Combine the craziest league in the world with the busiest month on the football calendar, and you usually get an absolute explosion of activity – usually.
The January 2021 transfer window was hardly worth remembering, however, with confirmed spending between the 24 second-tier clubs amounting to just over £ 5million – but that doesn’t mean he didn’t there has been no quality business.
Managers saw their power of persuasion pushed to the limit as they were forced to work on shoestring budgets, so let’s take a look at the top league signings from the mid-season window.
A solid if not spectacular addition to the Bournemouth squad.
The Cherries lost a number of midfielders during the January transfer window so the need for reinforcements was clear.
Ben Pearson has been a reliable performer for a number of years now and will give Jason Tindall a solid foundation to be able to allow the talented players on the squad to strut their stuff.
Only four teams have scored fewer goals than Nottingham Forest in the league so far this season, so the need to strengthen the club’s attacking options was clear.
Doing it with barely any money to spend was always going to be tricky, so the opportunity to bring in a loan striker who has proven himself at the championship level was not to be missed.
Glen Murray bonds with Chris Hughton for the second time in his career, and if Forest’s boss can get him to fire all cylinders like he did the last time the duo worked together, Forest should avoid the crash. .
Not exactly the one that immediately jumps off the page, but it’s a fantastic undertaking from Neil Warnock.
Bringing so many winger into the window was a great idea to tackle Middlesbrough’s creative woes, but fitting them into the starting XI would mean ditching the rear wing system they’ve used so often this season, and Djed Spence has proven he doesn’t. be reliable enough to play the role of orthodox full-back.
The arrival of Darnell Fisher not only makes sense in the fact that they got him cheaply with his Preston contract which will expire this summer, but Boro now has a solid right-back which means they can get away with it. allow to play a flat back and can then accommodate. some of their newly signed wingers.
A bit of a Michael O’Neill bet, but the loss of Tyrese Campbell really had an impact on their promotion – with Stoke winless in their previous nine outings in all competitions – and they desperately need a spark.
Signing Rabbi Matondo from Schalke until the end of the season may turn out to be a failed experience, but it’s a livewire that just might be able to jumpstart their season.
When QPR re-signed Charlie Austin on loan from West Brom, there was a feeling of “fine, maybe five years ago, but now?” Oh how wrong we were.
The 31-year-old has already scored two huge goals for the Rangers as they look to distance themselves from this year’s relegation dogfight, and if he continues to score at the rate they are at, QPR will soon be looking towards the up rather than down.
The curious case of Patrick Roberts. From £ 12million to Manchester City to sit on the bench at the Middlesbrough Championship side.
In truth, it was never going to work for him at Riverside. While Roberts provided the spark Boro needed at the end of last season, Warnock quickly recognized that he lacked the pace of work required to play on his team.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a fantastic signing for Derby. While he might not fit the Warnock playstyle, he’s likely to be given a more gratuitous role under Wayne Rooney at Pride Park, and have a platform to showcase his unmistakable talent, Roberts can thrive and could be the man to keep the club away. of the drop zone.
It’s no surprise that the sudden availability of Conor Hourihane has alerted the interest of a whole series of championship teams.
The Republic of Ireland international can add a much-needed touch to the Swansea midfielder, and coupled with Swans’ fluid football and Hourihane’s eye for goal, the two could be a match made in heaven as Steve Cooper’s side are looking to secure their place in the Premier League next season.
Shane Long has become a forgotten man in Southampton.
Granted, he’s never been particularly prolific in front of goal – though it’s worth noting that his last full season at second tier saw him finish 21 in 44 games – though his strings work and his Ability to stretch teams can be a huge asset to Bournemouth, especially with the addition of midfielder metronome Jack Wilshere.
Breaking up teams has become a problem for Bournemouth in recent weeks, with just five goals scored in their previous eight league outings, and the chance to add a new dimension to their attacking game was not to be missed.
Filip Krovinovic played a key role in promoting West Brom last season, and until Sam Allardyce arrived he seemed to be just as essential to their chances of survival.
His cunning and abilities are exactly the sort of things Nottingham Forest needs, and coupled with the arrival of a proven goalscorer at Glenn Murray, Chris Hughton seems to have sidestepped that transfer window.
Jarrad Branthwaite has had a shaky start to his career at Blackburn, although that is to be expected given his lack of senior playing time in recent months.
With time to find his feet, he could be a huge player for Blackburn this season, having proven just how good a defender he can be in his handful of Premier League appearances.
Tony Mowbray’s teams are notorious for their inability to defend and attack – a point proven by Blackburn’s current side – so adding a talented center-back could be key.
While most of the teams chose to do their business in the loan market, Birmingham went bankrupt.
They spent £ 2million on Aberdeen frontman Sam Cosgrove – nearly half of the confirmed figure spent by the 24 league clubs, although that figure does not include undisclosed fees.
Aitor Karanka’s lack of goals has been their main flaw this season with just 19 goals in 26 league games, so adding a striker with 47 strikes in his last 97 games could be huge.
And so the saga ends.
Middlesbrough has pursued Yannick Bolasie since the club was founded in 1876, and FINALLY, he agreed to join the Teessiders.
A lack of first-team football over the past few months could be a big factor in whether or not this deal works, although in all fairness there’s always an element of risk with mid-season arrivals.
If Everton’s lender can hit the ground running – his debut at league leader Norwich showed a lot of positives – then he could be one of the window signings.
Well, who wouldn’t look out the window of their Orlando residence and dream of moving to Barnsley?
Jokes aside, this is one hell of a coup for the Tykes.
Daryl Dike is thrilled in MLS and at just 20 years old he looks like he has a huge career ahead of him. Already capped by the U.S. national team, the leader could be the last piece of the puzzle needed to see Barnsley mount the most unlikely of promotion pushes.
The January transfer window is all about fine-tuning your squad and filling in any gaps that you think may be holding you back from meeting your season goals – that’s exactly what Brentford did by signing Winston Reid.
Thomas Frank’s side are comfortably the league’s top scorers, although their elusive defense means they find themselves outside the automatic promotion spots.
Adding an experienced activist who can both help young team members and fill in gaps when needed is a fantastic business for the bees.
It could turn out to be the difference between a promotion and another year in the second level.
WHO?
Believe us when we say you’ll know all about this man by the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Philip Zinckernagel comes from Norwegian champions Bodo / Glimt where he scored 22 goals in 31 games last season.
The Danish player is slowly being integrated into the first-team setup at Watford after making five appearances on the bench, but it won’t be long before he finds his marks in English football and tear through the defenses of the championship.
