GOAL breaks down all of the major moves over the past month and assess the implications for everyone involved
The winter window has slammed shut, with deadline day throwing up a few interesting deals. Tottenham, for example, managed to convince Mathys Tel to join them on loan from Bayern Munich, but failed to persuade Axel Disasi to do likewise, with the Chelsea-owned defender opting instead to move to Aston Villa.
Manchester City also took their January spending above £185 million ($230m) by signing Nico Gonzalez from Porto, having already snapped up Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah as Pep Guardiola tries desperately to arrest his side's shocking slump in form.
As usual, things were pretty quiet outside of England, even if AC Milan moved to overhaul their attack, while there was one major deal in the Saudi Pro League, with Villa's Jhon Duran joining Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
So, who were the big winners and losers of the winter window? GOAL breaks it all down…
AFPLOSER: Ansu Fati
You do have to sometimes remind yourself why certain players make moves motivated by money. Football is a tough profession, careers can be cut short, and one serious injury can change everything. Just look at Ansu Fati. At 16, the kid looked like a generational talent. At 22, nobody seems to want him.
Despite Barcelona making it abundantly clear that they were once again willing to listen to offers for the forward, Fati is still at Barca and his playing prospects look grim. The former Spain international has started just one game under Hansi Flick and seen only 186 minutes of game time.
One of the most promising players ever to come out of La Masia is facing an awfully uncertain future at not only Barca – but also the highest level of the game itself.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWINNER: Pep Guardiola
A lot of people are starting to ask uncomfortable questions of Pep Guardiola. Even when he was being accused of 'overthinking' things in big Champions League games, he was still racking up domestic titles at Manchester City. However, Guardiola now looks a little lost for the first time in his career, completely incapable of coping with the biggest (and arguably only) crisis he's ever faced as a coach.
Luckily for the Catalan, though, his employers retain the utmost faith in the man who's delivered six Premier League titles and a Champions League during his spell of unprecedented success at the Etihad. As well as backing Guardiola to the hilt in the transfer market to rejuvenate an ageing, injury-hit squad by bringing in four players during the winter window (spending almost as much money as every other Premier League club combined in the process!), City's Abu Dhabi-based owners also tied star striker Erling Haaland down to a ludicrously long and lucrative new contract.
So, while Pep may be under pressure in the press, he's not coming under any from above. The City Football Group clearly believe he's the man to oversee the start of a new era of domestic dominance.
AFPLOSER: Ruben Amorim
The winter window has not been without its positives for Ruben Amorim: firstly, he's got rid of the constant distraction that was Marcus Rashford; secondly, new signing Patrick Dorgu looks a good fit for the Portuguese's precious formation. However, the beleaguered Manchester United manager needed an awful lot more than a versatile 20-year-old winger from Lecce to give himself any chance of turning this atrocious campaign around.
United's lack of quality, creativity, cohesion and a clinical finisher were once again laid brutally bare in Sunday's dismal defeat at home to Crystal Palace, in which centre-back Lisandro Martinez suffered what looked like a season-ending injury.
Based on what we've seen so far from Amorim, who hasn't managed to improve United's league position – or all-round game – since taking over from Erik ten Hag in November, there are going to be a lot more painful afternoons at Old Trafford between now and the end of the season.
Rather ominously for their already under-pressure manager, his squad looks weaker now than it did when the window opened, particularly from an offensive perspective.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Brazil
The only beneficiary from Neymar's spell in Saudi Arabia was his bank balance. It was a catastrophic transfer for everyone involved, but particularly Al-Hilal, who paid a €90m (£75m/$92m) transfer fee and more than €200m (£166m/$206m) in wages for seven appearances in 18 months – before finally deciding to terminate his contract last week.
Santos have unsurprisingly welcomed Neymar back to Vila Belmiro with open arms – especially as he agreed to a massive wage cut to make the move happen – and you could see at his unveiling just how much it meant to him to be back where it all began for him. There is every chance, then, that this will prove a happy reunion for both parties – even if Neymar staying fit and focused can never be taken for granted.
However, this transfer is also a big boost for Brazil, who have sorely missed their talismanic forward during his lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Selecao are still on track to qualify for the 2026 World Cup because of the very forgiving nature of the South American set-up, but their performances under Dorival Junior have been atrocious and so devoid of any joy that Ronaldinho even 'resigned' as a fan of the national team last summer.
The likes of Vinicius Jr have found the Brazil jersey a heavy burden to bear, but a revitalised Neymar has the God-given talent to put a smile back on his compatriots’ faces in the lead-up to next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
