As we enter February, today's article is gonna be a look at every Premier League teams activity in the January transfer window, and a quick summary of whether I think that what each team has done, has improved their chances of success for the remainder of the season.
Arsenal- No real changes from Arsene Wenger's side this January, which has disappointed many fans given the teams lack of midfield depth and potential for success this season, which is all too familiar a sentiment for many.
Bournemouth- No improvements made to a Bournemouth side that has been leaking goals of late. No big losses either, but the recall of Nathan Ake by Chelsea will surely hurt, given how crucial some of his performances were.
Burnley- With the clearance of some deadwood, and the additions of Joey Barton, Ashley Westwood and record-signing Robbie Brady, Burnley have made a clear effort to strengthen their midfield and obtain that vital Premier League survival.
Chelsea-Antonio Conte's side are the current league leaders, and so the fact that they didn't bring in any new players is understandable, however whether they will be affected by the loss of Oscar, John Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic will tell over time.
Crystal Palace- With the signings of Sakho, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic and Schlupp, Sam Allardyce has clearly seen that his squad required improvement, however will it be too little too late for the Eagles?
Everton- The Toffees did some good early business bringing in Ademola Lookman and Morgan Schneiderlin, and managed to hold on to all of their key players for the rest of the window. Looks to be a promising end of the season for Koeman's team.
Hull City- Hull brought in five new players in January and made Markus Henriksen's move from AZ permanent, however despite this set of fresh faces, the team's relegation struggle will surely not be helped by the loss of key players Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore.
Leicester City- Last year's Premier League Champions desperately needed improvements to jump-start their dismal league campaign, however despite bringing in a couple new faces, it seems that 2016-17 is going to be a year to forget for Foxes' fans.
Liverpool- There was no substantial changes made at Liverpool this January, with no-one brought in and only fringe players leaving, which could be a problem for the Merseyside team given their recent faltering form.
Manchester City- The signing of Gabriel Jesus, arranged in the summer, seems to be a clever move by manager Pep Guardiola, who otherwise kept things pretty much the same at City. Could Jesus be the spark to ignite a somewhat inconsistent campaign?
Manchester United- Despite Manchester United being seventeen points from league leaders Chelsea at the time of writing this, manager Jose Mourinho clearly felt that no improvements were needed, using January only to sell unwanted starts such as Schneiderlin and Depay.
Middlesbrough- Boro boss Aitor Karanka was a busy man in January, using the time to clear out the squad of last year's promoted side. Gone are Nugent, De Sart, Meijas and Burn, with Gestede, Bamford and Adlene Guedioura brought in as replacements. This could prove risky.
Southampton- The Saints' did a fantastic job holding on to star defender Virgil van Dijk in January, but did lose long serving centre-back Jose Fonte to West Ham. Manolo Gabbiadini was an interesting late addition, but largely things are as you were at St Mary's.
Stoke City- Although the Potters had to let Bojan leave on loan during January , they largely had a succesful January as they made Lee Grant's deal permanent, brought in Saido Berahino to bolster their weak front line, and held onto key man Marko Arnautovic.
Sunderland- Ever-present relegation candidates Sunderland managed miraculously to hold onto Jermain Defoe which made the window a success regardless. Gibson, Oviedo and Lescott could prove to be good additions but the loss of Van Aanholt will surely hurt the Black Cats.
Swansea City- A new boss at the Liberty Stadium meant that change was already in the air, and this rang true throughout January as Paul Clement brought in Luciano Narsingh, Tom Carroll, Martin Olsson and Jordan Ayew in a bid to keep the Swans in the Premier League.
Tottenham- Mauricio Pochettino opted to make Tottenham's January transfer window a very quiet one indeed, with no-one of note coming in or going out. This makes sense given Spurs' impressive form, but could they have done with someone new to push their title hopes?
Watford- Watford will surely be hurt by the loss of striker Odion Ighalo to the Chinese Super League on deadline day, however the signings of experienced Premier League players Tom Cleverley and Mauro Zarate, along with young star M'Baye Niang, mean they should be OK.
West Brom- The Baggies have had an impressive season so far, and the addition of Jake Livermore seems an astute decision from Tony Pulis. They will be disappointed to lose Saido Berahino, but his attitude was never a focused one, and they may be better off long term.
West Ham- Much of January was spent focused on the story of West Ham's key man Dimitri Payet wanting to leave, which he eventually did. This has undoubtedly hurt the Hammers, but new players in Fonte and Snodgrass should go some way to helping soften the blow.
