2023 January transfer window recap: Losers
The January transfer window was a wild one. Collectively, the 20 Premier League teams spent £815 million on new players, roughly twice what had previously been spent in a January transfer window. Chelsea contributed to most of that, reportedly spending around just under £300 million on new players.
Both ends of the table are still competitive. There are only six points separating 13th from 20th in what is shaping up to be one of the most nail-biting relegations scraps in years. On the other end, Chelsea and Liverpool are looking to bounce back from disappointing starts to the season, whilst upstarts Newcastle, Fulham and Brighton are trying to fend them off and get into European qualification spots.
The January transfer window was a vital time for all 20 teams to replenish their squads as the business end of the season rolls around. In this article, I’m going to be going over the losers of the 2023 January Transfer window. The winners can be found here.
Teams who didn’t fill holes in their squads
Everton
Key additions: N/A
Key exits: Anthony Gordon to Newcastle (£45m), Nathan Broadhead to Ipswich (£1.5m could go up to £4m), Salomon Rondon (released)
Net spend: £46.5m
Verdict
What a disappointing January transfer window for Everton. They badly needed quality to add to what might be the worst squad in the league. Instead, they sold their brightest young talent to another Premier League side and have yet to replace Richarlison. It’s simply not good enough by the board.
Everton had two pressing needs this window. A striker to play alongside the oft-injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and an explosive winger to replace Anthony Gordon. Everton have very little quality going forward aside from Calvert-Lewin, but the Everton board didn’t manage to get any deals done.
Fortunately, Sean Dyche is here to save them. Frank Lampard was not good enough at being a manager to justify working in the Premier League. His tactical ideas were all over the place, and he didn’t know how to coach an effective defensive structure. They have some quality in the team, but Lampard was not getting the best out of them. Dyche will.
What will Dyche bring to Everton?
Dyche is often unfairly labeled as the pioneer of ‘Brexitball.’ That couldn’t be further from the truth. Dyche is excellent at working within his means, only spending £21m in his last five years at Burnley whilst taking them to the Europa League.
He is also far more tactically sophisticated than he appears. He doesn’t just sit deep in a block, he presses high. Dyche does not let teams build up pressure against his side, but he’s pragmatic about it. He’s willing to let the other side have more possession but for his side to have more meaningful possession. He doesn’t play out from the back like Lampard did, because it was suicidal with the talent Everton had. His teams play direct because he can’t play out from the back with the resources he’s given.
We’ve already seen the results one week in. His mid-block against Arsenal in his first game in charge was one of the most effective ways of dealing with the Gunners that we’ve seen so far this season. Everton, Newcastle, and Manchester United are the only three teams who’ve played Arsenal and contained them to any degree. Everton are far less talented than the other two.
In terms of player recruitment, Everton’s window was a disaster. But in Sean Dyche they’ve recruited a manager who will give them the best possible chance of staying up. The win over Arsenal was just the start.
Liverpool (loser)
Key additions: Cody Gakpo from PSV (£37m)
Key exits: N/A
Net Spend: £37m
Verdict
What a terrible window. Liverpool haven’t signed a midfielder since Thiago joined in the Summer of 2022, and it’s come back to bite them. Jurgen Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ style of play has revolved around pressing and counter-pressing high up the pitch and restricting opposition transition opportunities whilst maximizing their own transition opportunities. Liverpool’s pressing success and intensity have dropped off this season, and a large part of that is their inability to refresh their midfield.
Jordan Henderson has dropped off as an athlete this season, whilst Thiago has never been an excellent presser like Henderson or Wijnaldum were. Fabinho is being left to cover acres of space and as a result, their defense is getting exposed. They badly needed someone who can play the Henderson role in Liverpool’s midfield. Instead, they signed Cody Gakpo.
What type of player is Gakpo?
