From Ounahi to Joao Félix via Depay, we tell you about the 10 most exciting transfers of the winter transfer window

The transfer window always arouses particular excitement among supporters, but it is also and above all a turning point for clubs, who have the opportunity to organize their workforce in order to hopefully get closer to their goals. This year, the winter transfer window took place in a specific context due to the unusual proximity of the World Cup, but above all it confirmed that the gap between the clubs (even the championship) that are financially accused continues to grow the health crisis, while others seem to have almost unlimited means. Unsurprisingly, the Premier League concentrated most of the spending, with more than 800 million euros in purchases (829.8 according to the Transfermarkt site). Despite these differences, it is still possible to find some great shots across Europe. In any case it is enough for you to draw a small summary of the most striking and most exciting movements.

Stuck in a difficult season, the Mersey club needed to strengthen its attacking sector after the departure of Sadio Mané in the summer, the injury to Luis Diaz and the adaptation time needed for Darwin Nuñez. The Reds therefore focused on the Dutch striker, scorer 3 times in the World Cup in Qatar and author of 13 pawns and 16 assists in the first part of the season with PSV. Operating cost: approximately forty million euros for a contract until June 2028.

In Bavaria, the Austrian failed to find a warm place in the system of Julian Nagelsmann, who nevertheless took him with his luggage when he arrived from RB Leipzig 18 months ago. However, quality is not the issue with Sabitzer, a versatile and hyperactive player who has shown his worth including in the Champions League. By packing his bags at Manchester United, he has the chance to revive himself at a club with lofty goals by lining up the midfield alongside Casemiro. It is on loan for 6 months with an option to buy.

The Moroccan was one of the revelations of the last World Cup with the Atlas Lions. So it was quite logical that his club Angers, struggling in Ligue 1, opened the door to the transfer of his midfielder. Ounahi, who caught the eye of Luis Enrique on 8^e in the World Cup final against Spain before confirming against Portugal, finally leaving the SCO for Marseille, for around ten million euros. A far from fantastic value for a player who is still young (22 years old) and has shown his ability to raise his level when the going gets tough.

One of the best talents in Portuguese and European football should breathe new life into his fledgling career after a mixed three-and-a-half years with the Madrid side, where he failed to break the 10-goal mark in a single de Liga season , or to settle as a potential holder. That the expectation is conditioned by the price of his transfer (127 million euros in 2019), of course, but with the talent that is his, and with the image of what he was able to show in the World rankings with the Seleçao, No more time that Joao Felix will be gone. He will play the next six months at Chelsea, on a loan that pays 11 million euros, with no option to buy.

For more than six months, and despite playing in a championship plagued by rivalry between his country and Russia, the Ukrainian is one of the prospects most followed by recruiters from Western Europe. But while we are talking about amounts close to 30 million euros last summer, Chelsea did everything this winter to stop particular competition from Arsenal, with a check for 70 million (+ 30 bonus). An elegant dribbler with a polished, hard-hitting technique, Mudryk checks all the boxes of a “viral” player, but he needs to legitimize this huge sum, he who has only a dozen European Cup matches in his business card. and a small number of selections in Ukraine. He signed up until 2031.

Although the purchase of Mudryk was thought to be the craziest the London club had ever committed, the latter continued to break the bank until the final hours of the transfer window by making no more or less than the most expensive transfer in history. of the Premier League: 121 million euros to give the best youth of the 2022 World Cup, the Argentinian Enzo Fernandez. Arriving just a few months ago in Portugal, the former River Plate man burst onto the screen in the Champions League with Benfiquistes before establishing himself as a key element of the Albiceleste during the World Cup. Like Mudryk, he is now tied to the Blues until 2031.

The 28-year-old Belgian striker faces the biggest challenge of his career, winning at a top club. Arriving in England in 2019, Trossard gradually asserted himself under Brighton colours, first under the orders of Graham Potter (now at Chelsea) then Roberto de Zerbi. Often used as a left winger, he distinguished himself at the end of 2022 with a resounding hat-trick at Anfield against Liverpool that further fueled the passions around him. Arsenal paid 30 million euros to sign him, with a contract until 2026.

Free party from Lyon in 2021, the Dutchman did not get everyone to agree with Barça, despite several passages in which he rendered more services while the club was going through one of the most problematic period of its history. recent history, sportingly man. or behind the scenes. A collateral victim of the club’s change of gear in its sporting policy, Depay has been demoted in the hierarchy since last summer even as he continues to be prolific with his national team. Now 28, he needs to recover and Atlético de Madrid are offering him the chance to relaunch at a club whose goals remain high. He is committed until 2025 with the Colchoneros.

In difficulty at Chelsea, where he is no longer a starter, the Italian will try to relaunch at Arsenal, where he must first play the luxury understudy behind the duo of Partey-Xhaka. But with his quality feet, his vision of the game and his ability to play metronomes, we can fully imagine that Jorginho, one of Chelsea’s driving forces and the Italian’s choice in 2021, will bring more in which he achieved the Euro-Champions League double. Bought for a dozen million euros, he is already under contract with the Gunners until 2024.

One of the most impressive moves on paper is also one of the most exciting. And for good reason, Joao Cancelo was still one of the key players in Pep Guardiola’s animation at City a few months ago, before falling sharply down the hierarchy this season, then being exfiltrated from the club in a very quick fashion. surprisingly A boon for Bayern, who are looking for a solution in this right-back position due to the absence of Noussair Mazraoui and the ups and downs of Benjamin Pavard. After Valencia, Inter, Juve and City, Cancelo will discover a new championship with an ambitious club. It is on loan for 6 months with an option to buy.