January Transfer Window: Winners and losers

Losers:

Kim Kallstrom

Liverpool

Ian Ayre and Liverpool’s transfer committee probably have more excuses to hand in fending off criticism for the Yevhen Konoplyanka palaver, in particular. It was deadline day, time was up against them, multiple agents scrambling for a cut had confused the situation, and all their work was ultimately undone when the Dnipro president refused to sign off on the deal right at the last hurdle.

However, judged alongside the protracted Mohammed Salah saga and the perhaps ill-timed announcement of a commercial partnership with Dunkin’ Doughnuts, the failure sees the credibility of the Anfield hierarchy in terms of transfer dealings plummet. What’s more, although it might be an overly simplistic conclusion, but should Liverpool finish outside the top-four, fingers may be pointed toward an ineffectiveness during the winter transfer window.

Arsenal

That the Gunners have just been knocked of their perch atop the league table only compounds what has been a frustrating window for the North London outfit. The source of angst among the Arsenal faithful can undoubtedly be traced back to the tantalising prospect of having nearly signed one of Europe most exciting young players.

What makes matters worse, however, is that if reports are to believed Julian Draxler was keen on the move and the Arsenal board was willing to match Schalke’s valuation, only for Arsene Wenger to decide against parting with such a large sum. However, reports have also emerged suggesting that it was the actually German club who put the kibosh on the deal, and it should be said that the inflated fee was in the same bracket as that which was paid for Mesut Ozil during the previous summer, putting the situation into perspective.

Newcastle

Newcastle’s negative experience of the recent transfer window largely stems from the departure of Yohan Cabaye, but there was a silver lining in the form of the sizeable fee obtained from Paris Saint-Germain. Yet, ultimately Luuk De Jong became the only signing made, and the Magpies failed to replace what was arguably their key player.

Stoke

The Potters didn’t suffer the agony of having to wave goodbye to one of their finest, but did miss out on a couple of players who, from the outside, looked as though they would undoubtedly have improved Mark Hughes’ team.

Lee Cattermole was built for the Brittania, although perhaps more so for the side under Pulis’, and Tom Ince could have contributed the type of flair exhibited, at times, by Oussama Assaidi on the opposing flank. Ultimately, though, Stoke’s sole signing of the window was John Guidetti, loaned to them by Manchester City; a player who, apparently, is already unsettled through having been benched too often.