Gakpo’s talent is undeniable. He had nine goals and twelve assists in 14 Eredivisie appearances this season and he ranked first in chances created with 59. He shone at the World Cup, scoring three goals, and was one of the Netherlands’ best players as they reached the quarterfinal. Yet, it’s not clear if he’ll make an immediate impact at Liverpool.
Liverpool did need another forward. Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are all out injured. Whilst Harvey Elliott has shown he can play on the left, and that might actually be his future at Liverpool, more rotation was needed. But Gakpo isn’t what Liverpool needed this season.
Despite his tall frame, he’s not a striker. He actually takes the corners rather than gets on the end of them, and he’s not comfortable with his back to goal. That means playing him on the left as an inside forward. He’s excellent at driving at defenders, cutting inside, and getting off shots with his right foot. He holds his width well and will offer a constant threat on the left. However, he’s still young and not used to the Premier League.
He’s played six games in all competitions so far and scored 0 goals, whilst playing both as a striker and on the left. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, he’s been rather ineffectual, although the team as a whole has been disastrous recently. He’s only 23 years old and has plenty of time to grow, but Liverpool don’t need a project player right now.
They badly needed an athletic midfielder who could improve their pressing immediately. Not someone who needs time to grow and get used to the Premier League. Gakpo will most likely turn into a star. He has too much talent not to. But Liverpool needed something else this January transfer window.
Struggling teams who didn’t upgrade
Aston Villa
Key additions: Alex Moreno from Real Betis (£13.3m), Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire (£17.7m), Bertrand Traore from Basaksehir (loan ended)
Key exits: Danny Ings to West Ham (£15.5m), Frederic Guilbert to Strasbourg (undisclosed), Cameron Archer to Middlesborough (loan), Morgan Sanson to Strasbourg (loan), Ludwig Augustinsson to Sevilla (loan), Marvelous Nakamba to Luton (loan), Jan Bednarek to Southampton (loan ended)
Net Spend: £15.5m
Verdict
This window was new manager Unai Emery’s first at Villa Park, and it’s clear he seems content with the majority of his squad, only signing two new players. Emery brought in quality competition at left-back for Lucas Digne in Alex Moreno, who has started the past few games. They also moved on Danny Ings, who did not seem to be in Emery’s long-term plans and replaced him with the 19-year-old Duran. Duran had been scouted for a while by Villa’s recruitment staff and will backup Ollie Watkins for the rest of the season. He’s one for the future and the present and could play significant minutes this season.
However, Villa are low on depth. They probably could’ve done with another forward and were reportedly in talks with Memphis Depay before he joined Atletico. Bertrand Traore’s return should assuage concerns a bit, but they’re an Ollie Watkins injury away from regularly starting a 19-year-old from the MLS.
Putting Aston Villa in this category felt unfair. In most other seasons they would be completely fine, and there weren’t many pressing needs they needed to fill. However, everyone else around them upgraded. They’ve been in good form under Emery, but they’re a few attacking injuries away from really struggling. They will probably be fine, but a run of poor form could drag them into a relegation scrap. This January transfer window felt like an arms race, and Villa didn’t quite keep up.
Crystal Palace
Key additions: Albert Sambi Lokonga from Arsenal (loan), Naouirou Ahamada from Stuttgart (£9.7m)
Key exits: Jack Butland to Manchester United (loan)
Net spend: £9.7m
Verdict
It was a disappointing January transfer window for Palace fans. Manager Patrick Viera had been vocal about his desire for reinforcements, and they didn’t quite get what he wanted. They needed a midfielder to replace Conor Gallagher, who looks set to stay at Chelsea long term, and more attacking reinforcements to provide competition for Jeffrey Schlupp and Jordan Ayew, whose quality is questionable (both players have 2 G/A in 22 Premier League games). Palace have been in poor form recently, only picking up two points in their past five games and needed a boost to avoid getting dragged into a relegation dogfight. It’s unclear if Ahamada and Lokonga will provide that.
Can Palace replace Gallagher?
