Premier League January 2021 Transfer Window Review

The 2021 Premier League January transfer window formally closed at 11pm on Monday night. Unlike the previous years, there was limited activity with only 46 players arriving for combined fees of around £77m.

It was the lowest spent in any January transfer window since 2010 and that was unsurprising as teams were largely content to pursue loan deals with the limited budget and the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the best signings from the recently concluded transfer window.

Martin Odegaard – Arsenal (on loan from Real Madrid): The Norwegian arrived as the Gunners’ second signing on loan and he made his debut against Manchester United with a 10-minute cameo.

Odegaard, barely played for Madrid earlier this season, but he has plenty of quality which was displayed during his loan stint at Real Sociedad last season with seven goals and nine assists.

The 22-year-old could have a huge role to play, if the north London club are to clinch a top-four spot come the end of the season. They are eight points adrift of the target at the moment.

Ozan Kabak – Liverpool (on loan from Schalke 04): The 20-year-old had been linked with Liverpool from the beginning of the summer and the Reds eventually landed his signature on deadline day.

With season-ending injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, the Reds desperately needed reinforcements in the central defence and they were able to recruit both Kabak and Ben Davies before the window closed.

Kabak experienced a difficult spell with Schalke 04, who are bottom of the Bundesliga. Still, he has plenty of potential and was linked with many of Europe’s elite clubs before the Reds loaned him with the option to buy.

Jesse Lingard – West Ham United (on loan from Manchester United): After months of speculation, Lingard was finally permitted to leave the Red Devils on a temporary deal to join the Hammers.

The England international had completely fallen out-of-favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he was still in demand from multiple Premier League clubs before the Hammers pounced to sign him.

Lingard was regarded as one of England’s best creative midfielders between 2016 and 2018, but he has gone out of the radar in recent years with his lack of consistency and reduced game time.

Under David Moyes, Lingard should be handed regular first-team football and that could bring the best out of him and help regain the form which saw him become a regular for the Three Lions at the 2018 World Cup.

Morgan Sanson – Aston Villa (from Marseille for £14.22m): Villa have had a tremendous turnaround from the previous campaign and as things stand, they are making a strong push for European football.

The club have plenty of creative players in the ranks such as Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and John McGinn and they were able to bolster the midfield further with the arrival of Sanson.

The Frenchman can be considered as a box-to-box midfielder with his strong defensive attributes and ability to deliver key passes in the attack while making forward runs.

Amad Diallo – Manchester United (from Atalanta BC for £18.9m): Diallo’s transfer to the Red Devils was formally confirmed in the summer, but he did not officially join them until last month due to work permit and passport issues.

The youngster has yet to make his debut for the Red Devils, but has featured for the reserve side where he made an instant impact with two goals in the 6-3 Premier League 2 win over Liverpool.

The 18-year-old has been training with the senior squad and there is excitement from some United fans, who believe the youngster could make quick inroads into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s XI.

Joshua King – Everton (from Bournemouth for a nominal fee): The Toffees were craving for a new striker in the transfer window and they finally landed one in King before the deadline.

King was the subject of interest from West Ham United, Fulham and Southampton, but the Toffees won the race as they offered him the better contract while the lure of playing under Carlo Ancelotti was another factor.

The club have largely depended on Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front for goals and quite often, there has been no back-up plan. King, who has 48 Premier League goals to his name, should solve that concern.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com