Welcome back to Onside/Offside! As we say goodbye to January, Luis Miguel Echegaray shares his thoughts on last month's transfer window in the Premier League and assesses the clubs who failed and delivered. From Arsenal's hesitance to Manchester City's gung-ho approach, here are the winners and losers from the winter's wheeling and dealing.
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A good month for Man City
Let me begin by stating that Man City, the four-straight defending champions of the Premier League, don't need any extra plaudits here because their need to aggressively act in January was due to their own self-sabotage. Yes: I know, I know. Rodri's season-ending injury was not the club's fault, but they did shoot themselves in the foot in other ways that directly impacted their horrific run in November and December, disastrous losses -- including the latest one (5-1) against Arsenal -- and their struggles in the Champions League.
Factors like the inability to replace Julián Álvarez or allowing themselves to become the fifth oldest squad in the league? That's all on them. So before the club do any back-patting in the wake of the January window, let's remember that they had to act because they had no other choice. It's the equivalent of high-fiving the kid in chemistry class who put out a fire he started while playing around with the bunsen burner.
However, whether down to choice or need, Man City had to not just act in the window: they needed to get it right. They spent more money than any other team in the Premier League (approximately $223 million), but the arrivals had to justify the outlay for this season and the future too -- and I think they delivered.
Omar Marmoush ($79m) is a tremendous player and most importantly, he gives Pep Guardiola's strategy another dimension. It's like having two Marvel superheroes with different superpowers: Erling Haaland's Hulk and now Marmoush's Spiderman. Despite the errors in his pressure-cooker debut against Chelsea, Abdukodir Khusanov ($42m from Lens) is a very good center-back; as for Vitor Reis? ($37m from Palmeiras), he needs to bulk up, but he is a future Brazil captain. Argentina wonderkid and prospect Claudio "Diablito" Echeverri ($15.6m from River Plate, deal agreed in January 2024) will also arrive after his time with Argentina at the Under-20 South American championship.
On deadline day, City finalized a move for Nico Gonzalez ($61m from FC Porto) and this was a big transfer because the versatile midfielder -- who can play as a No. 6 or a No. 8, naturally filling some of what Rodri offered -- is well liked by Guardiola. In fact, City have been chasing the former Barcelona man since he was a teenager and finally, in the final hour, they got their man. They also signed center-back Juma Bah (Real Valladolid) and 18-year-old left-back Christian McFarlane (NYCFC) for undisclosed amounts.
Letting veteran defender Kyle Walker leave for Milan was also a smart move because what Guardiola needs right now is hunger and a desire to be at the club.
All in all, Man City acknowledged last summer's faults by pushing forward with their rebuild a window earlier. The title is more than likely out of question this season, but the Champions League? The competition remains alive, as does their chance to retain a top four/five place. But for City, January was not just about the present; it was about the future.
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Laurens: Man City should've had Nico González in on January 1st
What if I told you that one of my favorite quotes actually comes from Winnie the Pooh: "Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering with any of them."
Basically, it means that sometimes, in life -- and in this case, the transfer window -- the most productive thing you can do is to sit still and appreciate the value of what's around you. Listen, observe and simplify your decisions because the best possible outcomes often happen because you embrace your surroundings and allow yourself to disengage, just focusing on the present.
And in terms of incomings, that's exactly what Liverpool did in January.
As far as I am concerned, the current best team in the league and Europe are a steady ship under Arne Slot. Their identity is strong and the harmony of the squad doesn't need to be disrupted. In other words: don't try and fix something that isn't broken.
The contract negotiations between Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the clear priorities, which prove to be continued headline-grabbers and discussion fodder for all of us, but behind closed doors, the club have a plan for any outcome. They don't need to burden themselves with outside noise and just like Slot has said over and over again, the only thing that matters right now is the internal necessities of the squad and the next game. Everything else is noise.
This also means that the summer -- coupled with the outcomes of the pending contract negotiations -- becomes a window in which Liverpool can be extremely aggressive in the market. So if Man City aced this transfer window with their determined recruitment of much-needed personnel, then I salute Liverpool for also winning by doing the exact opposite: NOTHING.
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Echegaray: Disasi caps off 'ambitious and aggressive' Aston Villa window
It wasn't long ago that Aston Villa were fighting in the Championship and using January's transfer window to scramble anything they had in order to complete a couple of loan deals for players like Lewis Grabban and Axel Tuanzebe. Now, I don't mean any disrespect to the aforementioned players but Villa -- fresh from earning a bye into the Champions League's Round of 16 and competing for a top four spot in the league -- are a different animal in the market nowadays and Unai Emery (manager), Monchi (president of football operations), Damiá Vidagany (director of football operations) all know that the Premier League is a do-or-die environment. For every action, there needs to be a reaction.
This window, therefore, has been the most aggressive January in the history of the club as Villa had to react over and over again. And it all started with the almost-ostentatious $80m exit of Jhon Durán.
It's really quite simple. Since arriving from Chicago Fire in 2023 for $17m (add-ons eventually increased the fee to $20m), the 21-year-old Colombia striker has always had his eye on another, shinier destination. He always wanted to leave, and everyone close to the club knew it. You only have to go back to last summer, when he made the crossed-Hammers salute that hinted at his desire to join West Ham after they'd made a bid. It was rejected, but the sentiment remained: Durán always felt he deserved more on the pitch and off it.
A good month for Man City
Liverpool were smart to do nothing
Aston Villa get some much-needed upgrades