January transfer window: Matheus Cunha, Alejandro Garnacho and Marc Guehi stay put as Arsenal fail to land No 9 | Football News

Is the January window still relevant?

Are we at the stage where the January window has almost become redundant? Would anyone miss the opportunity to make signings mid-season if the winter window was scrapped?

Perhaps the answer would differ up and down the leagues. Depending on size of the club, and depth of pockets, the value of January trading ultimately varies.

Clubs with smaller budgets are often priced out of moves because fees are inflated – the need is usually greater if clubs are having to reinforce during the season, generally due to injuries, and sellers use that to their advantage. “We’ll keep our powder dry until the summer” is the repeated stance.

As Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules have tightened so too have purse strings and it’s led to general inactivity, albeit the window just gone did see some movement of big names, including Marcus Rashford’s loan to Aston Villa and Jhon Duran signing for Al Nassr.

Manchester City also began their mega rebuild by sanctioning a staggering spend of £180m.

The question over relevancy stands, though – does the January window still serve a common purpose?
Laura Hunter

Man Utd fail to add quality despite departures

It’s fair to say that Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven are unknown quantities. Dorgu, a 22-year-old from Serie A side Lecce and Heaven, an 18-year-old prospect straight from the Arsenal academy. Exciting, perhaps, but not the immediate signings United needed to improve their current position in the league.

Dorgu comes in as a left wing-back which is a signing Amorim would hope solves his issues in that area as the Portuguese boss continues to embed his system. However, United have struggled to inspire going forward.

A dismal goalscoring record between United’s two striker options of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, an inconsistent midfield selection and continued tinkering at the back reflect an overall lack of quality options to choose from.

With the likes of Christian Nkunku, Randal Kolo Muani, Leon Bailey and Mathys Tel considered across the winter window, United have missed an opportunity to improve the squad.

While he wasn’t part of the plans, Amorim admitted that United would benefit from Marcus Rashford’s involvement but he’s completed a loan move to Aston Villa in a piece of business that serves to restrict United’s options. Similar can be said of Antony who completed a loan to Real Betis.

United remain in the FA Cup and their current league position suggests the club’s best chance of European qualification next season would be to win the Europa League. Ambitions in either competition have been dented by United’s inactivity. The club have suggested that they are looking to plan for the summer window but many fans will feel this is a sign the club are resigned to limping towards the end of the season.
William Bitibiri

No new striker for Arsenal

Arsenal’s search for a striker was the talk of the transfer window but a signing did not materialise, despite the club “trying everything”, to quote Mikel Arteta. A bid for Ollie Watkins was swiftly knocked back by Aston Villa, who instead opted to cash in on Jhon Duran.

Will the Gunners regret failing to get a deal over the line? A season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus, coupled with the continued absence of Bukayo Saka, who is still a long way from returning to fitness, certainly looks to have left them short in attack.

Arsenal feel no signing is better than a signing they didn’t really want. Instead, they have opted to wait until the summer, when deals are typically easier to do and their long-term targets are likely to be more attainable. But it is certainly a risk as they try to keep up with Liverpool.

Arteta’s side did at least provide a reminder of what they are capable of, even with their injuries, in their 5-1 thrashing Manchester City on Sunday. The fit-again Ethan Nwaneri looks more and more like a game-changing option. But it is easy to understand fans’ concern about the deal of the window that didn’t happen.
Nick Wright

Garnacho earns spot back in Amorim’s good books

Alejandro Garnacho began the month seemingly surplus to expectations. There were questions about whether he suited Ruben Amorim’s system and his Portuguese boss appeared to have reservations over his work-rate both on and off the pitch.

It was only in mid-December when the 19-year-old was dropped alongside Marcus Rashford for Manchester United’s derby win at Manchester City. Unlike Rashford, Garnacho returned to the squad for United’s Carabao Cup trip to Spurs, however, the forward wouldn’t start in any of United’s following four games.

The spirited FA Cup display at Arsenal proved something of a turning point for Garnacho, who registered an assist as United progressed into the fourth round.

His improved attitude earned him a place back in Amorim’s good books, meaning despite interest from Chelsea and Napoli, Garnacho kept his starting place in four of United’s last six.

Although Garnacho’s departure was a financially attractive option given the academy graduate would represent pure profit, the fact that he remains at the club beyond the deadline is testament to a change in his application.
William Bitibiri

Reds fail to tie down key trio

Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract renewals have been the talk of Liverpool ever since last summer, when all three entered the final 12 months of their deals at Anfield.

Expectations were initially high that the key trio – Salah is now the club’s fourth highest scorer, Van Dijk captains the side and Alexander-Arnold is the Reds’ vice captain and as a local boy has been at Anfield for more than 20 years – would put pen to paper on contract extensions before 2024 came to a close, given they would be free to start talking to foreign clubs on January 1.

When the year closed still with no news, though, the hope on Merseyside was that the opening of the January window would kick-start negotiations, especially with Arne Slot’s side riding high in the Premier League and still fighting on all four fronts.

