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Liverpool’s season looks pretty bad on paper. And it is bad off that, too. They’ll miss out on the Champions League barring a major collapse from Manchester City – even bigger than the one we’ve already seen. They’ve already missed out on cups and they’ve also missed out on a European run, losing out early in both the Champions and Europa Leagues.

Finishing 5th and reaching a cup semi-final last season might have been seen as progress. Doing it this time around looks bad. And it is bad. But that’s only because of how far they’ve come over such a short period. Liverpool are paying the price for their form last season. And they’re paying for it in many different ways.

They’re paying for it because they lost Luis Suarez, England’s best player last season. Losing him left a hole that Liverpool couldn’t fill for a good few months. They just couldn’t transition quickly enough to make it work this season and had to come from too far back to challenge the teams above them. Had they not been so good last season, however, they may not have had to sell. But on the other hand, they just may not have received so much money for him.

Suarez is now lighting up La Liga as part of arguably the most fearsome front three that club football has ever seen. His form is showing Liverpool what they’re missing, and what they’re missing is one of the worlds best.

They also had to bring in lots of different players in order to cover for the departed star. Suarez’s transfer fee was spent on the likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert who haven’t really done anything this term, but also on Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Emre Can who look like they’re coming good. It’s taken them a while to gel, though, and Brendan Rodgers is paying for that.

But it’s not just Suarez that has cost Liverpool this year. They’re also paying for their form last season, because it landed them in the Champions League.

This season has clearly been tough on the new players coming in, and Rodgers has also had to tinker with formations to fit players in and to adapt his team to a life without Suarez. But having to do this with games not just in the league but also in Europe is tough. Poor form breeds more poor form, unfortunately, and more games are never a good thing if you’re playing badly. Especially not away trips to places like Basel and Ludogorets, as Liverpool found out. Ironically, the away game against Real Madrid was one of their best defensive performances of the first half of the season, albeit they still lost.

But it’s also affected their league form, too. More games, and juggling Wednesday-Saturday isn’t easy, and when you’re new to it, as lots of Liverpool’s players are, it is tough. Rodgers himself is fairly new to playing in Europe, having only one season in the Europa League as Liverpool manager in his first campaign.

Last season they didn’t have the European distraction and they flourished. But they came so close to winning the league, before having it ripped from their grasp by a combination of awful mistakes and a rampant Manchester City at the end of the season. And it is mentally draining to come so close and lose out in such a heart-breaking manner.

Liverpool’s players have had to pick themselves up off the mat and ‘go again’ as Steven Gerrard would say. They were more than likely going to suffer a hangover from the tragedy of the season past, and so it proved at the start of the season.

But Liverpool are also paying for last season because of how it has raised expectations for this season. As I said right at the start, this season could’ve been seen as progress for Liverpool if it had come a year earlier. But after coming so close to winning the league, after playing some of the best football in the league and being so convincing post-Christmas, Liverpool are now seen as one of the best teams in the country and we expect to see them do it again. The fact that they are not doing it looks like failure.

But it is failure from Liverpool. As much as they’ve had to deal with from the fallout of last season they expected better this time around. They’re paying for last season’s success and heartbreak on lots of different fronts, and this season has been a disappointment.

The bright side is how they’ve played since Christmas, and they look to have emerged from their problems. Next season they’ll have European football again unless they slip up in the last few games this time around as well, and the good form over the last few months might just give them the confidence they need to start next season well, too.

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It’s been a bad year for Brendan Rodgers but they’ve had a lot to deal with this season. They won’t have any of that to deal with next time around, and so their bad season might just have set them up for good seasons to come in the future.

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Reports in Germany are claiming that Manchester City are in pole position to sign Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze this summer, according to the Guardian.

The 20-year-old Germany attacking midfielder, who has scored 14 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions this season, has attracted the interests of several top European clubs as his side have marched to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

However, German magazine Kicker is reporting that Gotze’s agent Volker Struth has already started negotiations with City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain over a potential move to the Etihad Stadium.

It is thought City are willing to activate Gotze’s 40 million euros release clause at BvB and it would be down to the player to decide if he would like to make the move.

But, with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid thought to be on hot on their heels, City could face some fierce competition to get the player on board.

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Sources close to Alex Song have hit back at claims that the Cameroon international was lazy and lacked discipline.

The 24 year old has completed a £15 million move to Barcelona and is the second integral Gunner to leave in the past week following Robin Van Persie’s transfer to Manchester United.