Ahamada is still only 20 years old but is the profile of player Palace needed after losing Gallagher’s dynamism from midfield. He is an excellent carrier of the ball and excels at taking up dangerous areas in the opposition box. He is an all-action midfielder and should inject urgency into Palace’s midfield. It’s important, however, to remember that he is still raw and should improve his decision-making and positioning as he gets used to the Premier League.
Lokonga is another interesting one. He was evidently deemed not good enough by Arsenal for a title charge and was upgraded late in the window. His loan at Palace could revitalize his career and is perhaps seen as a way to revive his confidence by those in the Arsenal hierarchy.
Lokonga was a rising star in Belgium when he was signed by Arsenal, but he’s simply not played enough to develop. He should get plenty of time at Palace, who have a record of improving young players (Gallagher, Eze, Olise, Zaha, Mitchell, Wan-Bissaka). He is another excellent progressive ball carrier and is effective at maintaining pressure through passing.
Palace badly need a player of Gallagher’s profile, and players to provide more competition for places up front. They signed two players to attempt to fulfill the first need, but no one for the second. Both midfielders have question marks and have yet to prove themselves on the Premier League level.
They could very conceivably prove to be excellent replacements for Gallagher but it’s unclear if they will this season. Palace will probably be fine, but they didn’t refresh their squad at a vital juncture point in the season and could get dragged into the relegation fight.
West Ham United
Key additions: Danny Ings from Aston Villa (£15m), Luizao from Sao Paulo (free)
Key exits: Craig Dawson to Wolves (£3.3m), Harrison Ashby to Newcastle (£3m), Darren Randolph to Bournemouth (free)
Net spend: £8.7m
Verdict
West Ham seemingly splurged all their transfer window this Summer, signing £160m on players who were supposed to take them to the next level in Lucas Paqueta, Maxwel Cornet, Gianluca Scamacca, and Nayef Aguerd. This hasn’t quite panned out, and they sit in 17th after consecutive top-seven finishes. This January transfer window. they needed to refresh a squad that is the oldest in the Premier League. Instead, they signed 30-year-old Danny Ings.
Ings has plenty of Premier League experience and can score goals at this level but is old and injury prone (he got injured on his debut against Everton). Not a single player under the age of 22 has started for West Ham this season, and only one has played at all. 18-year-old Divin Mubama made a three-minute cameo at the end of a game against Arsenal. That’s it.
Key players like Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, and Pablo Fornals have all regressed, Michail Antonio and Declan Rice want to leave. Many of the new arrivals have started poorly, including record-signing Lucas Paqueta. They’ve only scored 15 goals all season, the second-worst in the league. It’s just not been a good season.
However, it does seem like they’ve gotten unlucky. Advanced metrics have them as a mid-table side, who have just finished poorly. Danny Ings may have actually been a good signing if he didn’t get injured.
They still have the quality to stay up, and their luck may change, but like many of the other struggling clubs they needed a refresh this window to give themselves more of a chance. They failed to do so.
Good teams who downgraded slightly this window
Brighton
Key additions: Facundo Buonanotte from Rosario Central (reportedly an initial fee of £5m and could rise to £10m), Yasin Ayari from AIK (£3.5m)
Key exits: Leandro Trossard to Arsenal (£27m), Aaron Connolly to Hull (loan)
Net spend: £-18.5m
Verdict
As discussed, Brighton trying to fend off Arsenal’s advances for Moises Caicedo was one of the stories of the window. Brighton stood firm, and have held onto the talented 21-year-old, who publicly requested a move. Reintegrating Caicedo into the team will be Roberto De Zerbi’s biggest worry currently.
They did lose another player to Arsenal in Leandro Trossard, who also made it very clear he wanted out of the club. However, they haven’t missed him at all. Kaoru Mitoma has emerged as one of the stars of the season, scoring three goals in the past five games.
