With injuries and poor performances clouding a team’s ability to perform during a Premier League season, the winter transfer window often acts as a bail-out, allowing teams to sign players throughout the month of January. While most clubs conduct their business entirely in the summer, some of the most important signings, such as Nemanja Vidić for Manchester United and Luis Suárez and Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool, have been signed in the January window. Here’s a look at how the 2024-25 January window panned out for the twenty Premier League clubs:
One of the clear winners of the transfer window was Manchester City. Although a slow start to their season has left them competing for a Champions League position instead of a title, Pep Guardiola’s side has made it extremely clear that they are to be taken seriously, signing five players and spending around $230 million. Bringing in those reinforcements in the winter window is certainly unconventional, but they have never been shy in terms of spending, given their generous backing from their owners at the City Football Group. Amongst these high-profile signings was striker Omar Marmoush, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt after a stellar first half of the season in the Bundesliga. Despite a quiet first few games, Marmoush has already made his presence known in the Premier League, bagging a hat-trick against the recent Carabao Cup finalist Newcastle United.
Additionally, one of City’s biggest problems this season has been Ballon d’Or winner Rodri’s season-ending injury, hence leading to the signing of Rico González from Porto. This could certainly be a key signing for them as players such as Mateo Kovačić and İlkay Gündoğan have struggled to fill the void that was left by Rodri’s injury. Other notable signings include defender Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens, attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri from River Plate and center-back Vitor Reis from Palmeiras. Manchester City has certainly had an explosive January window, strengthening their weak areas, and some of these signings could go on to be club legends.
Another club that didn’t remain silent through the January window was Aston Villa, who engaged in some massive signings and sales. In terms of sales, their super-sub Jhon Durán parted from the club to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané at Al-Nassr for a record fee of around $80 million. This transfer has seen a lot of press since Duran left for the Saudi League at the young age of 21 compared to most players who opt to spend the end of their careers there. However, their signings this winter are even more shocking. Someone who many thought would never depart from Manchester United, Marcus Rashford, exited the club on loan after issues with manager Ruben Amorim. He has struggled for playing time this season and could return to his best as Villa pushes for Europe.
Other loan signings are center-half Axel Disasi from Chelsea and former wunderkind winger Marcos Asensio from Paris St. Germain. In terms of a significant permanent signing, they brought in 2024 Champions League finalist Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund for around $28 million. Currently sitting four points off a Europa League spot with an extra game played, these additions to the squad may significantly contribute to Villa’s push for another season under the bright lights of European football.
Some of the most captivating transfers happened in the middle of the table, as the mid-table teams strengthened their rosters in order to avoid falling into the bottom half of the table. Manchester United, for instance, brought in young full-back Patrick Dorgu from the Serie A club Udinese, who can certainly help soften the defensive struggles Amorim’s side has been facing. Furthermore, 2021 Champions League-winning left-back Ben Chilwell departed Chelsea on loan to the other side of London, signing for Crystal Palace. His performances have been far from satisfactory over the past few years, and he lost his place in the squad to the Spaniard Marc Cucurella. Hence, this move may allow him to rediscover his quality while getting more minutes. Tottenham Hotspur also had an active window, signing a much-needed backup keeper Antonín Kinský from Slavia Praha. While he got off to a strong start against Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, his performances since then have been questionable. On top of that, they signed a promising striker in Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy next summer. Despite a turbulent negotiation process that allegedly involved Tel rejecting owner Daniel Levy to his face, he finds himself at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, at least.
On the other hand, sometimes, the loudest statement that can be made is silence, such as Liverpool and Arsenal, choosing not to bring in reinforcements amid a heated title race. While Liverpool currently lacks depth in the defense, Arsenal currently lacks depth in the offense. The extent of Arsenal’s injury crisis is so dire that a former Real Sociedad center defensive midfielder is currently playing striker. What’s even more unbelievable is that it‘s working, with Mikel Merino locking in a late brace against Leicester to secure the three points on Matchday 25. On the other hand, Liverpool has been shaky since the new year, only keeping three clean sheets in the last 13. With a lack of squad rotation, players such as Andy Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konaté are visibly tired, leading to dropped points against Everton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the last few matchdays. The decision by both clubs not to add any players to the squad is certainly bold and will contribute to the title race extensively, as both teams will surely drop points due to their weak areas, which they refused to improve.
