Departures : 3
Players Loaned Out : 2
Total Spent : £0
Total Sold : £46.2million
Net Profit : £46.2million
Having not suffered defeat in the Premier League since October 23rd, it's no surprise to see that Jose Mourinho decided not to make any signings last month. He did recall 20 year old goalkeeper Joel Pereira from Belenses and gave him his debut in the FA Cup, when he came on in the 80th minute. He's likely going to find his chances limited, but Mourinho must see something in him, in order to have brought him back from Belenses. He'll likely be an understudy to De Gea for the rest of the season and become United's cup keeper next year. Two players left Manchester United for a fee of £20million or more, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin. The prior becoming the latest number 7 to have proved to be a flop as United have still failed to find a player who offered what Ronaldo did on a consistent basis. Him and Schneiderlin both had the odd good showing, but, found first team football in short supply under the new manager, so it's no surprise to see them both leave, and, I'm sure United will be happy with the money they made off their sales. The other departure was youngster Sean Goss who performed well for the U-23's but felt it was the right time to leave, with QPR offering the first team football he desires. The duo that were loaned out are both in desperate need of first team football so there's not much to say on that topic. Overall, I think this summer will be a very busy window for Manchester United, both with new arrivals and departures. It was confirmed Rooney and Young were staying until the end of the season by Mourinho, however if they both leave in the summer, it would free up the wage bill so they could bring in their main target, Antoine Griezmann. Securing Champions League football is likely to be key in signing the Frenchman which is something that will be a big task with how many draws this United side pick up.
Middlesbrough
Departures : 4
Players Loaned Out : 7
Total Spent : £20million
Total Sold : £13.5million
Net Profit : -£6.5million
It's been an average season so far for Middlesbrough, as they sit 15th in the table. However, they need to end this poor form they find themselves in, as they've failed to win any of their last 5 games (D3, L2). Lack of goals has been their main problem, and, with the signing of Patrick Bamford, I think he could add another avenue to their game. The problem they have is Negredo is so isolated up top on his own, so, playing Bamford up top with him is surely an option worth trying, as, he'll give defenders more to worry about as he has a fair bit of pace and gives Negredo someone to flick the ball onto. He was on loan at Boro two seasons ago and found the net an impressive 19 times, however, after his struggles last year, there are questions over his talent. His return to the club where he looked most comfortable, should see him finally prove himself at the highest level, something this club need if they're to stay up. They also have a decent Plan B is Rudy Gestede. He's incredible in the air and is the perfect player to bring on in the last 15 minutes when they're chasing a game and need to go route one. They've signed a young player with plenty of potential in Mikael Soisalo, hopefully he gets some game time in order to prove himself, however the signing of Guedioura, isn't a great bit of business in my opinion, as he never really impressed at Watford. The only outgoing I think they've messed up on is getting rid of Jordan Rhodes. He's proven to be clinical at every level he's played at, yet he was barely given any game time this year. They've done well to be getting £10million for him in the summer, however, I feel he could have been the answer to their lack of goals.
Southampton
Players Loaned In : 1
Departures : 1
Total Spent : £17.1million
Total Sold : £8million
Net Profit : -£9.1million
Another transfer window passes, and another big name leaves Southampton, a common occurrence nowadays. However, we'll start with their only permanent signing of the window, Manolo Gabbiadini. The 25 year old winger was signed from Serie A side Napoli, and, how quickly he adjusts to the Premier League will no doubt be paramount to the level of success he has in this country. He's got pace, he's skillful and averages around 5 goals per season. He will no doubt rival current wingers, Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic, and with how much Claude Puel rotates the squad, he's guaranteed some first team football. They've loaned in young keeper Mouez Hassen from OGC Nice, who will probably not feature this season, however, if he impresses in training and U-23 matches, then he'll likely be signed on as their number two goalkeeper next year. Unfortunately, they lost experienced centre-back Jose Fonte to West Ham United, however, with the performance he put in against Man City on Wednesday night, it looks like getting £8million was good business. The problem Southampton face is that they are now without Van Dijk for three months, and, having not signed a centre-back, they'll have to rely on youngsters from the academy to fill in if Yoshida or Stephens gets injured.
