Blockbuster winter deals were practically non-existent, but the elite will be ready to splash the cash again in five months' time
The 2023 January transfer window was nothing short of insane, at least in the Premier League. A grand total of £780 million ($992m) was spent by clubs in the English top-flight, with Chelsea accounting for more than half of that amount as Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital consortium gave the green light for nine signings, including Enzo Fernandez and Myhailo Mudryk.
Another £2.4bn ($3bn) outlay followed last summer, a new record for the Premier League, who have left Europe's remaining four top divisions behind in terms of commercial and broadcasting returns. Something had to give eventually, and Everton ended up being the club to trigger a tightening of the purse strings across English football when they were docked 10 points from breaching profit and sustainability rules in November.
A second charge has since been imposed on Everton, and Nottingham Forest are also awaiting punishment for exceeding losses of £105m ($133.6m) over a three-year period. Meanwhile, Champions League holders Manchester City have 115 Financial Fair Play charges hanging over their head, and extreme sanctions could come their way if they are found guilty of wrongdoing, with the trial set to kick-off in the autumn.
As a result of all the chaos behind the scenes, club officials were at lot more careful in the 2024 January window. Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 outfits leaned more towards trying to find value in the loan market, younger talent, and the free agency pool. But the likelihood is, this was just the calm before the storm.
No one wants to sell their best players midway through the season, while the Africa Cup of Nations and Asia Cup also took centre stage. Things will go back to normal in the summer, when squads need reshaping, and top players have a far greater chance of negotiating their dream move or cutting ties with a club that no longer feels like home.
GOAL is here to run down the most intriguing storylines to look forward to, starting with a certain Frenchman still weighing up his future…
Getty/GOALFinal chapter of the Mbappe saga?
Will he or won't he? That has been the question on the lips of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain fans alike over the past three years as Kylian Mbappe has continuously flirted with a move to Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid saw two mega bids rejected in 2021, and Mbappe signed a new contract at Parc des Princes the following year, but that hasn't deterred Blacos president Florentino Perez. Mbappe has so far refused to trigger the one-year extension option in his PSG deal, and is set to become a free agent in the summer, with a €30 million (£26m/$32m)-a-year package already waiting for him in the Spanish capital – according to .
It could easily be argued that Madrid don't really need Mbappe, given how well Vinicius Junior is performing in his favoured position on the left-wing, but this is a transfer saga that will only end once the Frenchman is pictured wearing that famous white shirt. PSG have built their team around Mbappe, but they'd be better off without the constant speculation over his future, and his departure would free up room on the wage bill for two or three new stars.
It has also been reported that Mbappe still has "doubts" over leaving PSG – which is understandable given the power he enjoys on and off the pitch with the French champions. However, embarking on a new challenge would be best for the 25-year-old's development, if he really harbours ambitions to win the Ballon d'Or.
Madrid seems to be the ideal destination, although a foray into the Premier League at Liverpool can also not be ruled out at this stage. It's time for Mbappe to spread his wings.
Advertisement(C)Getty imagesOsimhen's big decision
"We knew it since last summer, the negotiations for his renewal have been long and friendly for that reason, we knew perfectly that he will go to Real Madrid, PSG or some Premier League team."
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the worst kept secret in football last month: Victor Osimhen's time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona will soon be over, and he is likely to have his pick of Europe's elite clubs amid a shortage of top quality centre-forwards in the modern game.
The Saudi Pro League is also an option for Osimhen, who will command a transfer fee in the region of €130 million (£113/$144m), but De Laurentiis' prediction is more realistic. Napoli's ambitious goal scoring machine wants to play at the very highest level, and his qualities are ideally suited to the Premier League.
Chelsea and Arsenal are both in dire need of a proper No.9, while Manchester United could also be in the market for a new striker due to Rasmus Hojlund's frustrating start to life at Old Trafford. Osimhen has the potential to be the Gunners' answer to Erling Haaland as they seek to dethrone Manchester City, but he is also capable of having a transformative effect for Chelsea and United.
The Mbappe saga could end up having a huge impact on where Osimhen ends up, though. If the PSG star joins Real, they will have little desire to swoop for Osimhen, and the door will open for him to take the World Cup winner's spot at Parc des Princes.
GettyReturn of Saudi spending
The Saudi Pro League has gone global in the past 12 months – on the back of sealing an earth-shattering deal for Cristiano Ronaldo – with the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez all following the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to the Middle East. Things went quiet again in January, with former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic the only high-profile new addition at Al-Shabab, but Saudi chiefs will be ready to spend big again in the summer.
Mohamed Salah emerged as a priority target for Al-Ittihad last year, and it has been reported that they will return with a bid exceeding £200m ($253m) for the Liverpool talisman. The Reds will, of course, be reluctant to lose Salah, but that kind of money will be very difficult to turn down, especially given the fact the 31-year-old only has a year remaining on his contract.
There are plenty of other high-profile names who could be tempted by the riches on offer in Saudi, with United duo Antony and Casemiro, Newcastle's Miguel Almiron, and even City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne among those being touted to turn their backs on European football.
Al-Nassr's new poster boy Ronaldo has claimed that the Saudi Pro League will become one of the best divisions in world football within five years, and that is not unrealistic. The huge investment in top talent isn't going to stop anytime soon – with Saudi royal family member Prince Abdullah Saad Abdulaziz Al Saud echoing Ronaldo's sentiments on : "Saudi Arabia is now the monster of the market. More stars will come. Saudi Arabia plans to become the number one nation in football.”
Getty ImagesBayern overhaul incoming?
Bayern Munich finally replaced club legend Robert Lewandowski last summer by snapping up Harry Kane from Tottenham, and the former England international has been an instant hit in Germany, scoring 27 goals in 26 games across all competitions. But his exploits have only papered over the club's deep-rooted issues.
Thomas Tuchel has alienated club officials and fans consistently since replacing Julian Nagelsmann as manager, and there is a real risk of a mass exodus at the Allianz Arena, with a host of senior stars now into the final 18 months of their contracts, including Alphonso Davies, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Kimmich. An overhaul seems inevitable, especially if Bayern end up being pipped to the Bundesliga finishing post by Xabi Alonso's relentless Bayer Leverkusen side.
Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry have also been linked with moves away from Allianz Arena, and there will be no shortage of suitors for players of their quality. There will also be plenty of incomings, though, with Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier still on Bayern's radar along with Ajax winger Steven Bergwijn – a former Spurs team-mate of Kane's – and United defender Raphael Varane.
It's highly likely that Bayern will be the busiest elite European club in the summer window, and it will be fascinating to see how their squad looks once the 2024-25 season gets underway. Kane has walked into a mess, but a new sporting director will be in place in the form of Max Eberl come April, which could mark the beginning of an exciting new era.