Telegraph Sport reports the midfielder who may be adapted into a centre-half at Catalonia is furious with the claims, “Alex Song was massively committed to Arsenal, he loved the club and was dying to sign a new contract”, said a source close to the former Arsenal man.

“We tried six times to renegotiate his contract. Then Barcelona came in and Alex still wanted a new contract. When they said we’d all sit down on September 1 that was the final straw.”

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The disparaging comments directed at Song were strange and unexpected, losing important players to domestic and European rivals is nothing new to Arsenal. Yet few former players have been subject to such a public criticism.

Journalist Dean Jones has revealed that Newcastle United genuinely "like" Neymar as they want to sign a "marquee player" this summer.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

It seems as though fans can expect to see the Magpies spend big this summer. After all, their Saudi-back ownership has made money no object for Eddie Howe and co.

Adding to that, the club looked almost certain to be playing Champions League football next season and that will make Newcastle a much more attractive prospect for targets across the globe.

Indeed, it could unlock a whole new level of possible signings and one such name to have been linked in recent times is PSG winger Neymar.

Eddie Howe was even recently quizzed about signing the Brazilian, while Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo was also touted. The manager played down the rumours though.

He told BBC Sport: "We could not be able to come close to affording those players.

"They are the best players in the world. We are never going to be in a position currently to afford those transfer fees and wages, so we need to go underneath and find them young and develop them into the players they can be."

Despite this public claim, however, when speaking on the latest episode of Chasing Green Arrows, insider Jones revealed he'd heard something different behind the scenes at Newcastle.

Indeed, he said (19:50): “I did actually speak to someone you know about Neymar – I saw someone just talking about it in the [Youtube] comments.

"And I'm not saying it's going to happen because it probably won't, but they like him.

"But Newcastle want to go that one step and sign their first marquee player. They can afford the transfer fee. They're going to be in the Champions League. They want another wide forward. There's a lot of things there. They've got a couple of Brazilian lads in the squad already.

"He is on 30 million euros a year at PSG and he's got a contract for another four years. That's the problem.”

Could Neymar end up at Newcastle?

While Neymar – previously hailed a "magician" by Jones – certainly wouldn't come cheap – after all, he earns a reported £961k-p/w (over €1m-p/w) – it seems disingenuous from Howe to claim Newcastle can't afford him.

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After all, thanks to their new owners, the Magpies are now today considered the richest club in world football and so can technically afford him if PSG can.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Howe would want to add the 31-year-old to his ranks – especially amid constant talk in the media of the player's love for late-night partying.

But with the Premier League club seemingly at least considering the player as an option, it might be unwise to completely rule this one out just yet.

According to Goal.com, Everton have approached Barcelona over a move for centre-back Yerry Mina in this summer’s transfer window.

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The 23-year-old only joined Barcelona from Palmeiras in January, but he struggled for football at Camp Nou in the second half of last season.

The defender appears to have come of age at the 2018 World Cup, however, scoring in three of Colombia’s four matches at this summer’s competition.

A towering header took Tuesday night’s last-16 clash with England into extra-time and ultimately penalties, before the South Americans exited the competition.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”267842″ player=”12034″ title=”Five things we learned from England v Colombia”]

Mina was outstanding against England, and a number of clubs – including Liverpool – are believed to be attempting to sign him from Barcelona.

According to Goal.com, Everton have already spoken to Barcelona over a move this summer, and the Merseyside club’s fans have been reacting to the transfer speculation.

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Having watched Mina star in Russia this summer, the Everton supporters are simply desperate for their club to bring the defender to England.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Juventus manager Luigi Delneri has blamed injuries for his side’s failure to beat Chievo in the Serie A on Monday.The Bianconeri drew 2-2 at home to leave them three points shy of sixth – and a Europa League spot for next campaign – with two games remaining.

Delneri said Juve’s lengthy injury list was coming back to bite them on matchday.

“We are having difficulties in many areas. We are having difficulties recovering players who have been injured for long periods and nobody seems even to remember where they are,” Delneri said.

“They’ve been out for so long. Nobody is saying this, nobody is saying that (Fabio) Quagliarella, (Vincenzo) Iaquinta, (Felipe) Melo, (Paolo) De Ceglie and (Mohamed) Sissoko are still injured.”