Stoke City
Departures : 2
Players Loaned Out : 7
Total Spent : £16.3million
Total Sold : Undisclosed
Net Profit : -£16.3million
It's been another good season for Stoke City, who currently occupy 9th place, despite the injury to first-choice goalkeeper Jack Butland, which has seen him miss the majority of this season. The main bulk of their money spent this window was on Saido Berahino, who finally got his move away from West Brom, for a fee of £12million which could rise to £15million due to clauses. He'll give Stoke what they really have lacked for some time, pace up front. If he's played up top alongside Peter Crouch, then I feel as though Stoke will be a really threatening side, as it will be similar to the Crouch/Defoe partnership, which was effective at Portsmouth. They also signed Lee Grant from Derby County, whose proved to be a cracking signing, pulling off some great saves and helping Stoke pick up 8 points from their last 4 games. The loaning out of Bojan is a decision that I don't agree with, as if they'd kept him they could have had an attacking quadruple of Shaqiri and Arnautovic on the flanks, with Bojan playing just behind Berahino, which could have been incredible. Their success this year will depend on whether they can find a system which suits Berahino so he can get back into the form he showed back in the 2014/15 season.
Sunderland
Departures : 3
Players Loaned Out : 3
Total Spent : £9million
Total Sold : £14million
Net Profit : £5million
Sunderland find themselves in their usual position of bottom of the league again at this stage, and, a miracle is need to save them this year. The players they've brought in don't really suggest to me that they're going to survive either. Moyes seems to have gone with players he knows, which is smart, but they are also players who don't add much in quality. They spent their money on Everton duo, Oviedo and Gibson. The prior is a good player, but injury has blighted his progression in this country and I feel as though he doesn't have the quality and composure needed to replace Van Aanholt. Gibson is a decent player, but the question surrounding him is, can he control the midfield? I don't think he can in end-to-end games, he's got a great strike so could get a few goals, however I can't see him being a star player for Sunderland. They've also brought Joleon Lescott, can't understand this one. He was one of the worst performers for Villa last year, in a relegation fight, you don't only need quality, you need a squad willing to fight for 90 minutes, a trait which he showed he lacked last year. They got good money for Van Aanholt but I don't get the thinking behind selling him. He's their second top goalscorer this season, the saying 'goals win games' comes into thinking here surely, you don't sell someone who produces them for you and creates plenty of chances. The best thing they did this window is keep Defoe. If he gets good service, then he'll keep scoring, but they haven't brought in anyone which strengthens their weakest area, the defence.
Swansea City
Departures : 2
Players Loaned Out : 4
Total Spent : £13million
Total Sold : Undisclosed
Net Profit : -£13million
I was worried for Swansea when Paul Clement was appointed as manager, but, so far he's proved himself with 9/15 points picked up in their last 5 games, which has helped get them out of the relegation zone. Not only has good business been done on the pitch, it has also been done off it last month, as they had a rather impressive transfer window. Winger Luciano Narsingh was signed for a fee of £4million from PSV. Technically he's very good and he has so much pace, very similar to Montero, and I think he'll become a favourite at Swansea for how direct he is, but, his decision making definitely needs to be improved. They also brought in Tom Carroll and Martin Olsson. The latter, will offer another attacking outlet, and, if paired on the left flank with Narsingh, could prove to be one of the most threatening wide partnerships in the league. Young midfielder Carroll has been on loan at Swansea before and I feel as though this is the right move for his development, as he'll get plenty of first team football, especially if he replicates the performance he put in against Liverpool. Their final signing was a swap move which saw Jordan Ayew come in from Villa at the expense of Neil Taylor. Ayew was one of the bright sparks in a gloomy season for Aston Villa last year, and, he could prove to be an excellent signing for the club. The best thing Swansea did in this window, similar to Sunderland, was keeping a player. That man is Gylfi Sigurdsson, he takes this Swansea side to the next level with his creativity and quality from dead-ball situations, so keeping him was vital in them staying up this year, which I hope they do.
