The January transfer window has slammed shut, but not before some desperate last-minute business from Premier League clubs.
Chelsea completed the biggest deal of them all right at the death, finally agreeing terms over a British record £105m move for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, taking the overall spending from Premier League clubs up above £700m. Manchester United were also busy late on, wrapping up a loan move for Marcel Sabitzer after learning they will be without the injured Christian Eriksen for much of the remainder of the season.
While a number of clubs' fans will be pleased with the January dealings - both the last-gasp transfers and those wrapped up earlier - that's not the case for everyone. Here, Mirror Football looks at the winners and losers from a busy, busy month.
Winners
Chelsea
If you thought Chelsea were busy in the summer, you didn't know the half of it. After spending big in the immediate aftermath of Todd Boehly's takeover, they picked up where they left off in the new year.
Going into the home straight, they had already splashed the cash on the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto, with the latter taking their spending up to around £200m for the month. A record-breaking deal for World Cup star Fernandez was the icing on the cake.
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Mykhaylo Mudryk has already made his debut for Chelsea (Jon Super/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Mykhaylo Mudryk
Mudryk might have appeared desperate for an Arsenal move for most of the window, but it's still hard to look at this as anything other than a win for the Ukrainian. If a £62m initial fee is a boost for Shakhtar, the bumper contract is great news for the young winger.
The 22-year-old showed promising signs on his Chelsea debut against Liverpool, and will now have the biggest stage of them all on which to show his qualities. Not bad for a player with fewer than 50 senior league appearances at the start of 2023.
Wolves
Pablo Sarabia is one of a number of new signings for Wolves (Getty Images)While some clubs floundered, Wolves acted quickly and decisively during the World Cup break and into the new year. The first key move saw Julen Lopetegui appointed as manager, and he has quickly gone about building a squad capable of climbing the table.
Craig Dawson adds top-flight experience, while Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha offer match-winning quality if they can rediscover their best form. There was also finally a resolution to the Joao Gomes saga, and it has been suggested the move might not have happened without Lopetegui's influence.
Leandro Trossard
While some at Brighton will have questions about Trossard's conduct, the Belgian got the move he wanted. At 28, the Belgian would have known the importance of his next step, and Arsenal feels like a good fit.
Leandro Trossard got his move to Arsenal (Getty Images)“I’m sorry for the last period, but I still would like to wish Leandro good luck for the future,” Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said after the £21m sale. Based on previous form, it would not be too surprising to discover the Seagulls already have a ready-made replacement coming through the ranks.
Nottingham Forest
Just like Chelsea, Forest were busy in the summer and busy again in January. Indeed, two of those summer arrivals - Brandon Aguilera and Loic Bade - will finish the season elsewhere.
The January arrivals have included those like Danilo who were linked with bigger clubs leading into the window. Forest will also be pleased to have snapped up Champions League winner Keylor Navas, one of three deadline day recruits alongside Jonjo Shelvey and Felipe.
Losers
Everton
In January 2022, Everton made a January managerial change and their new boss was able to make some quick recruits. They repeated part one this year, but no new signings were forthcoming.
World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow
The 'good' news is new manager Sean Dyche has some familiar players at his disposal, after James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil completed summer moves from Burnley under predecessor Frank Lampard. Still, few will be happy if Andre Ayew - still said to be in talks over a potential outside-the-window move - is the only new face.
Sean Dyche has been left with a lot of work to do at Everton (Everton FC via Getty Images)Moises Caicedo
While some players successfully pushed for an exit, Caicedo was unable to do so. The Ecuador international went to great lengths to make clear his desire to leave, but Brighton played hardball and Arsenal turned their attention to other targets.
A deal could yet be completed in the summer, with Chelsea also having reportedly expressed an interest. For now, though, Caicedo is stuck on the south coast for the remainder of the season and will not take part in a title challenge with the league leaders.
Liverpool
Liverpool stayed quiet after landing Cody Gakpo (AFP via Getty Images)At the start of the window it was all smiles from Liverpool. The Reds had beaten their rivals to the punch with a deal for Cody Gakpo, and their injury worries elsewhere looked like being alleviated.
As the window progressed, though, it became clear Jurgen Klopp's side were lacking in other departments. The central midfielder wanted by so many fans did not arrive, though, and now the Anfield club face a real battle to salvage their season and climb back into the top four.
Hakim Ziyech
With Chelsea adding so many new faces, there was always going to be an odd man out. This explained Hakim Ziyech's talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a loan move, but the deal ended up collapsing at the last minute.
It was a frustrating deadline day for Hakim Ziyech (Getty Images)The Morocco international has played just 610 minutes in all competitions, and that's before some of the late January business. He could well find himself stuck in limbo, with a summer exit still potentially materialising.
West Ham
While Everton's struggles caught the headlines, fellow relegation candidates had a similarly quiet January. The Hammers did at least land Danny Ings from Aston Villa, but the new striker was injured in his very first appearance for the club.
David Moyes' side have struggled to deal with injuries already this season, with summer signings Nayef Aguerd and Maxwel Cornet missing considerable game time. With relegation rivals Bournemouth and Southampton strengthening, Moyes will need to hope the squad he has is strong enough.
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