Posted by FFPundits
11:42am Feb 23 2022
The 2021/22 transfer window slammed shut just over a week ago. Premier League teams will now have to make do with their respective squads for the remainder of the season until the summer window in July.
Often, the January transfer window gives teams at the top of the table a chance to strengthen their hold on the league and to become firm favourites in the gambling markets among popular sports betting sites like gamblers pro. Whereas, for teams at the bottom, it is one last chance to get some better-quality players in.
However, some teams definitely excelled in the 2021/22 winter window while some others completely flopped. Below are the Premier League clubs who had the best transfer window in January.
Aston Villa
Usually, having a big name, former football player as a manager helps teams to attract some of the best and brightest stars in world football. For Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa, that was certainly the case this January.
Villa’s two high-profile signings in the window were Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne. Coutinho joined the Villans on loan from Barcelona for the remainder of the season, while Digne moved from Everton to Villa Park.
Both signings show big ambition from Villa to become a competitive side in the top half of the Premier League table. In Coutinho, they have a midfield playmaker capable of the spectacular. In Dinge, they have an assured full-back with tonnes of Premier League experience.
But it wasn’t just high-profile names on Villa’s shopping list. Gerrard added some smart signings to bolster his squad depth. Defender Callum Chambers and goalkeeper Robin Olsen also joined Villa and both come with previous Premier League experience.
Overall, the Villans added quality and depth without breaking the bank on several signings.
Newcastle
The winter transfer was always going to be targeted by Newcastle. In October, the club had a £300million takeover and the new owners have not held back to give Eddie Howe the best chance of achieving Premier League survival this season.
The Magpies’ highest-profile signing in the window was midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The midfielder arrived from Lyon for a fee of nearly £40 million and he is expected to become a key player at St James’ Park. Before departing Lyon, the midfielder was a stalwart in Ligue 1 as a defensive midfielder and he missed only one league match all season.
Howe also added proven Premier League quality to his ranks. Experience comes through signing England wing-back Keiran Trippier from Atletico Madrid for £12 million. Former Burnley striker Chris Wood will also provide support for current top-scorers Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.
Dan Burn also arrived from Brighton to sure up the Newcastle defence, which has conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League this season (43).
Although Newcastle did not break the bank and sign some of the leading talents in world football, they made astute, experienced signings that will give them a chance of Premier League survival.
Liverpool
Liverpool has been relatively quiet in recent transfer windows, adding one or two players per window. However, Jurgen Klopp usually prefers to sign quality over quantity, as seen through the likes of Diogo Jota, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Thiago Alcântara in recent seasons.
The Reds tend to go for players that will challenge the first team straight away. By signing Portuguese attacker Luis Díaz for £40 million, Liverpool has stuck with this philosophy during the winter window.
Díaz is likely to provide competition of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino in Klopp’s preferred front three. But, the 25-year-old comes with plenty of promise, scoring 14 goals and making five assists in 18 Primeira Liga appearances for Porto this season.