Premiership on alert as January Transfer window opens
The January Transfer window is now open and the temptation for the big Premier League club’s to “splash the cash” must be greater than ever.
The big money deals in January 2015 were Wilfried Bony to Manchester City, Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea and Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal. None of them have exactly set the Premier League alight and the recent trend is for most of the activity to be at the budget end of the market. However, this is no ordinary Premier League season.
Chelsea’s well-documented slump and the sacking of Jose Mourinho have raised questions about the future of a number of their star players. Interim Manager Guus Hiddink has suggested that there is little benefit to be gained from “panic buying” but speculation persists that the Blues will renew their pursuit of John Stones. The Everton and England International was a target for Jose Mourinho last summer but Chelsea eventually balked at the £50 million price tag.
If Chelsea are to bring in any new players, they will only do so by parting with some of their existing staff. The Financial Fair Play regulations mean that a high profile Chelsea player would almost certainly have to bankroll a move for Stones. Cesc Fabregas has been linked with a move away from London while Loic Remy is reported to be likely to depart Stamford Bridge. Hiddink will surely only sanction the move if Chelsea can bring in a new striker as cover for the injury-prone Diego Costa.
All is not well at Old Trafford either, despite a whopping £250 million being spent on new players since Louis Van Gaal was appointed. Leicester City’s star duo of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are thought to be on their radar, although Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri has every confidence that both will remain with the club. Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool is also thought to be an admirer of both players while Watford’s Odion Ighalo has attracted a lot of recent interest.
One summer move which did not happen was Saido Berahino from West Brom to Tottenham. The tug-of-war clearly unsettled Berahino and it would be no surprise to see Spurs go back again in January.
In 2015, English Premier League clubs splashed out a total of £130 million in the January transfer window, exactly half of which was redistributed within the Premier League. One of the most curious facts about the transfers was that £50 million was spent on the final day. Clearly there is an awful lot of brinkmanship involved. The full picture will not become clear until 23:00 GMT on Monday 1st February.