As always, thanks for reading, any suggestions or feedback is appreciated,
James
Like the blog on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/anotherquestionofsport/
Bournemouth- No improvements made to a Bournemouth side that has been leaking goals of late. No big losses either, but the recall of Nathan Ake by Chelsea will surely hurt, given how crucial some of his performances were.
Burnley- With the clearance of some deadwood, and the additions of Joey Barton, Ashley Westwood and record-signing Robbie Brady, Burnley have made a clear effort to strengthen their midfield and obtain that vital Premier League survival.
Chelsea-Antonio Conte's side are the current league leaders, and so the fact that they didn't bring in any new players is understandable, however whether they will be affected by the loss of Oscar, John Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic will tell over time.
Crystal Palace- With the signings of Sakho, Van Aanholt, Milivojevic and Schlupp, Sam Allardyce has clearly seen that his squad required improvement, however will it be too little too late for the Eagles?
Everton- The Toffees did some good early business bringing in Ademola Lookman and Morgan Schneiderlin, and managed to hold on to all of their key players for the rest of the window. Looks to be a promising end of the season for Koeman's team.
Hull City- Hull brought in five new players in January and made Markus Henriksen's move from AZ permanent, however despite this set of fresh faces, the team's relegation struggle will surely not be helped by the loss of key players Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore.
Leicester City- Last year's Premier League Champions desperately needed improvements to jump-start their dismal league campaign, however despite bringing in a couple new faces, it seems that 2016-17 is going to be a year to forget for Foxes' fans.
Liverpool- There was no substantial changes made at Liverpool this January, with no-one brought in and only fringe players leaving, which could be a problem for the Merseyside team given their recent faltering form.
Manchester City- The signing of Gabriel Jesus, arranged in the summer, seems to be a clever move by manager Pep Guardiola, who otherwise kept things pretty much the same at City. Could Jesus be the spark to ignite a somewhat inconsistent campaign?
Manchester United- Despite Manchester United being seventeen points from league leaders Chelsea at the time of writing this, manager Jose Mourinho clearly felt that no improvements were needed, using January only to sell unwanted starts such as Schneiderlin and Depay.
Middlesbrough- Boro boss Aitor Karanka was a busy man in January, using the time to clear out the squad of last year's promoted side. Gone are Nugent, De Sart, Meijas and Burn, with Gestede, Bamford and Adlene Guedioura brought in as replacements. This could prove risky.
Southampton- The Saints' did a fantastic job holding on to star defender Virgil van Dijk in January, but did lose long serving centre-back Jose Fonte to West Ham. Manolo Gabbiadini was an interesting late addition, but largely things are as you were at St Mary's.
Stoke City- Although the Potters had to let Bojan leave on loan during January , they largely had a succesful January as they made Lee Grant's deal permanent, brought in Saido Berahino to bolster their weak front line, and held onto key man Marko Arnautovic.
Sunderland- Ever-present relegation candidates Sunderland managed miraculously to hold onto Jermain Defoe which made the window a success regardless. Gibson, Oviedo and Lescott could prove to be good additions but the loss of Van Aanholt will surely hurt the Black Cats.
Swansea City- A new boss at the Liberty Stadium meant that change was already in the air, and this rang true throughout January as Paul Clement brought in Luciano Narsingh, Tom Carroll, Martin Olsson and Jordan Ayew in a bid to keep the Swans in the Premier League.
Tottenham- Mauricio Pochettino opted to make Tottenham's January transfer window a very quiet one indeed, with no-one of note coming in or going out. This makes sense given Spurs' impressive form, but could they have done with someone new to push their title hopes?
Watford- Watford will surely be hurt by the loss of striker Odion Ighalo to the Chinese Super League on deadline day, however the signings of experienced Premier League players Tom Cleverley and Mauro Zarate, along with young star M'Baye Niang, mean they should be OK.
West Brom- The Baggies have had an impressive season so far, and the addition of Jake Livermore seems an astute decision from Tony Pulis. They will be disappointed to lose Saido Berahino, but his attitude was never a focused one, and they may be better off long term.
West Ham- Much of January was spent focused on the story of West Ham's key man Dimitri Payet wanting to leave, which he eventually did. This has undoubtedly hurt the Hammers, but new players in Fonte and Snodgrass should go some way to helping soften the blow.
As always, thanks for reading, any suggestions or feedback is appreciated,
James
Like the blog on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/anotherquestionofsport/
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