The winners
1. Emmanuel Adebayor
IT FEELS LIKE the talented but erratic striker is on about his fifth last chance at this stage. Earlier this month, the Togo-born forward was picked up by Crystal Palace on a free transfer after being released by Tottenhan.
After training with Spurs’ U21 side having been banished from the first team towards the end of his spell at Tottenham, it’s easy to forget that Adebayor actually started life quite brightly at White Hart Lane in 2011 under Harry Redknapp, doing enough to persuade the club to sign him permanently following a successful loan spell. Yet once he secured a big contract, perhaps not coincidentally, his performances dipped and he never recaptured his early Tottenham form.
Consequently, Adebayor, whose spell at City also ended in acrimony, represents a big gamble for Palace and he’s lucky to still have a Premier League club vying for his services given the player’s less-than-favourable reputation.
Nevertheless, widely regarded as a consummate man manager, if Eagles boss Alan Pardew can get the best out of the 31-year-old striker, he may just have a bargain on his hands.
2. Newcastle
They may not have signed one man they clearly wanted in out-of-favour West Brom forward Saido Berahino, nonetheless, all things considered, Newcastle look to have done good business this January.
The Magpies have signed two above-average Premier League players in Andros Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey — both of whom are England internationals despite still being under 25.
Meanwhile, signed for €5 million from Bordeuax, Senegal international Henri Saivet arrives from France with a strong reputation and could well turn out to be an astute purchase.
So recent performances have suggested Newcastle are too good to go down, and their January acquisitions will only strengthen this belief.
3. Stoke
Stoke have signed some excellent players in recent times, so there’s no reason why Giannelli Imbula can’t be another success story.
The 23-year-old became the Potters’ record signing yesterday, in a deal confirmed just before the window’s closure.
Widely tipped as a future France or Belgium international depending on who he chooses to play for, Imbula will provide further competition in Stoke’s well-stocked midfield.
The outgoing Porto player becomes the club’s 12th signing since the summer window opened and they are finally starting to truly resemble a Mark Hughes side, rather than the remnants of a Tony Pulis one.
The club are currently just four points off fifth-placed Man United and are certainly good enough to enjoy a strong end to the season to complement their encouraging start, with their latest and greatest (in price at least) big-money buy likely to make them more formidable than ever.
The losers
1. Louis van Gaal
It’s all gone rather stale of late at Old Trafford, as indicated by the fact that Man United haven’t scored a first-half goal there since September.
The Red Devils could have done with a big-money signing with the club seemingly stagnating this season under Louis van Gaal, yet despite rumours of a deal involving Lazio midfielder Felipe Anderson, nothing materialised ultimately.
United’s lack of depth in the forward department and dearth of creativity in midfield are therefore problems their fans will have to put up with until the end of the season.
It was telling also that for the first time since his arrival, Van Gaal was not given any money for a transfer window — a sign of his imminent departure in the summer perhaps?
2. Aston Villa
If ever a club’s transfer activity spoke volumes about its mindset, it was Aston Villa’s dealings, or lack thereof, this January.
The Midlands club haven’t spent a penny in the past month — Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn said it was akin to “raising the white flag” in their battle with relegation, while manager Remi Garde — only appointed in November — is rumoured to be considering his future as a result.
Of course, in a sense, it’s understandable that Villa would be reluctant to sign anyone — their summer recruitment, dominated by players from France’s Ligue 1, was nothing short of a disaster, with the squad seemingly getting worse rather than better thereafter.
Villa’s current squad is simply not good enough for a Premier League team and their refusal to act on this fatal flaw means their relegation now looks more inevitable than ever.
3. Saido Berahino
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There was element of deja vu about this transfer window. As was the case in the summer, West Brom striker Saido Berahino dominated the gossip columns, but once again, the deadline’s imminent closure was greeted with a surly tweet from the disillusioned player following his failure to move.
Berahino has appeared to be in somewhat of a perpetual sulk ever since his initial Deadline Day move failed to work out, with boss Tony Pulis recently commenting that he has “wasted three or four months” of his career.
The player at one point looked a strong candidate for England’s Euro 2016 squad, but such talk now seems like a distant dream, as the out-of-favour forward is unlikely to play regularly for the Baggies for the remainder of the season.
The 22-year-old attacker looks set to go the best part of a year without a regular run of senior games owing to his poor attitude, and whereas once, a club like Tottenham were keen on availing of his services, Spurs and others may now think twice given all the baggage he seems to have accrued.
