The January transfer window came to a close for the Premier League last week, ending a month of wheeling and dealing which saw some major deals go through.
Manchester City were the biggest movers, with Nico Gonzalez’s £50million deadline day arrival taking their spending past the £180million mark, while Aston Villa had a busy month, bringing Marcus Rashford in on loan and also adding Donyell Malen, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi to their squad, while Jhon Duran sealed a big-money exit to Al Nassr.
A host of clubs chose to stick with what they had, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal declining to bring in any new players.
Two major leagues are still open for business
And while Premier League sides have now locked in their squads for the rest of the 2024/25 season, some countries are still open for business and this could have a knock-on effect for English sides.
The most high-profile European league still open for business is the Turkish Super Lig, which remains open until the close of play on Tuesday, February 11.
Leaders Galatasaray made the biggest splash of the window when they signed Spain striker Alvaro Morata on loan from Milan for 12 months, while their cross-city rivals Fenerbahce landed Diego Carlos from Aston Villa in a €10million move last month.
The Turkish window remaining open after the major European leagues in England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany close means that Turkish sides are well-placed to take advantage of any late developments across Europe.
Deadline day signings in these leagues can see players knocked down the pecking order and become available, or any players that see last-minute moves fail to materialise can be given a second chance in Turkey. Victor Osimhen’s summer loan move from Napoli to Galatasaray on September 4, five days after the Premier League window closed, is a good example of this.
One big-name Premier League player who has been constantly linked with a move in recent months that could take advantage of other windows closing late is Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who has previously been the speculation of moves to the Saudi Pro League and also Turkey.
The most recent rumours surrounding the 32-year-old’s future come from journalist Jorge Nicola, who reports that Flamengo back in Casemiro’s native Brazil – where the window is open until February 28 – are interested in bringing the former Real Madrid man in on loan.
Casemiro, who is valued at €12million by Transfermarkt is clearly not in new manager Ruben Amorim’s plans, having made just one start and one substitute appearance since the start of December.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it is worth the club exploring any option to get him off the books, either temporarily or permanently and a loan spell until the end of the season puts him in the shop window before he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Old Trafford.
Other notable windows that are still open include Australia’s A-League which shuts on February 11 and the MLS which runs until April 23.
