Graham Potter has been backed with an influx of new signings at Stamford Bridge, but rival managers were not so lucky in a turbulent winter market
The panic is finally over. After 31 days of dramatic twists and turns, the transfer window has once again slammed shut until the summer. Some teams are now in great shape to finish the season with a bang, but others have been left frustrated after either missing out on key targets or losing vital players.
Chelsea were by far the most active Premier League club in January, spending over £300 million ($370m) on a whole host of reinforcements after a disastrous first half of the season.
Title-chasing Arsenal closed a couple of notable deals themselves, but missed out on some of the big-money deals that Mikel Arteta was targeting, while champions Manchester City kept their powder dry in terms of incomings who can make an immediate impact.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham were also quieter than expected, while clubs from around Europe were far more subdued than their English counterparts, perhaps highlighting the growing imbalance between the finances of the Premier League and other domestic leagues.
GOAL is here to run down the winners and losers from one of the craziest January windows in recent memory…
GettyWINNER: Todd Boehly
Chelsea's new owner Todd Boehly made an instant statement of intent after replacing Roman Abramovich in the boardroom last May, sanctioning a Premier League-record £270 million transfer outlay to provide Thomas Tuchel with marquee signings such as Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The new additions failed to make an instant impact, though, and Tuchel was sacked at the start of September following the Blues' poor start to the 2022-23 season. The German was swiftly replaced by Graham Potter, who left Brighton to take up the position at the Bridge on a five-year deal.
Potter is Boehly's man, and the American is giving him all the tools he needs to succeed. Chelsea have slipped to 10th in the Premier League table since his appointment, but his job is still very much secure, as illustrated by Boehly again opening up his transfer war chest, with the Premier League record signing of Enzo Fernandez and £89m capture of Mykhailo Mudryk standing out as the biggest signings of the January window.
Chelsea snapped Mudryk up from right under the noses of Arsenal, while Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, David Fofana and Andrey Santos have all arrived on a permanent basis. Malo Gusto was also signed before being loaned back to Lyon and Joao Felix has been brought in on a six-month loan deal from Atletico Madrid.
Boehly has even found a way around Financial Fair Play rules, with his permanent new arrivals having been tied down to unprecedented long-term contracts.
Surely now, the only way is up for the Blues, who have proven to be the biggest draw in England despite suffering a dramatic on-pitch decline. Boehly is determined to carve out a glorious legacy in west London, and Potter will now have to prove he deserves to keep his spot in the pilot's chair.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Liverpool fans
Liverpool started the winter window in spectacular style as they announced the £44 million arrival of Cody Gakpo from PSV, beating off competition from Manchester United in the process.
The Netherlands international was targeted on the back of a stellar first half of the season that culminated in a fine World Cup, but has failed to hit the ground running on Merseyside, and new year optimism has quickly been replaced by despair at Anfield.
January was a catastrophic month for Liverpool, who lost 3-1 at Brentford and 3-0 at Brighton before playing out a drab 0-0 draw with Chelsea to slip 10 points adrift of the Champions League places.
Brighton also knocked the Reds out of the FA Cup, ending their hopes of winning any domestic silverware this term, and supporters have been left exasperated by a lack of investment in the transfer market.
Was Gakpo even really needed when Jurgen Klopp is so desperately in need of another central midfielder? Club legend Jamie Carragher suggested an overhaul is needed when summing up the frustration of an entire fanbase.
"They can’t get in the top four without signing a midfielder. I can’t see it changing before the end of the season," the former Reds defender told after the Brentford loss. "They’re a team in transition. You think of what United and Chelsea have spent and they’re still not close to winning the league.
"Liverpool need to spend £200m. They need to sign three midfielders. They need to be at least £40-50m players."
That hasn't happened, leaving Reds fans wondering whether the club have already given up on getting anything out of what is looking to be a lost season for Klopp and his players.
GettyWINNER: Wout Weghorst
Wout Weghorst came close to stealing Gakpo's thunder at Qatar 2022, with the Burnley striker stepping off the bench to score twice in the Netherlands' thrilling quarter-final clash with Argentina.
Louis van Gaal's side ultimately lost to the eventual tournament winners on penalties, but Weghorst's stunning cameo showed that he still has plenty to offer at the highest level, despite only scoring two goals in 20 Premier League appearances for Burnley in 2021-22.
The 30-year-old was shipped out on loan to Besiktas after Burnley's relegation, but he embraced a fresh start in Turkey instead of allowing his career to fade out early. Manchester United certainly took notice of his return to form, with Erik ten Hag singling him out as a priority target at the start of the window.
Weghorst was allowed to cut short his loan in Turkey to sign a fresh six-month deal at Old Trafford, where he is now lining-up alongside superstars such as Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
"My agent called me actually for the first time and I was together with my girl, and she was a little bit shocked because she saw my face and I was like 'oof'," Weghorst told United's official website when asked how he reacted to the club's initial interest. "So yeah, it was a special moment and that was really nice, of course."
Weghorst has made his own luck, and who knows, if he does well then Ten Hag could keep him in Manchester for the long-term.
GettyLOSER: Arsenal's big-money bids
Arsenal have ended the January transfer window with three pleasing new additions in the form of Leandro Trossard, Polish youngster Jakub Kiwior and deadline-day arrival Jorginho, but Mikel Arteta must be secretly seething over the club's failure to land his main January targets.
Mykhailo Mudryk made no secret of his desire to join the Gunners, and had reportedly agreed on personal terms with the club last summer. Arsenal submitted multiple offers to Shakhtar Donetsk during January in an attempt to tie up the deal, but all of them were rejected before Chelsea swooped in to break their hearts.
Both clubs were willing to pay the same £88m fee for Mudryk, but Shakhtar accepted Chelsea's bid over Arsenal's due to a more favourable bonus payment package.
Arteta played down the significance of the setback publicly, with the Gunners subsequently focusing their efforts on Brighton's Moises Caicedo in a bid to strengthen their midfield.
Again, Arsenal tabled a couple of mega offers, the second of which came in at £70m, but Brighton refused to let the Ecuadorian go for less than £90m, despite his release of an ill-advised social media statement to try and force through the move.
The Gunners are five points clear at the Premier League summit with a game in hand on second-placed City, but they will soon have to juggle Europa League commitments while chasing a first title in 19 years.
Supporters will be praying that Arsenal's failure to land Mudryk and Caicedo doesn't come back to haunt them.