“The players on the pitch have to play often and they are incredibly stressed. Today, there were seven players who weren’t at Juventus last year, players who played in teams where the tension was different, where winning a game was much more important.”

Despite Juve’s poor finish to the season, general manager Giuseppe Marotta maintained his support of the club’s 60-year-old boss.

“Our technical plan will continue, as for what Delneri declared, he is right because his contract expires in 2012, so it’s right if he talks about his future at Juventus,” Marotta said.

“We don’t want to go any further, we will be more explicit next week when we are going to explain our future programme and after the board of directors meet later in the week.”

“The supporters have the right to express their opinion, as it is right for us to make our considerations first. We will communicate our future programmes as soon as possible.”

Roy Hodgson will take criticism of recent results on the chin after insisting that Liverpool will improve as the season progresses.

Hodgson has been at the helm of the Reds for just 11 games, but already finds himself under pressure.

Just one Premier League victory from their opening five games has left the Anfield club languishing down in 16th place in the table.

Meanwhile, an embarrassing Carling Cup third round exit after losing to League Two outfit Northampton Town on penalties has led to open season on his under-performing squad.

But despite finding himself under pressure just weeks into his Anfield reign, Hodgson remains confident of presiding over a successful season for the Merseyside club.

"You can't work at 35 years at the level I have without having disappointments," explained the former Fulham boss.

"Any criticism which comes my way and the team's we have to accept because it is not acceptable to have a home game in the Carling Cup against a team several divisions below you and not come out with a victory.

"Wednesday was a really bad result for the club, it has knocked us backwards, and has put us in a situation where we are heavily criticised – perhaps rightly so.

"Everyone predicted the start of the season was going to be difficult looking at our programme, players leaving and coming in and discussions about the future of the club.

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"That is how it's proved to be. We've had some good moments – with five straight Europa League victories – but also some bad ones, like the defeat at Manchester City and the one in the Carling Cup.

"It's been pretty much a mixed bag, but we'll live through the bad moments and over the course of the season we'll do well."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

The mood around Chelsea at the moment is far more optimistic than it was even a week ago.

Enzo Maresca’s side have managed to pull themselves out of the dip that saw them lose two Premier League games on the bounce with that dramatic win over Liverpool on Saturday.

Moreover, the fact that the 18-year-old Estevao scored the winner only helps to fuel the sense that the future is bright for the Blues.

In fact, while it will take them some time to reach their peak, Maresca has several genuinely exciting youngsters in his current squad, and a number coming up from Cobham, including one who could be as special as Estevao.

Chelsea's promising youngsters

Chelsea has a squad bursting with young talent, so in this instance, ‘youngsters’ will refer to teenagers, of whom the Blues also have several in the first-team squad, including Tyrique George.

The Cobham graduate has endured an interesting season so far this year, as while he is a winger, Maresca has played him up top in a few games, and he’s had mixed results there.

For example, he struggled to make much of an impact at all against Benfica, but scored and assisted in the game against Lincoln City, which saved his side from real embarrassment.

Interestingly, the Englishman has been starting ahead of an actual centre-forward, Marc Guiu.

It’s hard to judge the Spaniard on this season alone, as his 119 minutes of action have been split between the Blues and Sunderland, where he was on loan before Liam Delap’s injury, with just 16 minutes coming under Maresca.

With that said, the 19-year-old scored a goal for the Black Cats and found the back of the net six times in seven Conference League games last season, so there is undoubtedly a lot of potential there.

Moving into the backline now, and while he is still inexperienced and therefore hard to judge, Josh Acheampong did a fine job against Liverpool on Saturday. His combination of on-the-ball ability and defensive nous could see him become a star for the West Londoners.

However, the other young defender, Jorrel Hato, feels like even more of a sure thing, as despite being 19 years old, he has an incredible amount of experience.

Before joining Maresca’s side, the young Dutchman had made 111 appearances for Ajax and even wore the captain’s armband on occasion.

Hato’s senior record

Appearances

111

Starts

102

Minutes

9121′

Goals

4

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

Minutes per Goal Involvement

701.61′

Points per Game

1.86

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Last but not least, Estevao is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown when it comes to the Blues’ crop of young talents.

For example, before he even arrived on these shores in the summer, he had racked up a brilliant tally of 27 goals and 15 assists in 83 appearances for Palmeiras.

