Under-the-radar January transfers to keep an eye on!

• The transfer window in the UK closed on February 3.
• Manchester City spent the most of any club over January, signing the likes of Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov.
• Teams up and down the pyramid added to their squads in bids to get into Europe, gain promotion or avoid relegation.

The transfer window has closed for another few months, and it’s been a busy one with over twice as much spent by Premier League clubs than last season. 

Manchester City were uncharacteristically active this winter in a bid to salvage their season, spending almost £200 million, while Jhon Duran departed Aston Villa for the Saudi Pro League’s Al-Nassr, and Tottenham Hotspur got Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich in an eye-catching loan deal. And outside the UK, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Napoli for a sizable fee. 

But beyond the biggest and most high-profile moves, there’s been no shortage of moves up and down the football pyramid and across the world. Which transfers have gone under the radar but could have a huge impact?

Diego Gómez – Inter Miami to Brighton & Hove Albion, £14 million

Brighton signing a South American player barely old enough to drink in the US? A pretty commonplace sight in recent years. Moisés Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Enciso have all made the move across the Atlantic in their late teens or early twenties. 

Diego Gómez is the latest. 22 in March, he came from the MLS’ Inter Miami, where he played alongside about one-third of Barcelona’s starting XI from the mid-2010s, rather than directly from his native Paraguay. He signed for about £14 million, with the deal announced back in December before officially going through last month. 

While the transfer might have been overshadowed by some huge Premier League moves since then, he made a solid start in their 3-1 victory against Manchester United. He played the second half of their 7-0 loss against Nottingham Forest, but there’s plenty of time for him to adjust. 

Ben Chilwell – Chelsea to Crystal Palace, loan

Ben Chilwell became a real part of Leicester City’s first-team squad the season after their Premier League triumph, and was one of their most highly-coveted players as they challenged the ‘Big Six’ towards the end of the 2010s. 

The left-back moved to Chelsea in 2020 for about £45 million, and has had a mixed time amid plenty of upheaval at the club and his own injury issues. Firmly part of manager Enzo Maresca’s ‘bomb squad’, he’s just become the latest Chelsea man to join Crystal Palace on loan. Still only 28 years old, the move could be just what he needs to resurrect his career, and his experience could help Palace finally break past 10th place. 

Julio Enciso – Brighton to Ipswich Town, loan 

Julio Enciso, as mentioned, is one of a number of young players Brighton have plucked from South America. Though highly rated, he’s not been able to secure a consistent first-team place with the Seagulls, so he’s headed out to relegation-fighting Ipswich for the remainder of the season. 

Enciso is still young, having only just turned 21, and moving from a team often considered to be among the ‘best of the rest’ to one mired in a relegation battle can only be good for his development. From Ipswich’s perspective, his creativity and attacking flair will be a great help as they strive to stay up, and from Brighton’s, it’s valuable experience and game-time for someone not a guaranteed starter. A good deal all around. 

Marcus Edwards – Sporting Lisbon to Burnley

Who would have seen this coming a few months ago? Marcus Edwards moved to Portugal from Tottenham in 2019, first signing for Vitória S.C. before joining Sporting in 2022, and he’s been a regular starter for the past two seasons.

This term, however, the 26-year-old has fallen out of favour, particularly with manager Ruben Amorim leaving the club for Manchester United and Rui Borges coming in. But nonetheless, it was surprising to see a player with such recent Champions League experience and previous links to top Premier League clubs going to the Championship’s Burnley. 

If the move goes well, however, it’ll put him in the shop window, and if the Clarets get promoted as often predicted, could a permanent move be on the cards? 

Kelechi Iheanacho and Emmanuel Dennis – Sevilla to Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest to Blackburn Rovers

Two similar moves here. Forwards in their late twenties with Premier League experience moving to Championship clubs with promotion hopes. Kelechi Iheanacho moved from Leicester to Sevilla in the summer after seven years in the East Midlands, but has only made nine appearances with no goals in the league for the Spanish club. The 28-year-old joins Middlesbrough, who currently sit outside the Championship play-off places on goal difference. 

A year younger, Emmanuel Dennis has struggled at Nottingham Forest since moving from Watford in 2022. He spent part of last season back at Watford in the Championship but couldn’t match the form he showed for them in the Premier League in 2021-22. With Blackburn Rovers in the play-off places but missing the firepower of Sammie Szmodics, who left to join Ipswich in the summer, and Dennis having something to prove, this move could benefit all parties. 

Jay Rodriguez – Burnley to Wrexham, undisclosed fee 

Jay Rodriguez, still probably best known for his time in Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton teams, had spent the last few years at Burnley, where he also began his career, before joining League One Wrexham.  

While he’s now 35, he was a proven Premier League player in his prime, and would surely have amassed more than his one England cap and played at a World Cup were it not for rupturing his ACL in 2014. He joins a Wrexham side vying for promotion to the Championship alongside Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers and Huddersfield Town, and at League One level Rodriguez should still be able to help them achieve their goal.

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