Premier League clubs spent just shy of £400million during the January transfer window, but some had a better time of it than others
Jorgen Strand Larsen in a Crystal Palace shirt
Jorgen Strand Larsen completed a last-gasp move to Crystal Palace(Image: @CPFC/X)
View 6 Images
The winter transfer window is over, at least when it comes to Premier League clubs making new signings. There is still a chance for players to be offloaded to certain leagues such as the Dutch Eredivisie, Turkish Super Lig and Major League Soccer in the United States but the lion's share of the business has been done.
It was a relatively quiet deadline day, too - not that the winter window has been hugely busy in recent years. Premier League clubs confirmed seven deals on Monday night, as well as one notable signing which will go through in the summer.
All in all, just shy of £400million has been spent by Premier League sides in January. More than £70million of that total was spent on deadline day itself, when we also saw a handful of last-minute loan deals.
The top six have been relatively quiet, with Arsenal hoping their current squad is enough to get them over the line, but 14 of the league's 20 clubs have made at least one permanent signing. Here, Mirror Football has graded the window for all of those 20 teams.
Arsenal - C
This never looked like being an especially busy window for Arsenal but they'll be wary of how thin the squad was left by injuries around this time last year. This time, the only notable bits of business saw Oleksandr Zinchenko leave for Ajax after already having been out on loan and Ethan Nwaneri agree a temporary switch to Marseille.
A deadline day swoop for Sandro Tonali never looked especially realistic, while Mikel Merino's foot injury is unfortunate, but the Gunners will hope they're well covered. Essentially it's as you were for the Gunners, which makes sense for a team whose summer recruits have helped them climb to the summit.
Aston Villa - B
January was huge for Villa last season, with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio in particular almost helping drag Unai Emery's team to a top-four finish. This winter has been busy as well, albeit with movement in both directions.
It remains to be seen whether Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz can have as big an impact as in previous Villa Park spells, while new winger Alysson may well be more for the future than for the present. Donyell Malen's goals will need replacing, while Leon Bailey's return counter-balances Evann Guessand's departure, while the big question mark concerns an apparent failure to resolve the Harvey Elliott conundrum.
Bournemouth - B-
Even before the window started, the big one for Bournemouth appeared to be how they'd replace Antoine Semenyo rather than whether they'd be able to keep the Ghanaian. They appear to have chosen the method of trying to improve in a few areas, something which has served them well in the past.
Rayan, Alex Toth and Christos Mandas will have varying roles to play in the coming months and the former in particular arrives with high hopes. Making up for Semenyo's exit won't be easy but Andoni Iraola's side have already earned some impressive results without him.
Brentford - C
Teenage forward Kaye Furo is the kind of pick-up we've become accustomed to from Brentford of late. A highly-rated youngster who the Bees will hope one day can attract comments about how they managed to beat more illustrious clubs to his signature.
That's about it for Keith Andrews' side, though. A few exits, be they loans or permanent deals, point to a broad satisfaction with what they have,
Brighton - B-
For those disappointed to see Matt O'Riley leave on loan towards the end of the summer, the good news is the Danish international is back. Fans of homecomings may be even more delighted to see Pascal Gross back on the south coast, with the German midfielder the only permanent arrival in the winter.
Pascal Gross during Brighton vs Everton
Pascal Gross has returned to Brighton(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
View 6 Images
We've also seen some loan wheelings and dealings at the Amex Stadium, including a return for Igor and a handful of exits. After picking up just one win in their last 11 games, though, Fabian Hurzeler will hope recent form was a blip rather than anything more worrying.
Burnley - C
Even before Monday's defeat at Sunderland, Burnley's survival hopes were looking slim. A quiet window, headlined by a loan move for James Ward-Prowse, is unlikely to change that.
Scott Parker's side may well pick up some more decent results in the second half of the season but the quiet window points to a recognition that the gap might be too big. They're winless since October but they may take some encouragement from recent draws with Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs.
Chelsea - C+
It might feel longer ago than that to some but Chelsea's managerial change came during the winter window. Results have been impressive under Liam Rosenior but transfer business has been kept to a minumum.
Facundo Buonanotte is now at Leeds after achieving little during his loan spell at Stamford Bridge. The positives have largely come in the form of offloading players with little hope of first-team minutes, with Raheem Sterling agreeing to a mutual termination of his contract and both Tyrique George and Axel Disasi leaving on loan on deadline day.
Crystal Palace - C+
Palace's window could have been a lot worse, but could have been a great deal better. The negatives are obvious, with Marc Guehi leaving for Manchester City and manager Oliver Glasner confirming he will leave in the summer.
There was a moment where Glasner looked like he could leave sooner, though, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is still a Palace player - albeit one who looks set to miss an extended period through injury. The Eagles will have to hope Welsh forward Brennan Johnson, loanee Evann Guessand and new record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen can replace Mateta's goals between now and May.
Everton - C
Everton's biggest blow in January wasn't transfer-related. Jack Grealish's promising start has been derailed by injury and the England international's season could well be over.
Jack Harrison playing for Fiorentina
Jack Harrison has joined Fiorentina on loan(Image: Getty Images)
View 6 Images
Loan addition Tyrique George will hopefully offer something for David Moyes' side, while Harrison Armstrong is back at Hill Dickinson Stadium after impressing on loan at Preston. Beyond that, there isn't a great deal to report besides the collapse of a last-minute exit for Dwight McNeil.
