Well, it feels like January just ended. It’s been two months since deadline day ended, and all the January transfers have had a chance to impress. While, like my post for the summer transfers, nothing is set in stone yet, it’s a first impression, and those are very important for the success of a transfer. They’ll be ranked by performance and game time, out of 10. The top 10 I’ll be ranking is taken off Transfermarkt, which ranked them based on fees and market values. With all that out of the way, let’s begin.
#10: Arnaut Danjuma: 2/10
Transfer: Villarreal to Spurs (Loan)
Age: 25
Position: LW
Honestly, what was the point? After confirming himself a loan to Everton, Fabio Paratici came calling at the last second, and secured a transfer to Spurs. After a debut goal, it looked like it would go well, but it hasn’t.
Now Paratici and Antonio Conte are no longer at the club, and Danjuma has only played about 1 half of football. The Everton move was probably a better choice.
#9: Jorginho: 4.5/10
Transfer: Chelsea to Arsenal (11m)
Age: 31
Position: CM
One of the unexpected transfers of the window, after failing in pursuits for both Moises Caceido and Youri Tielemans, Arsenal decided to fill the midfield gap for the short term and signed Jorginho. While he’s had his moments, scoring a winner vs Aston Villa, his time at the club has been largely unremarkable.
#8: Noni Madueke: 4/10
Transfer: PSV to Chelsea (35m)
Age: 20
Position: RW
While he’s lacked play time, Noni Madueke has played more than, say, Arnaut Danjuma. Like Jorginho, Madueke’s time at Chelsea has been nothing to shout about, but perhaps his spell after PSV would be more talked about if Chelsea didn’t have 4 transfers above Madueke in this list.
#7: Benoit Badiashile: 7/10
Transfer: AS Monaco to Chelsea (38m)
Age: 21
Position: CB
Benoit Badiashile has been quietly dominating the defence for Chelsea this season. He’s been part of Chelsea’s best defence, and has been doing well without being flashy, He could well do bits for the club for the better part of the next decade.
#6: Anthony Gordon: 5/10
Transfer: Everton to Newcastle (45m)
Age: 21
Position: LW
Again, an unremarkable spell for Anthony Gordon at Newcastle so far. He’s not got a single league goal or assist, and missed 2 games for Newcastle with an ankle injury. For a player who was spoken of so highly in the summer, it’s been disappointing.
#5: João Félix: 8.5/10
Transfer: Atlético Madrid to Chelsea (Loan)
Age: 23
Position: SS
Halfway through the list, and we have our first absolute success. João Félix, no joke, is the only player who has been keeping Chelsea fans sane through this failure of a season. Many would pay 70+ million to sign him permanently next summer, and it may be the start of a great spell for the attacker. He deserves it after a failed Atleti experiment.
#4: Cody Gakpo: 6/10
Transfer: PSV to Liverpool (42m)
Age: 23
Position: LW
After a shaky start, Cody Gakpo has been starting to prove himself at Liverpool, slowly but surely. After a brace in Liverpool’s 7-0 win against Man Utd, Gakpo has been getting himself involved for Liverpool. If given time, he will likely finally start to deliver.
#3: João Cancelo: 6/10
Transfer: Man City to Bayern (Loan)
Age: 28
Position: RB
While João Cancelo has been doing alright for Bayern, they have already decided not to sign the full back permanently in the Summer. With a return to Man City all but ruled out, Barca and Real Madrid have expressed interest in him, but having been thrown out of Juventus, Man City, and Bayern’s teams, attitude could be a red flag.
#2: Mykhaylo Mudryk: 3/10
Transfer: Shakhtar to Chelsea (70m)
Age: 22
Position: LW
After a major hijacking of the transfer from Arsenal which triggered the very successful signing of Leandro Trossard, Arsenal will be thanking their lucky stars that Chelsea took the bait. Mykhaylo Mudryk has only got 1 assist in his Chelsea career so far, which lasts only 9 games. A change in form is needed, as the deal could go up to 100m.
#1: Enzo Fernández: 8/10
Transfer: Benfica to Chelsea (121m)
Age: 22
Position: CM
It’s funny to think that Enzo Fernández commanded a fee of only 44 million less than a year ago, but after a phenomenal World Cup, his price tag skyrocketed to 121 million, a top 10 fee in history. So far, while his goal contributions have been lacking, he’s put in a great shift every match for the Blues. I can’t wait to see how his career evolves.
That’s it, ladies and gentlemen. A shorter post than usual, but I needed to do something I could finish the day I started it. These transfers aren’t near set in stone yet, and any of these players can take a dip in form or rise in form, but first impressions are still very important to a transfer. I’m Jim James, until next time.