Here, we take a look at some of the unexpected moves that came about in the recently-concluded January transfer window.
The winter transfer window offers football clubs a valuable opportunity to bolster their squads, ensuring they are well-equipped for the crucial stages of the season. As teams prepare for the business end of the term, making strategic moves in January can prove to be a game-changer.
Over the years, some of the most memorable and successful transfers have come about in this window, with certain players going on to become true legends for their respective clubs.
However, this time there haven’t been many moves. Barring a few exceptions, it has been a relatively quiet window. Here, we look at the moves that raised an eyebrow or two.
Jhon Durán | Aston Villa FC to Al Nassr FC
The most unexpected move of this winter transfer window has to be that of Colombian forward Jhon Durán, who made a surprising switch from Premier League club Aston Villa to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. The transfer, worth €77 million, has seen Durán pen a six-year contract worth €392,500 per week with the Saudi club.
This high-profile move has surprised many as Durán is still young and was performing relatively well at Villa. He had also just signed a new contract with the Villans and could have found many suitors in Europe as opposed to moving to a relatively new and still-developing league in Saudi Arabia.
This move is being viewed as one motivated purely by money rather than professional growth, even though Al Nassr boast some of the biggest ex-players of the European stage who are past their prime.
Marcus Rashford | Manchester United FC to Aston Villa FC
Marcus Rashford’s move to Aston Villa is another one that has surprised a few. Even though Rashford’s move is a loan, the fact that United haven’t brought in a replacement after letting go both him and Antony (to Real Betis, also on loan) seems to be a bizarre decision. The Red Devils are now short on options at the front, and considering they are in the bottom half of the Premier League, letting go of one of their main goalscoring threats without replacing him doesn’t make much sense.
Having said that, Rashford has been struggling with form this season and hasn’t been a guaranteed starter. Given the recent comments of United head coach Ruben Amorim, it’s also clear the Englishman is out of favour with the new United boss. Making the move to get more minutes elsewhere also increases his chances of returning to the England national setup as well, with the World Cup just over a year away.
It remains to be seen how Rashford fares under Unai Emery and whether he gets regular game time at Villa considering the flak he has been facing from both Amorim and United legends.
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Mathys Tel | FC Bayern Munich to Tottenham Hotspur FC
There were many clubs interested in Mathys Tel, and Man United seemed like his preferred destination for the most part. However, having previously rejected Spurs, Tel ultimately agreed to move to North London on deadline day as part of a €10m loan move, which Spurs can make permanent for €55 million in the summer. Other top clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal were also linked with the French forward.
It seems to be a surprising move for Spurs, as they have not had problems with scoring goals—they’re the third-highest goalscorers in the Premier League after Liverpool and Arsenal. Their problems have been on the other side of the pitch, with their first-choice defenders sustaining long-term and recurrent injuries; they had been leaking goals anyway.
With Spurs languishing in the bottom half of the table, it remains to be seen if this signing can make a telling impact on their fortunes.
Keira Walsh | FC Barcelona to Chelsea FC
This signing came out of the blue as Keira Walsh has been one of Barça Femení’s most influential players over the past two years. The English midfielder had moved to Catalonia on the back of a record move from Man City Women in 2022.
At Barça, Walsh won back-to-back Liga F and Women’s Champions League titles. A transfer fee of £400,000 has been agreed along with a four-and-a-half-year contract with the 27-year-old. This signing should help the Blues clinch the Women’s Super League title yet again.
However, the timing of this move might not be right for Barça, as Chelsea are their fierce competitors for the WCL title as well. They may have sold Walsh in this window to avoid losing her for free in the summer, but the move may come back to bite them before the season concludes.
Marcus Edwards | Sporting CP to Burnley FC
The Clarets may just have pulled off the bargain of the window by getting Marcus Edwards from the defending Liga Portugal champions, Sporting. The English winger has arrived at Burnley on a loan deal worth £800,000, with an obligation to buy for £10 million in the summer along with a sell-on clause.
With Sporting still in the Champions league, the move looks like a strange one for the 26-year-old at first glance. However, the English winger has credited Burnley boss Scott Parker as his motivating factor—the two worked together at the Tottenham academy.
Burnley are currently second in the EFL Championship table. The addition of a quality forward like Edwards will significantly boost their chances of promotion back to the Premier League. It’s a surprise, however, that Premier League teams didn’t show a particular interest in pursuing him.
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