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January is usually quiet for transfers, but the Premier League’s winter spending in 2022 was actually the second highest in history and over half the money (€335 million, according to Transfermarkt) was splashed by the bottom five clubs: Everton, Norwich City, Newcastle United, Watford and Burnley.
With the break for the World Cup in Qatar and the ongoing economic crisis around the globe, it’s unclear how teams will respond to the various challenges this year, but there have already been agreements for some high-profile signings.
Here are the grades for all the major deals in January 2023. The most recent write-ups are at the top; each day is in order of highest fee. If you don’t see a grade for a major move that has been completed, check back later.
– Check out all the completed major deals
All fees are reported unless confirmed with an asterisk.
Jan. 2
Barcelona: F
Atletico Madrid: A-
Reminder: Barcelona paid €120m to sign Griezmann from Atletico in 2019, then loaned him back to them for two years in 2021. That loan included an obligation to make the deal permanent for €40m in the event he played over 45 minutes in 50% of the games for which he was available … which he did. Legal battles ensued and, eventually, financially stricken Barca cut the fee in half to avoid a saga. Already it was one of the worst deals ever for Barca, and seeing Griezmann shine for France in a new role (advanced midfield) at the 2022 World Cup just adds insult to injury.
Atletico have brought the 31-year-old back on a four-year deal, which is something of a gamble given he hadn’t recaptured his previous brilliance for them while on loan. Still, at least they won’t have to monitor his minutes anymore. If they can get the best out of his new-ound midfield abilities, they will be happy counting their €100m profit.
Jan. 1
PSV: B
Liverpool: A
PSV had a fee of €50m in their minds and director Marcel Brands even went on record a few months ago to say that if Man United had offered…
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