Tottenham
Players Loaned Out : 5
Total Spent : £0
Total Sold : £4.5million
Net Profit : £4.5million
Spurs are enjoying another year of progression as they sit in second place, therefore, it's no surprise to see them so inactive in the window. The only sale was Tom Carroll which was the right move for both parties, as he wasn't really better than anyone else they had, and, he had fallen behind Ryan Mason so first team football was going to be limited. All players loaned out need first team football so there's nothing to comment on there. Overall, the question surrounding Spurs after this window, is will they regret not strengthening the squad, as they're a few injuries away from being in a crisis, especially in the striker department.
Watford
Players Loaned In : 2
Departures : 2
Players Loaned Out : 6
Total Spent : £2.4million
Total Sold : £24million
Net Profit : £21.6million
Watford are a side who have suffered with inconsistency this season, which is reflected in their league placing of 13th. A win against Arsenal last time out shows the potential of this side and with the players they brought in last month, I feel they're moving in the right direction. Their only permanent signing was Mauro Zarate who they signed on the cheap surprisingly. He returns to the Premier League, where he showed at West Ham United that not only is he technically gifted, but also shows great composure in front of goal. Watford are lacking goals this year, with Ighalo and Deeney not producing at the rate they were last season, however, I can see Deeney and Zarate linking up well together, as Zarate is a willing runner and will chase every flick on and loose ball. The two players they've brought in on loan are, Tom Cleverly and M'baye Niang. I'm really excited to see Niang play in the Premier League, he's pacey, powerful and could prove to be a nightmare for defences in the remainder of this season. I can see Cleverly sitting in nicely alongside Capoue, and, after falling out of favour at Everton, he's got to prove himself at Watford to make Koeman change his mind or secure a move elsewhere. They couldn't turn down the £20million offer for Ighalo from Chinese side Changchun Yatai, especially with the form he was in this year, and, selling Guedioura was a good move as he didn't offer that much going forward and was useless defensively.
West Brom
Players Loaned In : 1
Departures : 2
Players Loaned Out : 5
Total Spent : £10million
Total Sold : £12million
Net Profit : £2million
With West Brom enjoying a great season so far, as they currently occupy 8th position, it's unsurprising to see them have little activity in the transfer market last month. Their only permanent signing being the acquisition of Jake Livermore, who will slot in well alongside Darren Fletcher. He's a powerful runner, isn't afraid to have a go from long distance and has an excellent passing range, however, he needs to show more consistency, which is what I'm sure Tony Pulis will be demanding. This could be the club where he finally shows his potential, if not, his stay here definitely won't be a long one. They've also brought in Marc Wilson on loan. Pulis knows him well and clearly feels that he's a reliable player to have as a back-up in case of injuries in either midfield or defence. They finally got rid of Saido Berahino last month, but, what annoyed the fans, is that they could have got double what they did, if they had cashed in on him a couple of years ago. I would've liked to see them bring in a striker in the window in case Rondon hits a spell of poor form or gets injured, but saying that, with the position they find themselves in, they can afford to wait until the summer to strengthen the squad further.
West Ham United
Departures : 3
Players Loaned Out : 6
Total Spent : £18.2million
Total Sold : £25million
Net Profit : £6.8million
West Ham have had a disappointing 2016/17 season so far, as they currently occupy 11th place, which is a massive step back from this stage last year where they were in the top six in the league. However, the main topic surrounding them last month was not to do with their performances, it was instead to do with one man, Dimitri Payet. Firstly though, I'll talk about their signings, Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte. The prior has been in cracking form for Hull City this season, and has ironically been better than Payet throughout this year. His deliveries from set-pieces are incredible, and, he's also shown his quality at scoring from free-kicks this year. Fonte is a solid centre-back, but got off to the worst possible start on Wednesday night, as he put in a dire performance against Manchester City. However, he is solid in the air, possesses great strength and is a good leader, so could end up being a favourite at West Ham. Onto Payet, who spent all of last month pushing for a move out of West Ham, he even stopped talking to his teammates. The way he handled the situation was disgraceful. He was great last year, but, now that the team are finding it harder to win, he wanted to leave. It shows a lack of fight and they are better off without a player like that, so they did the right thing in selling him to Marseille. Their side is definitely too strong to go down but this season has definitely proved that moving stadium wasn't smart, as the opposition no longer faces the hostile atmosphere that was present at Upton Park.
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