However, despite some reports that Van Dijk and Salah were both on the verge of signing new deals, the winter window has now closed without any of the players committing their futures to Liverpool.
Rich Morgan

Dramatic ending for Spurs, but should they have acted earlier?

In true Tottenham style, the final few days of the transfer window were predictably dramatic.

Mathys Tel’s U-turn was a welcome one with the 19-year-old adding extra firepower to Spurs’ attack. The loan with an option to buy feels a much safer deal too, rather than the £50m permanent deal originally agreed before Tel rejected the move.

The arrival of the France U21 international made it three signings for Ange Postecoglou with Kevin Danso providing much-needed defensive cover.

There was disappointment, though, that another centre-back was not signed after the news Radu Dragusin will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was the first of the three signings as he swiftly arrived five days into the window, and he looks a great addition.

But there remains a feeling Spurs could have completed their other deals much earlier to have given Postecoglou quicker support at the start of the window as they endured a torrid four-game losing league run in January.

Nonetheless, Spurs eventually acted to bolster an injury-hit squad. The new additions, coupled with returning players, raise hopes the season can be salvaged, with trophy success still possible as they remain alive in the Carabao Cup, Europa League and FA Cup.
Declan Olley

Eagles hold on to Guehi – for now

Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi was a man in demand in January after another series of impressive displays at the heart of the Eagles’ back line this season, hot on the heels of shining for England at last summer’s Euros.

Newcastle had been long-term admirers of Guehi, while both Tottenham and Chelsea joined the race for the 24-year-old in the winter window, the latter three-and-a-half years after they let him move to Selhurst Park for £18m.

Spurs, in particular, were in urgent need of reinforcements at the back, but in the end Palace held firm and have kept hold of their star defender, at least until the summer when that trio are sure to return for his services.
Rich Morgan

Cunha stays put at Wolves

Matheus Cunha was one of the hottest names on the window, linked with numerous Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. In the end, the Wolves forward signed a new contract immediately after scoring against Villa.

The Brazilian has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in the Premier League this season, ranking him among the most effective performers in the competition, despite being part of a struggling Wolves side that was in the bottom three until Saturday.

With a release clause in excess of £60m in the deal that Cunha has signed, a summer move for the 25-year-old player would be no surprise given his obvious talent. But this transfer window saga was one that came to an end with Cunha still wearing old gold.
Adam Bate

Tierney invaluable cover for Arsenal

Kieran Tierney will be staying at Arsenal until the summer, a big blow for Celtic, who had agreed a pre-contract for the 27-year-old to return. The Scottish champions had hoped to welcome Tierney back to Glasgow mid-season but no deal materialised.

Mikel Arteta feels Tierney could be of service as Arsenal attempt to rival Liverpool for the Premier League title.

The signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko and recent emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly has severely reduced Tierney’s opportunities – and forced him out on loan to Real Sociedad at the backend of last season – but as the Gunners push in all competitions, Tierney could discover more favourable circumstances.

Arteta needs players he can rely on. He needs players that give everything for the cause. Tierney certainly ticks those boxes and may well prove to be invaluable cover in a priority position.
Laura Hunter

Aston Villa keep hold of Watkins

Arsenal’s search for a No 9 saw their eyes turn towards Ollie Watkins. The Aston Villa striker – who scored against the Gunners in the middle of January – was a wanted man.

The interest came hours before Villa’s final Champions League game against Celtic – reportedly angering the Midlands club – with Jhon Duran’s eventual move to Saudi Arabia also in motion at the same time.

And there was little chance Unai Emery was going to go from two strikers to none in the space of a few days. With that, Arsenal’s pursuit came to an end for January.

“It is good news to have an offer from other clubs, or interest, it is good,” Emery said of the interest in both Watkins and Duran. “But we want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad.”

Villa went one step further than Arsenal, too, by adding to their attacking options with Marcus Rashford, who can play through the middle if needed, Donyell Malen and Marco Asensio.

The signings will only help Aston Villa as they continue to compete on multiple fronts. While the departure of Duran is a shame, keeping Watkins is arguably the bigger success.
Charlotte Marsh

Star forwards stay at Brentford

Having scored 73 Premier League goals between them during Brentford’s first three-and-a-half seasons in the Premier League, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are hot property.

Such is their importance to Thomas Frank’s team that it would have taken astronomical fees to prise them away this month – so when Nottingham Forest submitted a bid for Wissa, thought to be less than £22m, it was rejected out of hand.

There was no official approach for Mbeumo, but understandably he reportedly has high-profile suitors, including Arsenal and Manchester United. For that matter, Kevin Schade is said to be interesting Borussia Dortmund, too, but he is yet to hit the heights of the other two and there is surely more to come.

The contracts of both Mbeumo and Wissa are currently set to expire in the summer of 2026, though Brentford hold an option to extend those deals by a further 12 months.

The club will certainly be braced for bids come the summer, but you can count on the fact they will have a succession plan for one – or both – already lined up.
Dan Long