Rating every Premier League club's January transfer window

FT Desk

• Updated: 4 Feb 2026 15:43 GMT
• 19 min read

Analysis

The mid-season transfer window in the Premier League has the capacity to make or break campaigns for many teams.

Over €450 million was spent by clubs across England’s top-flight in 2026, with a net spend well in excess of €160m.

So who were the winners and the losers of this vital period?

Arsenal

Arsenal January signings

Arsenal January sales

Arsenal didn’t make any first-team signings at all in the January window, which is a reflection of just how strong Mikel Arteta believes his squad to be.

Boasting a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League and easily through in the Champions League, there was little need to make any additions until the last-minute injury to Mikel Merino, who could miss the rest of the season.

Instead of opting for a panic signing to replace the Spaniard, Arsenal have kept their powder dry. Having loaned out Ethan Nwaneri to Marseille, the Gunners look a little short of cover here.

Nwaneri’s loan has started promisingly, but the delicate situation at Marseille means that this is a deal that could still go either way in terms of how healthy a move it is for the player.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 6/10

Aston Villa

Aston Villa January signings

Aston Villa January sales

Villa have defied expectations this season by thrusting themselves into contention for a Champions League spot next season.

Unai Emery has reacted by attempting to strengthen his squad, particularly in attack. Tammy Abraham has arrived in a €21 million deal from Besiktas. A Premier League-proven striker, he should offer more consistency and goal threat than Donyell Malen, who has been loaned to Roma.

Similarly, Evann Guessand has been quickly loaned away to Crystal Palace after an unsuccessful start at Villa Park, with Alysson arriving from Gremio instead.

The return of Douglas Luiz in the middle of the park will add depth and looks a cost-effective move to cover an area hit by injury issues.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 7.5/10

Bournemouth

Bournemouth January signings

Bournemouth January sales

Antoine Semenyo was always going to be the big story in Bournemouth over the January period, with the Cherries resigned to losing the Ghana winger for the value of his release clause – some €72 million. They have got a solid price for the 26-year-old.

In response, Andoni Iraola’s side have focused largely on future-proofing their team. Rayan is the big arrival from Vasco da Gama to fill the boots of Semenyo, but judgement on the 19-year-old Brazilian will have to be reserved for quite some time given that the adaptation process promises to be a testing one.

Similarly, the decision to sign Alex Toth from Ferencvaros is unlikely to be a move that offers instant payoff. The 20-year-old’s arrival was prompted by the club seeking to cover a possible future exit for Alex Scott, with a decisive January move meaning that Bournemouth were able to beat Premier League rivals to the promising star.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 6/10

Brentford

Brentford January signings

Brentford January sales

It was a quiet January at Brentford, where Keith Andrews has surprised many by lifting the Bees into the top half of the Premier League table, well away from the relegation battle that some critics had predicted.

A host of fringe players have been moved on to Championship clubs, leaving the only real move of note the decision to sign Kaye Furo from Club Brugge on a €10 million deal. He barely played in Belgium and is very much one for the future.

Brentford opted for a low-risk, low-excitement window after a strong start to the season.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 5/10

Brighton

Brighton January signings

Brighton January sales

Invariably one of the most interesting clubs when it comes to transfers thanks to their smart deals, the Seagulls chose not to do too much in January.

Pascal Gross’ arrival for just €2m looks a tidy piece of business for the 34-year-old veteran, and he has already made a significant impact in the starting XI.

Reshuffling the club’s loan signings was high on the agenda, with several players switching clubs in this period. The aim is to better prepare them for first-team football or to drive their transfer valuations up when they are ultimately sold.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 6/10

Burnley

Burnley January signings

Burnley January sales

Sometimes, when a club is languishing in the relegation zone midway through the season they attempt a 'Hail Mary' by spending big in the January transfer window.

That wasn't the case for Burnley, as they didn't spend a single penny. Yes, the addition of James Ward-Prowse on loan from West Ham is undoubtedly positive as he'll provide much-needed quality in midfield, but the fans will have been wanting more from this window.

There was a flurry of players who left on loan, including Luca Koleosho and Michael Obafemi.

