Aston Villa:
Steven Gerrard made big changes to the Aston Villa first team and under-23 squad this January transfer window. Gerrard completed his first transfer season as head coach with five signings and sixteen outgoings.
Aston Villa’s first-team recruits include Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, Calum Chambers and Robin Olsen. The club also signed Kerr Smith for under-23.
Gerrard influenced ex-teammate Coutinho’s arrival from Barcelona, who had an incredible debut game scoring a goal. Coutinho and Gerrard played together for Liverpool, and Coutinho called the manager his idol, “we had a great time together playing.” His loan deal includes an option to buy for £33 million at the end of the season.
I missed these games and the Premier League. I’m very happy to be here with my new teammates
Coutinho: to sky sports after the Manchester United win
Aston Villa fans believe Coutinho could be the key to their success, having made a chant for him already, “He went to Barca and won the league in Spain, he went to Munich and did the same again.” With him on the squad now, Aston Villa has great potential to rise through the table.
Villa’s second signing Lucas Digne transferred from Everton, and he commented on his exit from The Toffees, “I just did not expect it to end this way.” He stated that Gerrard was his reason to join Aston Villa: “I came here for the manager.” Digne is a strong signing, and Gerrard called him “a great addition to our squad.” Known for his versatility, Calum Chambers signed a three and a half year contract with Aston Villa this season.
The Lions also saw many exits, including Matt Targett, Caleb Chukwuemeka, Axel Tuanzebe and Anwar El Ghazi. The Villa completed defender Matt Targett’s deadline day loan deal with Newcastle United. His exit was prompted by Digne’s signing, which would lead to reduced time on the field for him.
Ashna Mathur
Burnley:
January did not kick off to a great start for us Clarets as during last month’s transfer window, we lost our key player Chris Wood to the team we gave their first premiership win to… Newcastle. At first there was uproar, but we had faith in our team and in the end, we managed to snag a tidy profit by flogging the attacker for a modest £20 million. The loss came as quite the blow to the club as our track record hasn’t been the best, and Wood was definitely a key contender for getting us out of the relegation zone.
But, it’s not been all doom and gloom up north, as Burnley Boss, Sean Dyche, decided to send shock waves through the stands this week by signing Dutch legend Wout Weghorst. Not only that, but the club also bought him for a measly £12 million when we all know he’s worth at least £18 million at this point. Throughout the club, there are hopes that Weghorst will be our saving grace when it comes to scoring, we’ve always had a solid defensive - now it’s time to ramp up our attack game. Weghorst made his debut in the pinnacle Watford match on home ground on Saturday as the Clarets up the ante in their fight for Premier League survival and managed to defend this slightly by bagging a draw by full-time. Weghorst and Maxwel Cornet are set to be a dream pairing for the team as the season carries on, with Saturday’s match being the start of Burnley’s urge to beat the drop. It can’t be unmentioned that the pairing could have played better, but we’ll forgive them this time as Weghorst is a newbie at Turf and Cornet wasn’t as sharp as he usually is after having an extra couple of days off to nurse an injury.
Dyche has noted he is happy overall with the club’s transfers but will agree that the team has missed out on a couple of deals as he admitted the January window had been particularly challenging this season.
Isabel Ellis
Everton:
Everton had a decidedly hectic January. At the start of the window, left-back Lucas Digne was sold to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa for £25 million following a falling out between the player and manager Rafa Benitez. Shortly after, defeat to Norwich saw Benitez’s time at Everton come to an end, roughly six months from when he was appointed.
All was quiet at Goodison Park, then came deadline day. Despite strong links to Crystal Palace, Manchester United midfielder Donny Van de Beek joined Everton on a six-month loan after the club agreed to pay the entirety of the player’s wages. Failing to break into the first team at United, the Dutch international will undoubtedly want to prove his ability. That desire, coupled with the player’s skill on the ball, will surely make him a crucial player for the rest of Everton’s season.
Later that evening, the Toffees also announced that another midfielder would be joining the club, Tottenham’s Dele Alli for a fee of £40 million. Once one of the most promising talents in English football, Alli’s career has thus far failed to live up to the high expectations his back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards warranted. Now more synonymous for his lackadaisical attitude and seeming lack of effort, one has to question whether Everton made the right decision, given their history with similar players. Hopefully, new manager Frank Lampard can be the catalyst needed to revitalise the midfielder’s career and rediscover the talent he displayed years ago.
Speaking of which, the former Chelsea and Derby County manager looks to be an equally encouraging acquisition for the Blues. Despite limited success with his two previous clubs, the England legend has a penchant for developing young talent and has already assembled a promising coaching staff. Ultimately, Lampard’s passion and desire for success will not only be something to motivate his players, but something the fans can get behind as well.
Everton also signed Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kiev, Nathan Patterson from Rangers, Billy Crellin from Fleetwood Town and Anwar El Ghazi from Aston Villa on loan.
Adam Tibke
Liverpool:
After a relatively quiet summer transfer window – at least in comparison to their top-six rivals – Liverpool signed Porto forward Luis Diaz for a fee of £49 million. A move to Anfield had long been rumoured for the 25-year-old, and many thought that the club would make their move in the summer. However, when Tottenham became interested in the player, Liverpool had to make their move early. Despite the Spurs reportedly matching the contract and personal terms Diaz was offered at Liverpool, the Colombia international ultimately chose Jurgen Klopp’s side instead.
Diaz’s arrival strengthens an already potent attack and adds some much-needed depth to Liverpool’s squad.
Following the Diaz transfer, it looked as though Liverpool would also sign Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho after submitting a reported bid of £5 million. Unfortunately, a deal for the midfielder couldn’t be finalised before deadline day. Despite it being the last opportunity for Fulham to receive a fee for the player, his integral part in the club’s push to return to the Premier League was evidently deemed more important.
Liverpool sold no players in January, yet they did loan out defenders Nico Williams to Fulham and Nat Phillips to Bournemouth; two players who were both in search of first team minutes.
Adam Tibke