Grading All Transfer Deadline Day Signings

The end of the January signing period has arrived for clubs in the United Kingdom. Throughout the day, Talking Points Sports will be covering all of the major signings to occur on Monday, Deadline Day. All major signings completed today will be awarded a letter grade based on fee, on the player acquired, and how that player will fit into each club’s current side. 

1. Luis Díaz to Liverpool (£45 million from Porto)

• Analysis: Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to secure the ex-Porto Colombian winger. A pacey, skillful, direct player, Díaz should make an impact for Jürgen Klopp’s team as an impact sub to start out. The price may deter some, but for a player of his quality with so much room to grow, this could prove to be an astute signing for Liverpool. In this signing as well, keep in mind the futures of both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, with the star men out of contract in June 2023. In Primeira Liga this season, Díaz has 19 goal contributions in 18 matches. 

        Grade: B+
2. Bruno Guimarães to Newcastle (£40 million from Olympique Lyonnais) 

• Analysis: Newcastle beat Arsenal, Manchester United, PSG, and Juventus to the signing of the Brazil international. Guimarães makes Newcastle’s third signing of the window with Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood. This is the kind of player Newcastle will be building their new project around, and it starts with avoiding relegation. Guimarães should be able to help with that, and could be the first of a few signings for the Magpies today. 

    Grade: A

3. Dušan Vlahović to Juventus (£66.7 million from Fiorentina) 

• Analysis: Look away now Arsenal fans. Vlahović chose the Old Lady over the Gunners of North London before Monday’s deadline. In doing so, the Serbian talisman stays in the friendly confines of Serie A, which he has torched this season. Vlahović has 21 goal contributions in 21 matches this season for Fiorentina, and should see his tallies rise exponentially with a much more well rounded Juventus side under Massimiliano Allegri. The deal will be easier to grade in a few years time. For right now however, this is a brilliant piece of business from Juventus to get a player that can, and will, help them. 

    Grade: A

4. Adama Traoré to Barcelona (Loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers)

• Analysis: This is a bit of a head scratcher, but a risk that is worth taking. Traore chose to return to the place where it all began, Barcelona, over going to North London club Tottenham Hotspur. Traore is a big, strong, physical player that should add a different dimension to Barcelona’s flailing attack. What makes the move perplexing is that Barcelona just spent £50 million on ex-Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, who plays in the same position. Time will tell on this one, but it is a low cost, high reward signing for Barcelona. 

    Grade: C+

5. Christian Eriksen to Brentford (Free Agent)

• Analysis: For all of the right reasons, this has got to be the signing of the day. None will ever forget the sight of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch at the Euros, and now he is set to make his return to professional football. And Christian Eriksen will do it for Brentford Football Club in the Premier League. A special midfielder, this is the perfect opportunity for the Dane to get his career back on track. A win-win all the way around with this deal, as fellow countrymen Thomas Frank will be delighted with the addition of Eriksen to his midfield ranks, pending his fitness. Well done here by Brentford.

    Grade:A

6. Wout Weghorst to Burnley (£12 million from Wolfsburg)

• Analysis: After losing Christian Wood to Newcastle, Sean Dyche has had to find goals for a Burnley side who are well in the thick of a relegation scrap. Enter Weghorst, a 6’6 Dutch striker. In 18 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, Weghorst has 6 goals and 1 assist to his name. A solid addition for the Clarets. 

    Grade: C

7. Julián Álvarez to Manchester City (£14 million from River Plate) 

• Analysis: The highly rated Argentine, a player many consider to be the best South American young player in the world, will be moving to the blue side of Manchester in the summer. Álvarez will remain at River Plate for the remainder of the season, which is perfect for all sides. Pep Guardiola will be delighted to add a player of Álvarez’s caliber to his squad for next season, a player who has drawn comparisons to former Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero. If Álvarez could come even remotely close to Agüero, this would be a coup for the Citizens. 

    Grade: A

8. Tanguy Ndombele to Olympique Lyonnais (Loan with £54 million Buy Option from Tottenham)

• Analysis: Ndombele’s time at Tottenham is most likely coming to an end, and what a disaster it was for the club’s record signing. Now for Ndombele, he returns to the club that initially sold him to Spurs, Lyon. This is a chance for Ndombele to return to top form in familiar territory, and in a setting in which Ndombele will feel wanted and important. A good move for both clubs involved, and for the player as well.

    Grade: B+

9. Dele Alli to Everton (Free Transfer from Tottenham)

• Analysis: New manager Frank Lampard is going to get a shiny new midfielder to add to his ranks in England international Alli. Once a top young player, it has fizzled out a bit for Alli at Tottenham. Crucially for this deal, Everton will pay Tottenham £10 million once Alli has registered 20 games for the Toffees. The total transfer fee could reach in the range of £40 million, sources tell Talking Points Sports. If there is a manager who could get the very best out of Alli, it is Lampard. Expect Alli to be a vital piece for Everton throughout the second half of the season, and beyond. 

    Grade: A

10.  Dan Burn to Newcastle (£13 million from Brighton & Hove Albion) 

• Analysis: A Newcastle boy through and through, Burn now gets to make a dream move to St. James’ Park. While Newcastle missed out on initial targets Sven Botman of Lille and Diego Carlos of Sevilla, this will be a nice option for the Magpies to hopefully fight off relegation and improve their defensive ranks in the summer. However, don’t expect Burn to be a final piece of this Newcastle project. 

