Throughout the soccer season, the biggest transfers usually take place during two periods of time: the summer transfer window, and the January transfer window. This year's January transfer window led to a plethora of contract extensions, surprise loans, and decently big transfers.
Starting with contract extensions, many big-name players signed crucial contract extensions for their clubs. Heung-Min Son from the Tottenham Hotspurs signed a 1-year contract extension with the team until June of 2026. Son is currently one of the best wingers in the English Premier League, and this extension is securing him for what hopefully will be a big year as his form has been down in recent months. Another big extension was from Manchester United as they recently extended Amad Diallo, a 22-year-old right winger from their academy who had a massive shift in his form. Diallo scored a hattrick in just 12 minutes against Southampton a few weeks ago and completely changed his future, extending his time at United until 2029. Erling Haaland, one of the Premier League’s biggest stars, recently extended his contract at Manchester City until 2034. Haaland holds the record for most goals in a single EPL season and achieved this in just his first season with Manchester City. Barcelona also extended two of their star midfielders, Gavi and Pedri. Both will be extended until 2030 and it is a massive win for Barca as these two are the core of their midfield as of late. Gavi and Pedri are both extremely young as well as talented which helps to secure Barca’s future midfield hopes. The last of the big-name club extensions comes from Bayern Munich as they extended star Canadian outside-back, Alphonso Davies. Davies had many transfer rumors surrounding him in the past year since he was linked to Real Madrid, a club with one of the grandest histories in the world. This extension makes a statement that he is at Bayern to stay until 2030.
Extensions aren’t the only part of the window, as some surprising transfers and loans occurred as well. Firstly Khvicha Kvaratskhelia transferred from Napoli to Paris Saint Germain for a fee of $72 Million. Kvaratskhelia used to be one of the best midfielders for Napoli but had a downturn in form recently. To a surprise to many, Jhon Duran transferred from Aston Villa to Saudi club, Al Nassr FC in a surprising turn of events. Duran has had immense success in recent months at Villa, causing many to think he would be there to stay, but Al Nassr decided to buy him for a whopping $79 Million. Duran has stated in the past how he plays soccer to provide for his entire family, but many are criticizing the move. The Saudi Pro League saw a drop in competition and media attention compared to the Premier League, but players are still able to make insane amounts of money due to investors. Lastly, Marcus Rashford completed a loan deal to Aston Villa. Rashford was a favorite player of Manchester United, originating from the club’s academy and slowly working his way into the first team. Rashford hasn’t seen much time on the field recently as his confidence and playing ability have slowly deteriorated during his time at Manchester United. Hopefully, this move can revive his career and turn things around for the 27-year-old winger. Overall, this transfer window has led to many surprising moves, but also many needed extensions of big-time players.
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