Left than £100million was spent on deadline day this January in what was an underwhelming month of recruitment with a number of top clubs opting against investing
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Premier League Transfer Watch: Armando Broja wanted by Fulham as clubs scramble for deadline-day deals
The January transfer window of 2024 will not live very long in the memory.
For a bit of context, Chelsea spent more this time last year to land Enzo Fernandez than every Premier League club did on Thursday. Less than £100million was laid out as the day, which often threatens fireworks, hardly had its spark lit.
The whole month was largely underwhelming with top clubs opting against making any major moves. There was talk of some potential movement – Arsenal were in need of a striker but failed to act on that. Manchester United welcomed Sir Jim Ratcliffe into the fold, but he will wait until the summer to flex his muscles.
Newcastle, who want to remain compliant with the league’s financial rules, considered selling but no one ended up leaving St James’ Park. Tottenham bought Timo Werner back to the Premier League, but he was possibly the most high profile mover, which in itself says a lot.
No panic moves
It seemed as though few clubs responded to the calls to add in certain areas. Almost every manager seems ready to stick with his pack, unwilling to shuffle at the midway point of the season. The status quo remained all the way until the end of deadline day, when clubs could be forgiven for making a late call.
Those in the relegation scrap, the likes of Sheffield United, were calculated in their moves. Ben Brereton Diaz had already been brought in and Mason Holgate added to that, but both men arrived on loan with the Blades opting against throwing millions at a survival bid.
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Luton Town and Burnley were similarly coy. The Clarets landed Chelsea’s David Datro Fofana on loan and also bought in some French recruits.
At the top, any suggestions that the top six and those around them needed reinforcements were largely ignored. Newcastle are set for a busy summer but, like several of their rivals, are wary of the penalties for breaching financial rules. Heavy spending from the likes of Arsenal and United in the summer also hampered their ambitions.
Ivan Toney was among those to be linked with a mega-money move after his return to football, but he remains a Brentford player and is will take a huge sum to prise him away from west London
Man Utd green light exits, not arrivals
At Old Trafford it was a month of departures with Erik ten Hag getting a host of players off his squad list, which was a theme throughout the month. Facundo Pellistri was a late loan exit, heading off to Granada. He followed the likes of Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek who had left earlier in January. All in all United let more than 10 players depart the club this month.
The club’s director of football John Murtough had previously said: “We’ve always been consistent in saying that we do not see January as the optimal time to do business and our recruitment strategy remains focused on summer windows.”
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Ratcliffe very much took on a watching berth throughout the first month of the year with his biggest signing coming off the pitch in the form of Omar Berrada. Anyone who has watched United knows however that the squad needs addressing in the summer.
Chelsea take familiar risk
The Blues, perhaps for the first time in the Todd Boehly era, showed some restraint when it came to getting out the cheque book. The American has thrown sums at the first-team, albeit with little success, bringing in a host of big names.
On deadline day though Chelsea were rather quiet with their main focus on getting Armando Broja out of the club. He didn’t go far, heading to Fulham on loan for the season. Originally the club wanted to sell him for £50m, then said he could leave on loan with an obligation to buy.
Eventually just a loan deal was negotiated with Mauricio Pochettino opting to persevere with some of the club’s other forward options. Broja previously impressed on loan at Southampton several years ago, but has struggled for opportunities since then.
At just 22 time is on his side and there is an obvious talent there. Chelsea have often seen their academy as a way of making money – not necessarily as a way of producing talent. Broja would not be the first Blues player whom they deemed surplus to requirements only to go on and achieve big things.
He might only be leaving on loan, thus returning in the summer, but it seems as though the hierarchy see Broja as an asset they can cash in on. A promising loan spell is likely to only increase his transfer value, not increase his Chelsea hopes.
Broja could yet be the next player we look at and wonder ‘how did they sell him?’ Much like we do with Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.
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