    Grade: C+

11. Denis Zakaria to Juventus (£6.7 million from Borussia Mönchengladbach)

• Analysis: Juventus win the race for the Swiss international, beating the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool to the midfield maestro. Zakaria should slot in immediately for the Old Lady, with the club likely to lose as many as two midfielders today. Mönchengladbach had to move Zakaria out at the risk of losing him for nothing in the summer, as the player would have been out of contract. 

    Grade: A

12. Romain Faivre to Olympique Lyonnais (£12.5 million from Brest)

• Analysis: A quality addition from Lyon, Faivre can play either flank position or be utilized in central midfield. The 21 year old French international has registered 7 goals and 5 assists in 21 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season. A decent bit of business from the French side to bring in Faivre. 

    Grade: B-

13. Aaron Ramsey to Rangers (Loan from Juventus with Buy Option) 

• Analysis: It has all gone horribly wrong for Ramsey in Turin, and now gets an incredible opportunity at Ibrox in Glasgow. Ramsey now will be a vital piece for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side as they look to repeat as champions in the Scottish Premiership. Ramsey will be looked at the same way Paul Gascoigne was looked at when he moved to Ibrox, an icon. If Ramsey could do half as well as Gascoigne did, this will be a sensational move. The biggest winner here? Wales caretaker coach Rob Page, as Ramsey now will be playing regular first team football in the build up to vital World Cup playoff matches for Wales in March. 

    Grade: A

14. Rodrigo Bentancur to Tottenham Hotspur (£16 million from Juventus) 

• Analysis: A fringe player at Juventus, Bentancur will now be moving to Tottenham with every opportunity to get first team minutes under Antonio Conte. With departures of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli already on Deadline Day, Tottenham needed to find a replacement as quickly as possible. Boca Juniors will be receiving 30% of the transfer fee, per their agreement with Juventus when Bentancur was sold to Juventus. 

    Grade: B

15. Dejan Kulusevski to Tottenham Hotspur (Loan from Juventus) 

• Analysis: Director of Football Fabio Paratici initially bought Kulusevski from Atalanta whilst at Juventus, and now brings him aboard at Tottenham. The terms of the loan are a £8 million fee for a year and a half loan, with an estimated £30 million obligation to buy at the end of the loan. Kulusevski, still only 21 years old, has a lot of potential ahead of him. Having not had the necessary minutes at Juventus, he now will get the opportunity to play meaningful time at Tottenham. A fantastic signing for Spurs. 

    Grade: A

16. Donny van de Beek to Everton (Loan from Manchester United)

• Analysis: This is a straight loan for van de Beek as he looks to get his Premier League career back on track. Everton’s second midfield signing of the day after signing Dele Alli from Tottenham, Frank Lampard is strengthening his midfield in a big way. The move for van de Beek should give him plenty of minutes at Goodison Park, and a great move for both clubs involved. A true win-win for all parties here. 

    Grade: A-

17. Bryan Gil to Valencia (Loan from Tottenham) 

• Analysis: After making the switch from Sevilla to Tottenham during the summer as part of the Erik Lamela swap deal, Gil has only made 20 appearances for Spurs, including 9 in the Premier League, and now will get regular playing time with Valencia. This is a great opportunity for the 20 year old Gil to impress Spurs manager Antonio Conte during this loan spell, a straight loan with no option to buy at the end of the loan. 

    Grade: B

18. Giovani Lo Celso to Villareal (Loan from Tottenham) 

• Analysis: After rejecting a loan move to Olympique Lyonnais, Lo Celso gets a loan move to Villareal after head coach Unai Emery made a personal call to the player. Lo Celso saw his rise occur at Real Betis, and now returns to La Liga. Emery adds to his midfield ranks for Villareal’s push for a European place, already boasting the likes of Dani Parejo, Étienne Capoue, and Moi Gómez.

    Grade: A

19.  Matt Targett to Newcastle (Loan from Aston Villa)

• Analysis: Newcastle get their left back for the remainder of the 2021/2022 season in the form of England international Targett. This adds another defender to Newcastle’s defensive ranks, having signed Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn already this month. A low cost move for the Magpies, which allows them to go and find a long term solution at the position in the summer. 

    Grade: C+

20. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona (Free Transfer from Arsenal)

• Analysis: Aubameyang’s time at Arsenal is finished, and what a shame it is. After all the fanfare surrounding his new contract, Aubameyang’s relationship with manager Mikel Arteta has spectacularly fallen apart. Now, Aubameyang gets his move to Barcelona who need his goals. The only question here is whether or not Aubameyang still has enough left in the tank, but as a true number nine, he should be able to get it done for the Blaugrana. 

    Grade: A

21. Jean-Phillipe Mateta to Crystal Palace (£9 million from Mainz 05)

• Analysis: What a turnaround for Mateta at Selhurst Park. Not too long ago, Mainz were considering canceling the loan deal that sent Mateta to Crystal Palace. Now, Mateta is staying at Palace permanently. What changed for the French striker? Sources tell Talking Points Sports that the intervention of manager Patrick Vieira made all the difference, and now Mateta will be an Eagle for the long term. 

Grade: C