It can be difficult to keep up with the unrelenting churn of transfer news – even if you’re in charge of a football club.
After signing Colin Todd for a British record fee of £175,000 in 1971, Derby County’s enigmatic manager Brian Clough sent a telegram to his chairman Sam Longson who was sunning himself in the Caribbean.
“Signed you another good player, Todd. Running short of cash, Brian.”
Longson had been vaguely aware of Clough’s interest in the defender before jetting off but only found out how much (of his own money) Derby had spent when he bumped into the chairmen of Coventry City and Crystal Palace.
Here are the deals from the January transfer window that may have slipped under the radar.
1. Carlos Alcaraz to Juventus.
Shortly after Juventus announced their latest arrival on Instagram, Carlos Alcaraz replied to the post: “I’ll try my best! Thanks for the trust.”
However, the commenter was the Spanish tennis sensation taking advantage of having the same name as Juve’s new number 26. Unlike his namesake who is ranked number two in the world of racquets and courts, the Argentine Alcaraz was Southampton’s joint-fifth top scorer in the Championship this season.
At just 21, there is plenty of time for Alcaraz to improve but the £42m option-to-buy clause included in his loan deal seems incredibly steep for a striker behind Che Adams and Adam Armstrong in Southampton’s pecking order.
2. Valentin Barco to Brighton.
Brighton’s mastery of the transfer market – capped off by making almost £100m profit on Moises Caicedo last summer – should ensure a level of interest for every new arrival on the south coast.
Boca Juniors’ Valentin Barco is the latest wonderkid to be snagged by the Seagulls. Targeted by Chelsea and Manchester City as he entered the final months of his contract in Buenos Aires, Brighton characteristically won the race for the 19-year-old full-back. Roberto De Zerbi’s side parted ways with £7.8m for Barco which could come to look like an almighty steal in a few years.
3. Hugo Lloris to LAFC.
Somehow, Hugo Lloris was still technically a Tottenham Hotspur player as recently as December. The French World Cup winner played his last game for Spurs in April 2023, shipping five goals while making one save before getting hooked at half-time against Newcastle United.
Lloris turned down a return to Nice last summer but didn’t make a single matchday squad for Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou. As soon as the winter window opened, Lloris leapt at the chance to join MLS side LAFC, taking a huge pay cut to seal the move.
4. Scott McKenna to FC Copenhagen.
Scott McKenna’s first trip to the Etihad Stadium ended in a humiliating 6-0 thrashing. That day he was lining up for Nottingham Forest but the Scottish centre-back will return to east Manchester in the Champions League next month with his new side FC Copenhagen.
It’s no surprise that the reigning Danish champions moved for a centre-back – they have suffered a spate of defensive injuries – but their focus on McKenna, highlighted as “a top priority” by coach Jacob Neestrup, is slightly surprising.
The Scotland international has been afforded 18 first-team minutes at Forest since September, frozen out by Steve Cooper and deemed surplus to requirements under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Copenhagen don’t have a reputation for British recruits either. McKenna will become the first Scot to appear in the Danish top flight since Steven Pressley – nicknamed ‘Elvis’ for obvious reasons – spent a forgettable six months at Randers in 2008.
5. Nemanja Matic to Lyon.
Ivan Perisic was tipped to break into Hajduk Split’s first team as a teenager. A decade and a half later, the Croatian icon is finally set to make his long-awaited senior debut for the club he grew up supporting.
To help his father’s failing chicken farm, Perisic left Hajduk’s academy at 17 to join Sochaux. The bump in earnings kept the farm afloat and Perisic provided an indelible memory of his sacrifice by getting a tattoo of a chicken (which looks remarkably like the poultry character in the Cow and Chicken cartoon).
Despite still being halfway through his recovery from a complex ACL tear sustained during a Tottenham training session in September, Perisic signed for Hajduk in January. With money no longer an issue, Perisic agreed to a perfunctory salary of €1-per-month