Moreover, while the goal against the Reds has grabbed the headlines, and understandably so, the 18-year-old has also looked incredible in other games, like against West Ham United, when his sensational close control allowed him to provide an assist for Joao Pedro.

In all, Chelsea have an abundance of absurdly talented youngsters in their current squad, and there is now someone in the academy who could join them and become a homegrown Estevao.

Chelsea's homegrown Estevao

As seems to be the case every year now, Chelsea have several exciting talents making waves at Cobham, such as Jesse Derry and Harrison Murray-Campbell.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

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However, when it comes to a Cobham gem who could become something of a homegrown Estevao for the Blues, only one youngster sticks out: Shumaria Mheuka.

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The 17-year-old centre-forward has been an exciting prospect for some time now, but has really stepped it up a level this season, and doesn’t look too far off getting another chance in the first team, like he did at points in the Conference League last year.

For example, in just nine appearances for youth teams this year, totalling 793 minutes, he has scored ten goals and provided one assist.

In other words, the Birmingham-born output machine has been averaging 1.22 goal involvements per game, or one every 72.09 minutes in youth football this season.

Mheuka’s youth record in 25/26

Appearances

9

Minutes

793′

Goals

10

Assists

1

Goal Involvements per Match

1.22

Minutes per Goal Involvement

72.09′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of that, he’s also been thriving on the international stage. In 16 appearances for England’s U19s, totalling 970 minutes, the teenage sensation has scored eight goals and provided three assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.45 games, or every 88.18 minutes.

With numbers like these at such a young age, it’s easy to see why talent scout Jacek Kulig has already boldly proclaimed the Cobham gem as “the future of Chelsea and English football.”

Ultimately, while it might be a little while longer until he’s given a real run in the first team, it looks like Chelsea could have their own homegrown Estevao-level talent in Mheuka.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer recruitment drive hasn’t quite got off the ground yet, mainly due to uncertainty surrounding Ange Postecoglou and his long-term future, but that hasn’t stopped some transfer plans being made.

Tottenham transfer plans after vital Europa League triumph

While Postecoglou is set to learn his fate as soon as this week, according to ESPN and other reliable media sources, technical director Johan Lange, chairman Daniel Levy and the incoming Fabio Paratici will be debating ways to improve the Spurs squad regardless of who is in charge next season.

Related Tottenham hold "multiple meetings" with £8m manager after Guardiola praise

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Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

Their triumph in the Europa League final has opened many doors for Spurs, with the Lilywhites set to compete in next season’s Champions League as one major positive of their victory against Man United in Bilbao.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The greater transfer market pull and financial windfall that comes with competing in Europe’s most prestigious competition will undoubtedly assist Levy when it comes to bolstering the team this summer, with Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge reporting that Spurs want to strengthen the entire squad in all areas bar goalkeeper.

“Spurs don’t have to sell to buy, with Champions League qualification huge for the club,” said Bridge.

“All areas, apart from the goalkeeping department, will be looked at. Midfield and forward would be the priority if Cristian Romero stays.”

Dejan Kulusevski’s lengthy injury lay-off, combined with uncertainty surrounding the long-term futures of Richarlison and even Mathys Tel, means a new attacking player or two could be highly likely at Spurs.

Tottenham are considering the sale of Richarlison after another season marred by injury for the Brazilian, while there are some reports that Tel could return to Bayern Munich if Spurs make significant progress on a deal for Leroy Sane.

Sane has been heavily linked with a move to N17 in the last week, with the Bayern winger out of contract at the end of this month. He recently employed super-agent Pini Zahavi to help negotiate a new deal with Vincent Kompany’s side, but no agreement has been reached, so the representative could assist in finding him a new club instead.

Leroy Sane "wants a move" to Tottenham from Bayern Munich

Spurs face competition from north London rivals Arsenal, who are also believed to be in talks with Zahavi, but Levy has been handed a fresh boost in their rumoured pursuit of the 29-year-old.

Once valued at £137 million by Man City, the winger could soon be available at zero transfer cost, with Tottenham News sharing an update on the Lilywhites’ chances of beating Arsenal to his signature.

The outlet reports that Sane “wants a move” to Tottenham after they qualified for the Champions League, and they’re current favourites to win the race in light of the forward’s fresh stance on joining.

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This is also regardless of whether Postecoglou is at the club next term, so it appears Sane is pretty keen on a switch to Spurs.