They’ve also uncovered another gem in Irish striker Evan Ferguson. Ferguson has scored three in two starts and three appearances off the bench.
Brighton are a talent factory, and Ayari and Buonanotte could be another example of their recruitment strategy excelling. They have consistently found players for low prices, developed them and sold them on for profit.
Buonanotte and Ayari are 18 and 19, respectively. Buonanotte can play across the front three, whilst Ayari plays in midfield and could be Caicedo’s long-term replacement. At such low transfer fees, Brighton are not taking on much risk, and if one or both signings are successful it would represent an excellent bit of business.
Brighton have a very strong squad and probably won’t miss Trossard much given Mitoma’s excellent form. However, they’re the only side in the Premier League to have a negative net spend this window. Furthermore, Caicedo has been vital to their success this season and was very vocal about wanting to leave. It feels unwise to criticize Brighton’s excellent recruitment strategy, and they’re most likely going to end strongly, but they have gotten very slightly worse this window.
Manchester City
Key additions: Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield (£8m)
Key exits: Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich (loan)
Net Spend: £8m
Verdict
Manchester City had a busy summer window and evidently didn’t feel the need to change much this January transfer window. It’s been a transition year for the club, as they moved from playing with a false nine (a striker who drops deeper and acts almost like a fourth midfielder) to playing with an out-and-out target man in Erling Haaland. They’ve still been excellent, but they’ve taken a slight step back this season.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has to reconcile his desire for control with playing with a ruthless striker, who is constantly making runs behind the defence. Trying to find Haaland with these passes is inherently risky and allows the opposition to get more of the ball, losing control over games. Guardiola is still figuring out the correct solution.
Apparently, that involves losing full-back Joao Cancelo. As detailed in the article, Cancelo has been vital to City’s success over the past few years but was unhappy at his diminishing game time and reportedly fell out with Guardiola. That was never going to fly with the Spanish manager, and he shipped him off to Munich despite his obvious talent.
Whilst this leaves City light on full-backs, it maintains the squad unity that Guardiola values so highly and allows Man City to refresh the position in the summer window.
So, after the January transfer window Man City have gotten worse on paper — Perrone is one for the future and it’s unlikely he’ll play this season. It remains to be seen if Guardiola can figure out how to integrate Haaland fully and overtake Arsenal in the latter half of the season.
Newcastle United
Key additions: Anthony Gordon from Newcastle (£40m could rise to £45m), Harrison Ashby from West Ham (£3m), Martin Dubravka from Manchester United (end of loan)
Key exits: Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest (loan), Jonjo Shelvey to Nottingham Forest (undisclosed -likely to be very small)
Net spend: £43m
Verdict
Newcastle’s rapid ascent to the top of the Premier League has certainly been mostly due to the money injected by the Saudi Arabian Investment fund. However, they’ve invested that money smartly.
Sporting director Dan Ashworth has a history of setting up effective scouting networks, firstly at Brighton then at Newcastle, and it has paid dividends. Sven Botman for £35m, Nick Pope for £10m, Bruno Guimaraes for £40m, and Kieran Trippier for £12m were all unbelievable bits of business. Those players have enabled Newcastle to have on paper the best defense in the Premier League and to push for a Champions League spot for the first time since the 90s.
Anthony Gordon is an interesting one. He’s been inconsistent this season, although as discussed here it may not be his fault. He’s shown flashes of real talent and could ascend to the level of player that could contribute to a Premier League title. He has been Newcastle’s first gamble, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he develops.
Harrison Ashby is another gamble, albeit a far less costly one. He’ll serve as Trippier’s backup for the season and could progress to the level where he could start seriously challenging for minutes. Newcastle needed depth at right-back and Ashby gives them a young, promising alternative.
However, Newcastle are light in midfield after letting Jonjo Shelvey go for free and are a Bruno Guimaraes injury from being in crisis. Both Shelvey and Wood barely played this season, but letting proven Premier League depth go during a top-four push seems unwise.
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