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The January transfer window is often viewed as an opportunity for teams to strengthen their lineups for the last few months of the campaign. Despite not being as hyped as the summer window, the winter transfer season brings its own excitement to the table.
Football clubs have reverted to their previous state after being rocked by the pandemic for two years. Clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool have made big-money acquisitions to bolster their attack.
Clubs splashed the cash in 2022 winter transfer window
In the January transfer window of 2022, several clubs went on a shopping spree. As many as 25 players were bought for more than €10 million, six of which cost over €30 million.
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On the other hand, only 16 players were purchased for a fee of €10 million or more in last year’s winter window. None of these 16 players were bought for more than €30 million.
These figures prove that clubs are slowly returning to a stable financial state. As expected, Premier League clubs were the biggest spenders. 13 of the 25 players costing more than €10 million will now ply their trade in the English top-flight.
Let's see how many of those players feature in the five most expensive signings of the 2022 winter transfer window.
#5 Lucas Digne - €30 million to Aston Villa
Kicking off this list is Lucas Digne, who has moved from one Premier League team to another. Aston Villa conducted some great business this January, obtaining the services of left-back Digne for a transfer fee of €30 million, alongside some other big names.
Digne was among the best left-backs in the Premier League during his time at Everton. The Frenchman has a knack for creating chances, and this was on show during his Aston Villa debut. Digne set up Buendia against his former club at Goodison Park.
Considering his track record for Everton and France, €30 million seems a fair price for Digne and he will be a good addition to his new club. The Villans have already looked impressive under Steven Gerrard and it will be interesting to see how the likes of Digne and Philippe Coutinho perform at Villa Park.
#4 Bruno Guimaraes - €42.1 million to Newcastle United
Newcastle United fans finally got first-hand experience of the purchasing power of their new owners. The club, fuelled by the Saudi Arabian-based Public Investment Fund, splashed the cash in a bid to stay in the Premier League next season.
Highly-rated midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was part of their winter wishlist. The Brazilian is one of the most exciting players in this position. The Magpies had to shell out upwards of €40 million to persuade Lyon to allow Guimaraes to leave.
The 24-year-old is equally adept at defensive midfield and central midfield. Unlike most defensive midfielders, Guimaraes is pretty creative as well. This term, he has racked up six assists in Ligue 1 and UEFA Europa League matches. Apart from him, Newcastle also signed Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn.
#3 Luis Diaz - €45 million to Liverpool
At one point, Tottenham Hotspur were rumored to be on the verge of signing Luis Diaz. However, Liverpool quickly acted and managed to steal Diaz under Tottenham’s nose. The Colombian winger has grown in prominence in the last 12 months, and this move only solidifies that fact.
The joint-top scorer in the Copa America 2021, Diaz attracted interest from several top clubs. During the ongoing Primeira Liga season, the left-winger scored 15 goals and recorded four assists in just 18 matches.
Liverpool's best forward this season, Mohamed Salah, has a similar record of 16 goals and nine assists in 20 Premier League games.
Diaz, a winger with a keen eye for goal, is in a similar mould to Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota. It is unclear whether he was brought in to eventually become a long-term replacement for Mane or just to provide competition for the Reds' talented frontline.
Regardless, the 25-year-old is expected to be a hit, especially considering Jurgen Klopp’s track record with such signings.
#2 Ferran Torres - €55 million to Barcelona
Interestingly, Ferran Torres moved away from the Premier League, unlike the three previous players mentioned on this list.
The Spanish forward was signed by La Liga giants Barcelona in a deal worth €55 million. Torres will join fellow Premier League departees Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (free transfer) and Adama Traore (loan) at Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana have high hopes from the former Manchester City winger. Seen as a mere squad player at Etihad Stadium, Torres is expected to take a much more prominent position in the Barcelona dressing room.
The 21-year-old is quite versatile and can take up any role across the forward line. Despite having just four Premier League appearances under his belt, Torres managed four goal contributions earlier this term. He has already scored his first Barcelona goal in a Copa del Rey defeat against Athletic Bilbao.
#1 Dusan Vlahovic - €81.6 million to Juventus
Dusan Vlahovic is by far the costliest transfer of the recently concluded January transfer window. The Serie A striker is a serial goalscorer, which has led to him finding the back of the net for fun at Fiorentina in the last couple of years.
The centre-forward scored 21 goals during the 2020-21 league campaign. This term, Vlahovic is on track to improve on that tally, having netted 17 times in just 21 outings this season. The 22-year-old is the joint top-scorer in Serie A along with Ciro Immobile.
While many clubs have focused on attempting to sign Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, Vlahovic has made a mark for himself with his incredible goal record. He has outscored both players this season and is only bound to improve with time.
A step up to Juventus might be the right move for the Serbian marksman to take his game to the next level.