Bizarrely, the club posted a behind-the-scenes video on social media which showed manager Scott Parker preparing to field press conference questions about the club's lack of transfer activity.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 2/10

Chelsea

Chelsea January signings

None.

Chelsea January sales

As always, Chelsea were one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market but they focused more on getting rid of dead wood than on their usual 'spend, spend, spend' approach.

Yes, the 'Bomb Squad' of unwanted players was minimised as the club managed to move on the likes of Raheem Sterling, David Datro Fofana, Tyrique George and Axel Disasi, though three of those were admittedly on loans.

Sterling leaves as a free agent as the Blues were desperate to get him off the wage bill.

There was a loan merry-go-round as Aaron Anselmino was torn away from his Dortmund loan to go back out on loan to Strasbourg, who needed to replace Mamadou Sarr, whose loan to the French side, from Chelsea, was cut short.

Perhaps the biggest story of this window for Chelsea is their failure to sign Jeremy Jacquet, who opted to sign for Liverpool this coming summer.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 5/10

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace January signings

Crystal Palace January sales

Palace were the most active Premier League club on Deadline Day - for the good and bad.

With Jean-Philippe Mateta seemingly on his way to Milan, Palace splurged a club record €55m on Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, hoping to recoup some of that from the Italian side if Mateta left.

However, Milan pulled the plug on the deal due to an alleged knee problem emerging from the Frenchman's medical.

Palace had planned on buying Dwight McNeil from Everton, but when it became clear Mateta wouldn't be sold, they decided against the deal without telling the Toffees or the player himself.

Earlier in the window, they splurged €40m on Brennan Johnson from Tottenham but the most impactful deal for them saw club captain Marc Guehi finally leave, with Man City swooping with a €23m transfer for the England international, and Palace not signing a replacement.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 4/10

Everton

Everton January signings

Everton January sales

Everton were relatively quiet this January as their only major addition was landing Tyrique George on loan from Chelsea with the option to buy this summer.

They had hoped for a last-minute €23m windfall by selling McNeil to Palace on Deadline Day, but as mentioned above, that fell apart at the eleventh hour.

It was key for David Moyes to find a replacement for the injured Jack Grealish, and he managed that with George.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 5/10

Fulham

Fulham January signings

Fulham January sales

With Manchester City adding to their attacking ranks with Antoine Semenyo, that left one too many wingers in their squad.

Fulham took advantage to entice Oscar Bobb to jump ship to Craven Cottage for a deal worth around €31.2m, with Adama Traore making space for him by signing for West Ham for around €2m.

Marco Silva was desperate for a new centre-forward in this window and the club had been chasing PSV's Ricardo Pepi for weeks. A deal was agreed for €32m but it would only be concluded if the Dutch giants could find a replacement in time.

They didn't and Pepi stayed put.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 4/10

Leeds

Leeds January signings

Leeds January sales

It was a surprisingly quiet January transfer window from Leeds, whose recent results leave them at risk of being sucked into a relegation dogfight. Despite concerns over the goalkeeper position, striker options (should Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffer an injury) and the defence (due to recent injuries), the Elland Road club only made one signing.

Facundo Buonanotte was belatedly brought in on loan from Brighton after Chelsea hijacked a summer deal. Predictably, he barely played in West London and was recalled.

Jack Harrison was the only major departure, leaving for Fiorentina after barely playing in the first half of the season. Although a gamble, you can't fault Leeds for refraining from needlessly splashing the cash, given their Profitability and Sustainability Rules concerns.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 5/10

Liverpool

Liverpool January signings

Liverpool January sales

After a record summer spend, Liverpool were fully expected to dip into the market again in January as the first half of the season was anything but successful. Ultimately, the Reds did the opposite.

Despite interest in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, Liverpool decided to be financially disciplined and instead sought to build for the future by agreeing a €72m summer deal for Jeremy Jacquet. The only January arrival was Mor Ndiaye, who has joined the academy.

The fact that Liverpool did nothing to fix their ailing defence immediately is a major risk, though. Their season could quickly become a write-off if they keep up their inconsistent form.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 3/10

Manchester City

Man City January signings

Man City January sales

After splashing the cash in January 2025, Man City also made major moves in 2026. They managed to keep their spending just below €100m, while also offloading several fringe players. €31.2m for Oscar Bobb is a good fee.

