The January transfer window closed with a whimper rather than a bang as many awaited moves failed to materialise. As rumours and speculations kept escalating, the end result hardly lived up to expectations. While there were numerous transfers that did happen, they didn’t capture the imagination of football fans across the globe.
As the bigwigs of Europe restricted themselves from splashing the cash, mid-table and bottom table teams made extensive changes to personnel. Even though the Premier League saw a moderate amount of activity on deadline day, continental Europe was surprisingly quiet.
With the winter window leaving much to be desired, here’s a quick run through of the transfers that should have happened this January:
#1 Asmir Begovic to Bournemouth
Asmir Begovic is clearly still in his prime and, therefore, too good to be a second keeper for league-leaders Chelsea. After moving from Stoke City in 2015, the Bosnian custodian must have thought he was moving up in the world when he made the change to London but he has barely had enough game-time since his arrival.
Competition in the form of Thibaut Courtois has been detrimental to the former Stoke keeper who must be itching to get some regular first-team action.
With a move to Bournemouth on the books with the blessing of Antonio Conte and the rest of the management at Chelsea, Begovic was on the verge of making a £10 million switch to the Cherries but the deal fell through in the final days of the window. Confined to three league cup ties and one FA Cup match, the 29-year-old was finally on the verge of making regular appearances in the Premier League but was disappointed by Chelsea’s failure to find a suitable replacement for him.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Tim Krul, Diego Lopez and Craig Gordon all fell through forcing them to hold on to Begovic, even though it was a move that needed to happen for the Bosnian’s sake.
#2 Victor Lindelof to Manchester United
News of Victor Lindelof’s move to Manchester United started long before the winter window opened and fizzled out just as quickly. Scouting him three weeks before January, United were keen on signing the defender as a means of bringing stability to United’s ever-changing back line.
Mourinho who likes to have a fixed defensive line saw Lindelof as a potential fixture in the side and his arrival at the club from Benfica seemed to be merely semantical. But then the deal vanished almost as soon as it had reared its head. Not only did the Special One change his mind about needing the immediate services of the Swede, but the problems between Benfica and the 22-year-old’s former club, Vasteras, further complicated matters.
With the two clubs arguing over the sell-on clause for the youngster, United steered clear of the move that may have cost them £38 million. While Rojo and Jones seem solid enough at the back for the Red Devils, the Portuguese manager is yet to figure out his favoured wing-backs.
#3 Ashley Young to Shandong Luneng
There surely must have been many who didn’t want to see Wayne Rooney depart Old Trafford for China, especially after his 250 goals, but the same can’t be said for teammate Ashley Young. An unnecessary appendage in the squad, Young has seen his involvement reduced over the years with Jose Mourinho all but ignoring him except in dire situations.
With hardly any game time at Old Trafford, the 31-year-old attracted interest from Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng who hoped to add him to their list of Premier League recruits along with Graziano Pelle and Papiss Cisse. News of the move broke in January much to the delight of United fans. but the English international disappointed them yet again.
Young himself accepted the switch as a good opportunity considering his age but the £10 million move on a three-year contract never materialised much to the ire of United fans. Young’s contract with United is set to end in 2018 with an option for a one-year extension but the Mancunians will be hoping they see the back of him sooner than that.
#4 Joe Hart to Manchester City
Maybe not a technical case of a transfer that should have happened, but Joe Hart deserved to be recalled from loan at Torino. Pep Guardiola’s stubbornness to ship Hart to Italy and install Claudio Bravo in his place has been a mistake of gigantic proportions which has left the Citizens at fifth place in the league.
Hart has faced his fair share of criticism at City but nothing like the kind experienced by the former Barcelona man who has made some glaring mistakes since his arrival. With City fighting for European qualification more than the league title at the moment, Guardiola should have thought long and hard about bringing back the custodian. With an average replacement in Willy Caballero, City also run the risk of losing Hart altogether later this year.
The English keeper attracted interest from Liverpool and Chelsea this January and could be on his way to a rival Premier League club in the summer after City ignored the keeper this window.
#5 Moussa Dembele to Chelsea
Moussa Dembele's move to Chelsea seemed all but certain on the final day of the window with the French midfielder even travelling to London. Alas, the visit to the English capital was just a routine medical check up for his knee and the Blues failed in their deadline day bid for Celtic’s prolific goalscorer.
With 20 goals already this season, Dembele is one of the most exciting young players in Europe and Conte was very keen on signing the 20-year-old in an attempt to add depth to his attack. Willing to pay as much as £40 million for the French international’s services, Chelsea failed to secure his signature in a last-ditch effort as Dembele himself wasn’t ready to leave the Scottish club yet.
Signing the young forward would have been a real coup for the London side with rumours of Diego Costa heading for China in the summer. Young and eager, Dembele would have benefitted from the move working with a manager like Conte who likes to invest in talent.
