7 January transfers you might have missed

With social media reporters ascending to borderline celebrity status and information as accessible as it has ever been, transfers simply don’t go under the radar anymore.

Details regarding deals from all over the globe manifest on our social media timelines at utterly relentless rates, with such persistence spoiling the fun. Rarely are we taken aback. We all know too much. NBA fans were blessed with the shock of the Dallas Mavericks ditching Luka Doncic, even if they are still trying to wrap their heads around the decision.

However, given how much movement there was in the January transfer window, some moves doubtlessly would’ve slipped through your net.

Here are seven notable winter transfers from across Europe you may have missed.

Mexican hitman Gimenez had attracted previous interest from Premier League clubs having burst on to the scene in Rotterdam, but the 23-year-old forward remained with Feyenoord to kick off 2024/25.

Gimenez has missed a chunk of the season due to a thigh injury but continued to score at an impressive rate in the Netherlands. He has 16 goals in 19 games across all competitions this term, and Milan, before they made a move, were assured that the striker’s injury setback from the autumn no longer lingers.

Sergio Conceicao is looking to build this Milan side in his image, and he now has his number nine for the long haul. Gimenez has joined the Rossoneri in a €32m deal.

Milan were bullish on landing a striker before the deadline after allowing Morata to leave for Galatasaray just months after they facilitated his return to Serie A.

The selfless Spaniard hadn’t been cast aside by new manager Conceicao, but it became clear that the Portuguese coach wanted to move in a different direction.

Morata joins the Turkish giants on an initial 18-month loan with Gala having the option to purchase outright for €9m. He’ll be competing for minutes with Victor Osimhen and Mauro Icardi, although the former will likely move on in the summer.

Grillitsch may not be a household name and rarely has he been linked with a big move away – not for years, anyway.

The cultured Austrian returned to Hoffenheim in 2023 after spending a season at Ajax and was closing in on 200 appearances for the struggling German club having joined in 2017. He’s a versatile operator with wonderful technique and has been capped 50 times by his country.

Hoffenheim, who will also allow burgeoning midfielder Tom Bischof to depart as a free agent to Bayern Munich in the summer, are aiming to rebuild after a horrid start to the season, and Grillitsch’s exit depicts the club’s recognition of moving on.

The 29-year-old has signed for Real Valladolid, who currently sit bottom of La Liga, on loan for the rest of the season.

It appeared as if Atletico Madrid had pulled off one of the most impressive deals of the January window last year when they beat out fierce competition to sign Belgian midfielder Arthur Vermeeren.

The teenager signed a huge six-and-a-half-year deal with the La Liga giants but he fatefully never garnered the trust of demanding manager Diego Simeone.

Vermeeren recorded just 160 minutes of action in Atleti colours before he was loaned to RB Leipzig in the summer. The obligatory purchase clause in the deal has since been triggered, with the 19-year-old joining Leipzig permanently in January.

Arsenal fans rued letting Bennacer slip through their fingers while the Algerian conductor dazzled amid Milan’s 2021/22 Scudetto triumph. The diminutive but tenacious Bennacer ranked among Serie A’s best midfielders during his Rossoneri pomp, but his influence in Lombardy hasn’t really been felt since.

Bennacer was good again in 2022/23 but there were signs of his influence waning considerably last season as Milan brought in fresh midfield personnel. Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah and the imperious Tijjani Reijnders all usurped Bennacer, who has had to deal with multiple injury setbacks in recent campaigns.

A fresh start was required, and Milan let Bennacer join Marseille on loan at the end of the January window.

Awkward in possession and hardly the quickest of turners, Skriniar was always going to be deemed suprlus to requirements by Luis Enrique.

After playing a semi-prominent role in the Spaniard’s first season at PSG, the experienced Slovakian defender who once excelled under Antonio Conte’s watch at Inter drifted out of the picture after missing a month with an ankle injury towards the backend of 2023/24.

With Willian Pacho emerging as a fine partner for the ubiquitous Marquinhos this term, Skriniar recorded just 471 minutes in Ligue 1 and failed to feature in the Champions League before he teamed up with Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce after rejecting a move to Al Nassr.

Okay, you’re probably aware of this purely because of the genius announcement video. If you haven’t seen it, enjoy.

There were a couple of major coups in the Championship during the January transfer window, with once venerated Ligue 1 starlet Enzo Le Fee joining Sunderland in a bid to aid their promotion charge.

Burnley, another contender to return to the top flight, opted to fight fire with fire by making a statement signing of their own. Marcus Edwards was once a shining light of Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP and played a sizeable role in their Primeira Liga success last season. However, he’s fallen out of favour drastically this term and desperately required a change of scenary.

The defensively stout Clarets have their magician.

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