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Bargain Signings of the 2022 January Transfer Window

2022 January transfer window

The 2022 January transfer window has closed and there truly have been some fascinating moves from around Europe. Whether it be big money arrivals such as Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus and Ferran Torres to Barcelona, or those lesser signings that go under the radar. Here are some underrated and equally intriguing moves from across Europe’s top five leagues, plus the Championship.

Bargain Buys in the 2022 January Transfer Window

Robin Gosens to Inter Milan

Starting in Italy with the league leaders and there has been yet another savvy bit of business from Inter Milan. In the summer, following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, they acted swiftly to fill these voids and did so at a huge profit. The powers that be have struck again for the Nerazzurri with Robin Gosens arriving from Atalanta. The German international has been battling with injury recently but he was scintillating at last summer’s European Championships in Joachim Low’s final hurrah. His output from the wing-back spot has been outrageous, with 11 goals and six assists last term combined with decent defensive numbers putting him up there with the aforementioned Hakimi as the very best in that role. It seems crazy to think that a week ago, he was being linked with Newcastle United.

Jeremie Boga to Atalanta

It is hard to talk about great business in Serie A and not mention Atalanta. This remains the same in the 2022 January transfer window as Gian Piero Gasperini has identified a superb replacement for the outgoing Gosens. The 27-year-old has been absent for large parts of this season and Atalanta haven’t skipped a beat. Gosens’ successor is former Chelsea man Jeremie Boga. Boga was excellent last season but has put up just 672 minutes this time around. The Ivorian is two years Gosens’ junior and his move to Bergamo is very low risk for both the player and his new team.

Jonathan Ikone to Fiorentina

As previously mentioned, Dusan Vlahovic being snapped up by Juventus was the most expensive move of the 2022 January transfer window. The Serbian striker has had an out-of-this-world 18 months or so to the point that most of Europe’s elite were sniffing around him. Along with Krzysztof Piatek, Basel forward Arthur Cabral has been brought in this window by Fiorentina to replace Vlahovic. However, neither of them are under the microscope. The man in question is Jonathan Ikone, one of those who played a key role as Lille won the Ligue 1 title last season under Christophe Galtier. The likes of Victor Osimhen and Nicolas Pepe have departed the club for big money in recent years and whilst Ikone isn’t departing France for a sizable fee, his loan move to Fiorentina is equally as fascinating.

Nadiem Amiri to Genoa

On to the final Serie A arrival and this one is a player departing Germany now. Bayer Leverkusen player Nadiem Amiri has joined Genoa in search of more regular playing time. The 25-year-old has made just three starts so far in the Bundesliga this season and so whilst he could have maybe set his sights higher, this move makes sense for him. Amiri is a very capable player but Gerardo Seoane’s midfield is packed. With Charles Aranguiz, Kerem Demirbay, Exequiel Palacios and Florian Wirtz all in the midst, Amiri’s presence is less of a necessity now.

Ricardo Pepi to Augsburg

Moving over to Germany now and there hasn’t been all that much business at the top end of the table. At the other end though, relegation-threatened Augsburg have smashed their record transfer in the hope of scoring more goals. Ricardo Pepi is the man entrusted with changing their fortunes. The USMNT striker has had a whirlwind year or two, breaking onto the scene at FC Dallas and earning a move to Europe pretty soon after. Whilst his international teammate Daryl Dike has joined Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion, Pepi chose to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Tyler Adams and Jonathan Brooks in going for the Bundesliga. Can he be the goal threat that Augsburg so desperately need?

