Transfer Deadline Day round-up: Late lucrative swoops
Published:
Matt Haynes | February 2, 2016
The January transfer window came to a close with a rather softening squelch, following late activity from Stoke City and Everton on a day which both surprised and shocked.
Blockbuster January
We saw this winter window top a five-year high of £175m spent on players, with a number of deals being pushed through on the last day.
Regarding the amount clubs spent, management consultancy spokesman of Deloitte, Dan Jones said: “Notably, this January’s spending has been driven in large part by clubs in the bottom half of the table.
“The promise of the new broadcast deal for Premier League clubs from next season onwards and the threat of missing out through relegation is contributing to clubs investing in an attempt to stay in the league.”
Hitting the headlines for deals was Giannelli Imbula’s £18.3m move from Porto to Stoke City with the promising French midfielder joining an ambitious outfit in Staffordshire, who are 9/1 with Coral for a top six finish.
Marco van Ginkel, meanwhile, had his loan deal at Stoke cut short, with the Dutch midfielder joining PSV Eindhoven from Chelsea until the end of the season.
Everton were also busy on the final day of the winter window, splashing out £13.5m on Lokomotiv Moscow striker Oumar Niasse, having previously sold Steven Naismith to Norwich City for £8.5m bolstering their attack.
Magpies make moves
Newcastle were also busy on the final day and, despite having a £24m bid turned down for West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino, they were successful in landing a frontman.
Ivorian Seydou Doumbia joined the club from Roma on loan until the end of the season, with the striker adding much-needed scoring experience.
However, they were unsuccessful in their attempts to land a left back, after Liverpool rebuffed an approach for former player Jose Enrique.
Middlesbrough land their man
Another deal that was pushed through on the final day, after a period of uncertainty was that of Jordan Rhodes switching from Blackburn Rovers to Middlesbrough for £9m.
The striker will play a key part in Boro’s promotion push, with the club odds-on at 4/5 to win the Championship title.