Fulham - C+
One of the biggest tests for Fulham was coming through the Africa Cup of Nations with points on the board. Not only did they manage that, but they've now also made one of January's biggest signings.
They'll hope Oscar Bobb's arrival can bring the best out of summer arrival Kevin, who scored a stunning goal at Old Trafford on Sunday. There was also an exit for out-of-favour Adama Traore, along with the boost of Harry Wilson sticking around - at least until the summer.
Leeds - C
The bulk of Leeds' important business was done in the summer and that has ensured they're in good shape to stay up. They're not over the line yet, though, and time will tell whether they'll be left ruing a quiet January.
It's been a tale of two loans, with Facundo Buonanotte in and Jack Harrison out. That suggests continuity is the order of the day at Elland Road.
Liverpool - B-
It's hard to know how to rule on a signing that won't go through until the summer. However, Jeremy Jacquet looks like an important pick-up for Liverpool regardless of what happens with Ibrahima Konate's future..
Away from the young French defender, it's mostly been about loans for the Reds. A change of scenery for Lewis Koumas has already borne fruit, with the Welsh forward scoring Hull's winner at Blackburn on his debut for the Championship high-flyers.
Man City - A
Antoine Semenyo celebrates scoring for Manchester City
Antoine Semenyo has made a fast start at Manchester City(Image: Getty Images)
View 6 Images
City will surely consider themselves to be the winners of the window. They have signed two players with proven Premier League quality and haven't needed to spend nearly as much as this time last year.
Pep Guardiola's side have a net spend of less than £60m for the window, balancing the books by selling Oscar Bobb after signing both Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi. It might not be enough for the title, but it gives them a real shot.
Man Utd - C+
We know by now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe isn't a fan of spending big in January - or, in this instance, spending at all. There has been an important change at Old Trafford, though, with Ruben Amorim making way as manager.
It's hard not to be results-oriented after Michael Carrick's fast start. However, it's also worth recognising the lack of business for a squad which doesn't quite have the right balance and which will lose in-form Casemiro in the summer.
Newcastle - C-
Newcastle have ended the window some seven points outside the top four and with no guarantee that fifth place will be good enough for Champions League football this time around. With that in mind, some fans will look at the lack of incomings and wonder why more wasn't done.
There's an argument that Yoane Wissa will - as the old cliche goes - feel like a new signing after only making his debut in December. The positive comes from Sandro Tonali staying, though it's hard to determine whether there was ever any realistic chance of the Italian moving on.
Nottingham Forest - B-
Forest's most important act of January was winning at fellow strugglers West Ham, but there's also something to be said for their transfer dealings. They'll hope Lorenzo Lucca can provide goals, while Luca Netz and Stefan Ortega also joined late in the window.
Lorenzo Lucca at his Nottingham Forest unveiling
Lorenzo Lucca at his Nottingham Forest unveiling(Image: Nottingham Forest FC via Getty I)
View 6 Images
They also appear to have cut their losses on Arnaud Kalimuendo, with Eintracht Frankfurt holding an option to sign the forward permanently if he succeeds on loan. They look to be in healthy enough shape to survive, though, so now it's all about making sure.
Sunderland - C
Like fellow new boys Leeds, Sunderland went big in the summer and have been reaping the rewards. Regis Le Bris' side didn't feel they needed to do much in January (and early February), but they haven't been silent.
Nilson Angulo has been the big new signing, costing around £17.5m from Anderlecht, while fringe players have been sold and loaned out. One of those exits was left until the last minute, with summer signing Simon Adingra loaned to Monaco after falling down the pecking order.
Tottenham - B
Thomas Frank and Spurs knew they needed to spend in January. The question is whether the investment came in the right areas.
Conor Gallagher warming up for Tottenham Hotspur
Conor Gallagher has slotted straight in at Spurs(Image: Getty Images)
View 6 Images
Beating Arsenal to Scottish youngster James Wilson will no doubt please plenty, while Conor Gallagher has gone straight into the first team, and a decent fee was recouped for Brennan Johnson. Returns from injuries could prove more important than any signings, though, with Dominic Solanke thriving over the weekend and a real hope Dejan Kulusevski can find form when he eventually comes back from a serious knee injury.
West Ham - B
West Ham's £47m striker pairing of Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe have yet to score in the league, but their arrival appears to have helped with an uptick in form. Nuno's side secured back-to-back wins for just the second time all season in January, but still have work to do if they want to stay up.
It was one in and one out at the back, with Axel Disasi arriving and Igor returning to Brighton. The big question concerns how badly they'll miss Lucas Paqueta, but getting £36.5m from the Brazilian league can't be sniffed at.
Wolves - B
It's difficult to judge a window for a team in Wolves' position, with relegation all but confirmed long before the turn of the year. However, Rob Edwards' side look to have set themselves up reasonably well for both now and next season.
Bringing in £48m for Jorgen Strand Larsen has to be considered a good move given his return of just one league goal all season. Adam Armstrong arrives with calibre in the second tier - perhaps signed with a hope he can lead a promotion charge next term if there's no miracle between now and May - while Angel Gomes' arrival on loan looks intriguing at the very least.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.