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The January transfer window of the 2019-20 season is now officially closed, and it has seen a flurry of activity that has had repercussions across Europe and beyond. It has been reported that sides from Europe’s top five leagues, namely the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, completed a staggering 479 deals in all, with a massive £811m being spent on acquiring new talent.
In Germany’s top flight, the turn of the year is traditionally the time for the 18 Bundesliga sides to jet off to warmer climes as they enjoy a mid-season winter break. And, with the distraction of football matches over the weekend taken out of the picture, the transfer supremos at these clubs begin working on ins and outs even before the window officially opened for business on January 1, 2020.
Be it a big-money statement signing, an emergency loan to provide cover for injury-hit personnel, or a deal for a highly-rated youngster with an eye on the future, Bundesliga clubs like to move quickly in the transfer market. The idea, of course, is to get deals done in time for the new arrivals to link up with their teammates at these training camps, enabling them to hit the ground running when the league restarts a couple of weeks into the new year.
And, with perhaps the most talked-about deal of the January transfer window seeing one of the footballing world’s hottest properties move to the Bundesliga, the question now becomes, what have been the most notable signings made by German clubs this January? Here’s a look at the top 5 Bundesliga signings in the January transfer window in 2020.
5. Krzysztof Piatek, AC Milan to Hertha Berlin, €28 million
Watch out, Robert Lewandowski, there’s a new big-name Polish striker in town! Finding goals and game time hard to come by in the Serie A, Krzysztof Piatek signed a long-term deal at Hertha Berlin in January. With Milan recruiting Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao in the summer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in January, Piatek found himself sliding down the pecking order in Italy, and a move became inevitable.
Piatek arrives in the German capital just one year after moving to AC Milan from Genoa, where he first rose to prominence. The Pole netted 19 times in just 21 games for Genoa before moving to Milan January of last year, and ended up as the top-scorer for both clubs! An instinctive goal-poacher who thrives on quality service, Piatek is a proven goal-scorer whose contributions could be the key to reviving Hertha’s stop-start season.
4. Emre Can, Juventus to Borussia Dortmund, loan
Much was expected of Emre Can after he joined Serie A champions Juventus on a free transfer from Liverpool in 2018. However, after a bright first campaign under Massimiliano Allegri where he made 37 appearances and won the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana, Can’s Juve career seems to have stalled since Maurizio Sarri took over.
The only time Can has made the news this season is when Sarri didn’t include the German international in Juventus’ Champions League squad, demonstrating how far Can had fallen down the pecking order when it came to Juventus midfielders.
Having been the subject of intense transfer speculation linking him to Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur over the summer, the 26-year-old is now back in his homeland of Germany. Can has signed on loan at Borussia Dortmund till the end of the season, with an option to buy in the summer.
The move seems to be extremely beneficial for both parties, as Dortmund are looking to mount a renewed title charge and Can is looking to re-establish himself as a top midfielder. Should things go well, we could be seeing Can don the famous yellow and black jersey next year too!
3. Exequiel Palacios, River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen, €17 million
Following in the illustrious footsteps of Ze Roberto, Arturo Vidal, and Charles Aranguiz, Exequiel Palacios is the latest exciting young midfielder from South America to make his bow on the European stage at Bayer Leverkusen. Signed from River Plate, the 21-year-old Palacios is a versatile central midfielder who can play in front of the center backs, in the middle of the park, and just behind the strikers with equal aplomb.
Palacios is no stranger to the spotlight - he was handed his senior debut by River Plate in November 2015, just a month after turning 17. By the 2018-19 season, he was an established first-team regular and even earned his first senior call-up to the national side in August 2018.
All told, Palacios contributed 10 goals and 11 assists from midfield in 77 competitive outings for River Plate, winning the Copa Argentina three times, as well as the Copa Libertadores in 2018. He will be looking to bring that winning mentality to Germany, helped by the fact that he will be greeted by the familiar face of his countryman Lucas Alario at Leverkusen, with whom he spent two years at River Plate.
2. Dani Olmo, Dinamo Zagreb to RB Leipzig, €20 million
A graduate of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Dani Olmo raised a few eyebrows when he decided that time on the pitch was more important for his career and moved to Dinamo Zagreb in 2014 aged just 16. His first-team debut followed just seven months later, and Olmo has never looked back since.
He has made 124 appearances for Zagreb in total, scoring 34 goals while playing behind the striker or out wide on either side. Olmo’s exploits in Zagreb also caught the eye of the Spanish national team, who handed him a debut in November 2019 which he marked with a goal three minutes after coming onto the pitch.
Olmo was strongly linked to a move in the summer, with Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Milan all vying for his signature. However, Olmo clearly feels that a move to Leipzig is the next logical move on his path to becoming one of the best in the world. Already possessing mesmerising close control, a powerful shot, and a perpetual desire to drive forward with the ball at his feet, the 21-year-old is all set to be a future Bundesliga star.
1. Erling Braut Haaland, RB Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund, €22.5 million
His heroics for RB Salzburg in the domestic league as well as the UEFA Champions League made Erling Haaland the most sought-after striker in Europe this January. His ability to score seemingly at will - 17 goals in 16 league appearances for Salzburg as well as 8 goals in 6 Champions League matches - saw interest from a whole host of European clubs, including Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea, before Dortmund eventually won the race to his signature.
In May 2019, Haaland famously scored NINE goals in a 12-0 rout of Honduras at the FIFA U20 World Cup, which further enhanced his reputation as one of Europe’s top goal scorers. In just a short span of time, Haaland has more than justified Dortmund’s faith in him - having announced his arrival in the Bundesliga with a hat-trick in the second half, he has since upped his goal tally to eight in four appearances, breaking record left, right, and centre.
His numbers are so incredible that it’s easy to forget that he’s just 19, and the entire footballing community is doubtless incredibly eager to see what he goes on to achieve in his career. He has signed a contract at Dortmund till June 2024, but if he continues to perform at this insanely high level, a big-money move seems imminent.