That being said, the former Schalke star was thought to be after a £192,000-per-week base salary plus £2.5 million in bonuses to remain at Bayern, so Spurs may have to offer him a similar pay packet to join them instead, which would make him their highest earner above Son Heung-min.

Clubs across Europe’s top five leagues spent a massive total of £1.1bn on transfers this January, more than doubling the amount spent last year in the same period.

Manchester City were far and away the biggest spenders, splashing out £181m on five new players, including Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, Nico Gonzalez from Porto, Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens, Vitor Reis from Palmeiras and Juma Bah from Real Valladolid.

But how does City’s spree compare to previous record-breaking windows? Here’s an in-depth look at the 9 biggest January window spends of all time, with the help of data from Transfermarkt and news sources.

Related The top 15 transfer signings of the January 2025 window

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Posts ByRoss Kilvington

Highest January transfer window spends of all time

Rank

Club

Year

Players signed

Money spent

1

Chelsea

2023

8

£330m

2

Man City

2025

6

£181.2m

3

Barcelona

2018

2

£152.5m

4

PSG

2024

3

£105m

5

Newcastle

2022

5

£91.6m

6

Jiangsu Suning

2016

8

£80.9m

7

Juventus

2022

3

£79.5m

8

Liverpool

2018

1

£75m

9

Chelsea

2011

2

£71.3m

9 Chelsea (January 2011) Money spent: £71.3m

Following Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club in 2003, Chelsea often made a habit of spending big in the summer, but took it a little easier in January.

That was until 2011, when they decided to splash £69m – a club record at the time – on two big new signings.

First was the high-profile and controversial arrival of striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool, who Chelsea splashed £50m on. Then, on deadline day, defender David Luiz arrived from Benfica for a reported fee of £21.3m.

Chelsea transfers January 2011

Player

Signed from

Fee

Fernando Torres

Liverpool

£50m

David Luiz

Benfica

£21.3m

Related 5 players Chelsea should sign in the summer

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Posts ByBarney Lane 8 Liverpool (January 2018) Money spent: £75m

All of the money Liverpool spent in the January 2019 transfer window went on one player: Virgil van Dijk.

The fee, which was a world record for a defender at the time, has since proven to be money extremely well spent, with Van Dijk establishing himself as one of, if not the, best defenders in world football, helping Liverpool win everything there is to win, including the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League.

His stellar performances this season have the Reds and new manager Arne Slot on course for another top-flight triumph.

Liverpool transfers January 2018

Player

Signed from

Fee

Virgil van Dijk

Southampton

£75m

Related The most expensive defenders of all time

Which defenders have been sold for the biggest transfer fees?

Posts ByBrett Worthington 7 Juventus (January 2022) Money spent: £79.5m

After years of trying to land him, January 2022 finally marked the arrival of Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus, with the Old Lady splashing a massive £66m to bring him to Turin from Fiorentina.

While he can’t exactly be considered a flop, he’s not reached the heights many perhaps would have hoped, finding the net 54 times in 129 games – an average return for a player who is netting around a cool £350,000 per week.

Defender Federico Gatti, signed in the same window for just £7.5m, on the other hand, has proven to be far better value for money.

Juventus transfers January 2022

Player

Signed from

Fee

Dusan Vlahovic

Fiorentina

£66m

Federico Gatti

Frosinone

£7.5m

Denis Zakaria

Borussia M’gladbach

£6m

6 Jiangsu Suning (January 2016) Money spent: £80.85m

The only non-European club to be included on this list, Chinese side Jiangsu Suning spent around £81m in January 2016 to sign Alex Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk, Ramires from Chelsea and a number of other low-profile stars – including former Manchester City striker Jo.

The window was supposed to be the start of a revolution for the club, but it never materialised. Suning went on to have just one successful season, finishing second in the 2016 Chinese Super League and the Chinese FA Cup, before eventually dissolving in 2021.

Jiangsu Suning transfers January 2016

Player

Signed from

Fee

Alex Teixeira

Shakhtar

£38.4m

Ramires

Chelsea

£25m

Chao Gu

Zhejiang

£5.4m

Jiawei Yang

Shanghai Shenxin

£5.1m

Pengfei Xie

Zhejiang

£3.1m

Zhichao Li

Henan

£1.6m

Jo

Al-Shabab

£1.5m

Trent Sainsbury

PEC Zwolle

£750k

5 Newcastle United (January 2022) Money spent: £91.6m

Shortly after Newcastle United were taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in October 2021, the Magpies went big in the 2022 January transfer market.