Tecatico Corona to Sevilla

On to Spain and whereas it previously seemed that Real Madrid were going to run away with the title, a former manager of theirs is intent on thwarting them. Julen Lopetegui had a rough few years of it as he swapped the Spanish national team for Los Blancos the day before a major tournament before failing to succeed in the capital. He is now at the helm of Sevilla and whilst their current squad is doing a great job, the winter acquisitions are superb. Along with Anthony Martial arriving on loan from Manchester United, Porto forward-come-wingback Tecatico Corona has joined too. Interestingly enough, Corona crossed paths with Lopetegui at Porto and the manager personally sounded him out as a target for 2022. There is a plethora of players occupying similar positions at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, including Corona Martial, Papu Gomez, Suso and Lucas Ocampos, this could point towards him operating as a wingback or even a fullback.

Okay Yokuslu to Getafe

On their route to relegation last season, there weren’t a whole lot of positives surrounding West Bromwich Albion. Two rarities as such were on loan midfielders Conor Gallagher and Okay Yokuslu. The former is now tearing it up under Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace whilst the latter has just joined a struggling Getafe team. Jose Bordalas had them challenging for a European spot but they are currently trying to avoid a relegation battle under the returning Quique Sanchez Flores. Along with Roma forward Borja Mayoral, Yokuslu is a huge coup for the team from Madrid.

Ilaix Moriba to Valencia

Another midfielder moving on loan in 2022 is Ilaix Moriba, who only departed Barcelona in the summer. There were numerous issues behind the scene reportedly at the Nou Camp and he hardly featured at all in his first few months with RB Leipzig either. He has now been loaned out from Germany to Valencia and the hope is he can get a decent amount of minutes under his belt. When playing for the Blaugrana, Moriba showed signs of promise and with Daniel Wass moving on to Atleti, there is a void left there for him to fill until the end of the season.

Cedric Bakambu to Marseille

Penultimately now to France where beyond Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance at the top of the tree, there are a number of intriguing battles up and down the table. After three years playing for Beijing Guoan, Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu has returned to European football ahead of 2022. He had a very prolific spell with Villarreal before leaving for China and he is now a Marseille man. Under Jorge Sampaoli, they had a great start to the season but they have slowed down since. Dimitri Payet, Cengiz Under and Konrad de la Fuente are among his fellow forwards but they all tend to operate out wide primarily. Bakambu netted on his debut, coming off of the bench to score in a 2-0 win over Lens.

Marcelo to Bordeaux

Bordeaux are a famous club in the history of French football but they have experienced somewhat of a fall from grace over the last decade or so. They have been a mid-table team in recent years and are now on the verge of relegation. Bordeaux are a defensive calamity at the moment under the stewardship of former Switzerland national team manager Vladimir Petkovic. To rectify this, they have gone looking for experience. Whilst they rescinded the contract of Laurent Koscielny, they have acquired Brazilian veteran Marcelo after leaving Lyon but did miss out on Manchester United’s Phil Jones.

Keinan Davis to Nottingham Forest

Finally now to the Championship, starting with a loan move as Keinan Davis joined Nottingham Forest until the end of the season. Davis hasn’t really featured under either Dean Smith or Steven Gerrard due to a lot of traffic in the attacking third. This is his first loan move away from Aston Villa and he has two goals to his name already. After netting in mid-week against Barnsley, he was on target again against Cardiff City next time out.

Callum Morton to Peterborough United

Devon-born Callum Morton has been loaned out by West Bromwich Albion once again. He has done well at the likes of Northampton Town and Fleetwood Town to the point where he keeps going up another level. This time around, he is remaining in the Championship, with relegation-threatened Peterborough United. Darren Ferguson has Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Marriott leading the line and whilst the future of Siriki Dembele is still hanging in the balance, Morton is another option going forward. He represents a similar threat to Marriott in that he is a keen pressure and a general nuisance.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Stoke City 

https://twitter.com/BradleyK1919/status/1487191500056367108

The very last name to feature is a very highly rated player at Manchester City. Whilst Tommy Doyle has gone to Cardiff City on a temporary basis, centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis is now a Stoke City man for the time being. Harwood-Bellis has certainly looked impressive in his early displays for the Potters. He could be a part of Manchester City’s success for many years to come.

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