On paper, bringing in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi is exceptional business. Semenyo has certainly hit the ground running, although that has done little to turn the club's fortunes around.

Indeed, there is an argument to be made that adding fresh legs in midfield should have been their biggest priority, and they ultimately failed to address this problem, preventing them from getting a perfect score.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 8/10

Manchester United

Man Utd January signings

None.

Man Utd January sales

Man Utd did pretty much no business in the January transfer window due to the sacking of Ruben Amorim. The arrival of Michael Carrick has seen Kobbie Mainoo regain his importance to the team after he was expected to depart because of his lack of minutes under Amorim.

Man Utd should perhaps have added another body in midfield, but you can't fault them for refusing to make unnecessary or reckless signings, as none of their top targets were available mid-season.

There were also no major departures, with only a few youngsters having their loans reshuffled. It was a sensible, if unspectacular, window from INEOS.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 4/10

Newcastle

Newcastle January signings

None.

Newcastle January sales

Newcastle received a late January scare when it emerged that Sandro Tonali had been offered to Arsenal by his agent, but no move materialised. The Magpies ultimately only offloaded fringe players.

Despite this, it was still a disappointing window. Newcastle have once again struggled to cope with playing in Europe, with their Premier League form suffering as a result.

Fresh legs should probably have been brought in, especially after Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento suffered long-term injuries. Newcastle fans will understandably be worried about the final months of the season.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 2/10

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest January signings

Nottingham Forest January sales

Nottingham Forest had a very quiet January window by their recent standards. Luca Netz has replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was recalled by parent club Arsenal and sold to Ajax. The German was a hot commodity two seasons ago, but he is likely to be a squad player for Forest initially.

The Reds also added Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who will replace the injured John Victor, while Lorenzo Lucca has replaced summer signing Arnaud Kalimuendo, who finally moved to Frankfurt after years of interest.

Forest did what they had to do. Their business doesn't truly move the needle, but their squad is much better than their Premier League position suggests, so spending big in January was not really necessary in the first place.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 6/10

Sunderland

Sunderland January signings

Sunderland January sales

Sunderland have been one of the surprise packages of the season and did not need to spend big. They still decided to bring in a few fresh faces to replace some of the many, many players that departed.

Their marquee signing is Nilson Angulo, who has replaced Simon Adingra after his surprising loan to Monaco. The Ecuadorian joins from Anderlecht, where he notched six goals and seven assists in the Jupiler Pro League.

They also signed young Maccabi Netanya winger Jocelin Ta Bi and a new backup goalkeeper. Despite the many exits, Sunderland still have a good squad, so they had a solid window.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 6/10

Tottenham

Tottenham January signings

Tottenham January sales

Tottenham have endured a disastrous season both in terms of results and in terms of injuries. Despite this, they only made two signings in the January window.

Conor Gallagher has already shown that he is a smart acquisition, while Souza is one for the future. Still, given the sheer number of players missing, it begs the question as to why more was not done.

Captain Cristian Romero described Spurs' lack of options as "disgraceful" after they managed to grind out a 2-2 draw with Man City, illustrating that it's not just the fans who are frustrated.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 4/10

West Ham

West Ham January signings

West Ham January sales

West Ham are in a worrying relegation struggle, and their January business reflects that. Five players were signed, while several big names jumped ship, most notably star attacker Lucas Paqueta.

Losing the Brazilian is a chastening blow for the Hammers, and one they may not recover from. They are now relying on Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe, two new signings with no Premier League experience, to score enough goals to keep them in the league.

Their business was not bad per se, but if the East London club do manage to stay up, it probably won't be because of their January signings.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 4/10

Wolves

Wolves January signings

Wolves January sales

Wolves are going down, and it was surprising that Jorgen Strand Larsen was the only player they cashed in on. He has been replaced with solid Championship forward Adam Armstrong.

Angel Gomes could be a nice acquisition on loan, but with Wolves 18 points adrift of safety, these next few months will be solely about getting minutes in the tank to salvage his faint hopes of making England's World Cup squad.

Wolves could perhaps have shown a bit more ambition in January, but the real rebuild will come in the summer.

TRANSFER WINDOW RATING: 2/10

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