With deadline day only two days away, we reflect on some of the most significant completed transfers that have happened over the January transfer window:
Sánchez and Mkhitaryan swap
Possibly the biggest transfer of the window was last week’s swap deal between Manchester United, which saw Alexis Sánchez making the move to Old Trafford, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is off to the Emirates.
After weeks of negotiations Sánchez has been handed a four and a half year contract, while Mkhitaryan’s contract says he will be staying until 2021.
Jose Mourinho was pleased with how his new signing performed in his debut. Sanchez played in the FA Cup where Manchester United beat Yeovil Town 4-0.
Mourinho told BBC Sport “Alexis brings maturity and class… He is a fantastic addition”.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will make his Arsenal debut against Swansea City on Tuesday night.
Joao Mario
Joao Mario made the move from Inter Milan to struggling West Ham.
The Portuguese midfielder came on at half time for West Ham in Saturday’s game against Wigan Athletics, where they lost 2-0.
David Moyes has expressed hopes that the new signing will “hit the ground running” when transitioning from changing the style of this playing to adapt to English football.
There have been criticisms of Mario’s performance in Saturday’s game, when the stats reflected poorly on his performance.
Joao Mario’s West Ham debut in numbers:
19 touches of the ball
0 key passes
0 shots
0 dribbles— Indy Football (@IndyFootball) January 27, 2018
But maybe it’s not fair to judge after a 45 minutes performance.
Van Dijk word record signing
Liverpool Football Club can confirm they have reached an agreement with Southampton for the transfer of Virgil van Dijk.
Full story: https://t.co/tJy9vsGOen pic.twitter.com/L17A7UwqaU
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 27, 2017
Vergil Van Dijk was signed by Liverpool from Southampton for £75 million, the most amount payed for a defender.
The Dutch international handed in a transfer request last summer to force a move away from St. Mary’s.
The agreement was made over Christmas but had to wait for the transfer window to open to make the move.
Southampton originally payed £13million for Van Dijk when he signed in 2015.
Coutinho’s £146 million move
Philippe Coutinho has made the £146 million move to Barcelona from Liverpool, making him the second most expensive transfer in the world.
Coutinho made his debut for Barcelona against former club RCD Espanyol, coming on in the 68th minute.
Coutinho signed for Liverpool five years ago for £8.5 million, during which time he played alongside Luis Suárez who he will be reunited with at Barcelona.
