Borussia Dortmund, leaving it questionable as to whether he will find playing time while Louis van Gaal is still in charge at Old Trafford.

Chelsea brought in Alexandre Pato on loan and also signed New York Red Bulls starlet Matt Miazga. Notably, they also sold Brazilian midfielder Ramires to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning for a healthy €28 million.

Although the activity from the top clubs in the Premier League was lukewarm, several smart, under-the-radar buys were made lower down the table. Stoke City broke their club transfer record with deadline day signing Giannelli Imbula, a defensive midfielder from Porto.

Everton brought in Senegal international Oumar Niasse from Lokomotiv Moscow for around €18 million to bolster their front line, which is heavily dependent on Romelu Lukaku, and also sold veteran midfielder Steven Naismith to Norwich City. The Canaries also picked up Matt Jarvis from West Ham United.

Southampton splashed out €5m for Queens Park Rangers forward Charlie Austin, quite a steal based on his current estimated market value, and Swansea City signed QPR midfielder Leroy Fer on loan for the rest of the season. Francesco Guidolin also signed Chievo Verona center-forward Alberto Paloschi and sold Jonjo Shelvey to Newcastle for €16m, one of the most highly touted transfer of the window.

Among the biggest pieces of deadline-day news, in fact, not a deal at all, but Saido Berahino’s decision to stay at West Bromwich Albion after a long and complex saga last summer, despite interest from Newcastle and Stoke.

Leicester City picked up midfielder Daniel Amartey from FC Copenhagen and also signed promising winger Demarai Gray, who has flashed exciting hints of his potential in his first few matches for the club.

It was the relegation-embattled clubs who spent the most, though, with Newcastle signed Andros Townsend from Tottenham for €15.7m alongside Shelvey and spending €6m on Bordeaux attacking midfielder Henri Saivet.

Sunderland let go of goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon and signed another Bordeaux midfielder Wahbi Kharzi for €11m alongside FC Lorient defender Lamine Kone. Watford signed midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure from Rennes, winger Nordin Amrabat from Malaga, and Mario Suarez from Fiorentina, while Bournemouth picked up forward Benik Afobe from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lewis Grabban from Norwich.

These deals may prove invaluable in the relegation battle, although they don’t exactly make for headline-news stuff that football fans have become accustomed to on deadline day.

Homepage photo credit: md.faisalzaman, via Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.