The club brought in Chris Wood from Burnley, Dan Burn from Brighton & Hove Albion and Kieran Trippier from Atlético Madrid, but their marquee acquisition was that of Bruno Guimaraes, who completed a £41.6m move to Tyneside from Ligue 1 side Lyon.

The Brazilian has since gone from strength to strength at St James’ Park, establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s finest midfielders.

Newcastle transfers January 2022

Player

Signed from

Fee

Bruno Guimaraes

Lyon

£41.6m

Chris Wood

Burnley

£25m

Dan Burn

Brighton

£13m

Kieran Trippier

Atletico Madrid

£12m

Matt Targett

Aston Villa

Loan

4 Paris Saint-Germain (January 2024) Money spent: £105m

In January 2024, Paris Saint-Germain forked out a massive £105m to reinforce all over the park, signing striker Goncalo Ramos from Benfica, midfielder Gabriel Moscardo from Corinthians and defender Lucas Beraldo from Sao Paolo.

The revamp, however, hasn’t exactly yielded the results that the French giants would have hoped.

Moscardo spent last season on loan with Reims, making just four appearances before returning to PSG, where he has yet to play a game, while Beraldo is a mere squad player.

Ramos, who cost £70m as PSG made his loan move permanent (technically outside of the January window), has managed 22 goals in 56 games. It’s a respectable figure, but no doubt PSG would have been hoping for more given the money they paid for him.

PSG transfers January 2024

Player

Signed from

Fee

Goncalo Ramos

Benfica

£70m

Lucas Beraldo

Sao Paolo

£17.5m

Gabriel Moscardo

Corinthians

£17.5m

3 Barcelona (January 2018) Money spent: £152.5m

Barcelona spent a huge £152.5m in January 2018. £10.5m of that went on Colombian defender Yerry Mina, who joined from Brazilian side Palmeiras. The remainder was spent on signing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool.

Still the club’s record signing, the midfielder was never able to show the form he displayed at Anfield, being loaned out twice in four years before eventually being sold to Aston Villa in 2022 for the measly fee of £17 million.

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Former Arsenal and England star Ian Wright once described the move as the “worst transfer of all time”.

Barcelona transfers January 2018

Player

Signed from

Fee

Philippe Coutinho

Liverpool

£142m

Yerry Mina

Palmeiras

£10.5m

2 Manchester City (January 2025) Money spent: £181.2m

After a quite dreadful (at least by their own lofty standards) start to the 2024/25 season which saw them lose six Premier League games before the new year, Manchester City decided to fix the problem the only way they know how – spending a ton of cash.

Pep Guardiola went big, spending a combined £181.2m on six new players, the most expensive of whom was Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, who City paid Eintracht Frankfurt £63m for.

A 5-1 defeat to Arsenal on the eve of the transfer window closing, however, suggests the spending hasn’t done too much good.

Man City transfers January 2025

Player

Signed from

Fee

Omar Marmoush

Frankfurt

£63m

Nico Gonzalez

Porto

£50m

Abdukodir Khusanov

Lens

£33.6m

Vitor Reis

Palmeiras

£29.6m

Juma Bah

Valladolid

£5m

Christian McFarlane

New York City

Free

1 Chelsea (January 2023) Money spent: £330.1m

​​​​​​​No club in football history has ever come close to spending as much money in a January transfer window as Chelsea did in 2023. The Blues splashed a quite unbelievable £330.1m on an array of new talent that included the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto.

Their only sale that month was Jorginho to Arsenal, who cost the Gunners just £9m. That was lower than their cheapest incoming, with Joao Felix arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid for a £9.7m fee.

With the £100m-plus Fernandez flattering to deceive, Mudryk banned for failing a drugs test, Madueke seemingly being unable to pass the ball in the final third and Gusto warming the bench, Chelsea fans will probably be wishing they can have their Champions League-winning Italian midfielder back instead.

Chelsea transfers January 2023

Player

Signed from

Fee

Enzo Fernandez

Benfica

£107m

Mykhailo Mudryk

Shakhtar

£89m

Benoit Badiashile

Monaco

£35m

Malo Gusto

Lyon

£30.7m

Noni Madueke

PSV

£30.7m

Andrey Santos

Vasco da Gama

£18m

David Datro Fofana

Molde

£10m

Joao Felix

Atletico Madrid

Loan