The January Transfer Window - 2018

[Lineker]

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Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Hoffenheim and Germany striker Sandro Wagner.

Wagner will join the Bundesliga champions in the January transfer window after signing a two-and-a-half year contract keeping him at the Allianz Arena until 2020.

The 30-year-old has scored five times for Joachim Löw’s Germany side since making his debut earlier this year and a move to Munich should help him feature in next summer’s World Cup in Russia.

The striker, who has been given the No2 shirt, admits he is delighted to be returning to his home city and said it was an easy decision to say yes.

“I’m delighted,” Wagner told Bayern’s official website. “A long journey for me is now at an end and I can return to my home, my club. I’m very happy that it’s come off. Bayern are the best club in Germany and one of the best in the world.

“When I got the offer, I didn’t have to think about it for long.”

Wagner, who came through the youth set-up at Bayern, is joining a side 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

[Gazz]

Newcastle's January Shopping List

1. New chairman
2. New directors
3. New goalkeeper
4. New right back
5. New left back
6. New creative midfielders
7. New left winger
8. New strikers who can score goals
9. Twenty five Premier League points
10. An Ameobi somewhere in the system

[DavidMarrio]

I wonder who we'll spend the whole month monitoring!!!
 

[Adam]

We (Everton) need a striker, a centre half, a winger and probably a left back. So I'm sure Steve Walsh will see to it that we get a few more #10s instead.

[Matt]

We need a goalkeeper. Ideally a striker and a left back (possibly a centre half too) but for the love of God we need a goalkeeper.

[Just Joe]

57 minutes ago, GaChristmaszz said:

Newcastle's January Shopping List

1. New chairman
2. New directors
3. New goalkeeper
4. New right back
5. New left back
6. New creative midfielders
7. New left winger
8. New strikers who can score goals
9. Twenty five Premier League points
10. An Ameobi somewhere in the system

You'd think Rafa would have been able to put a decent team together with the 80 odd million he's spent in the last two years on players like.

[Benji]

We need to sign someone who can make sure paperwork is completed on time.

[Gazz]

16 minutes ago, Just Joe said:

You'd think Rafa would have been able to put a decent team together with the 80 odd million he's spent in the last two years on players like.

*£102m

[Just Joe]

7 minutes ago, GaChristmaszz said:

*£102m

#netspend

[Bobfoc]

1 hour ago, GaChristmaszz said:

An Ameobi somewhere in the system

It'll have to be Tomi or Sammy. Shola's taken.

[stokeriño]

Honestly not sure what (if any) priority Chelsea will have in January. Maybe a straight swap should someone like Batshuayi or Luiz leave, but their departure would no doubt be dependent on the replacement so in all likelihood nothing will happen (especially when factors such as being cup-tied are thrown into the mix).

You can always improve a squad, of course, but the right kind of quality tends never to be available in January, so eh.

[FestiveJack]

All I want for Christmas January is an attacking manager.

[Gazz]

1 hour ago, Just Joe said:

#netspend

Then it would be -£12m, we've made a profit over the last two seasons. Thanks Spurs, you mugs.

To be honest, Rafa's transfers haven't exactly set the world alight but there are mitigating circumstances. His transfers last season were basically 'players who can get us out of the Championship', which they did, except they're also players that are generally not good enough for the Premier League or at least could maybe do a job / be carried by better quality players, which we currently don't have.

There's also the fact that every team in the league has broken their transfer record within the last 18 months except Newcastle, whose record is still £17m for Owen in 2005 and as pointed out in the league thread, we're now living in a world where Sam Clucas is an £18m player. So £100m is at best five Premier League standard players and not particularly outstanding ones at that.

[DavidMarrio]

In terms of outgoings I can see us loaning out a few of the younger players like Ben Woodburn, whether that be to a Prem team or a Championship side I'm not sure...either way he needs to be starting games but I don't know if joining a team in the lower half of the Prem table would benefit him in terms of style of play. I've seen him linked to Sunderland purely because of Chris Coleman having given him his first Welsh cap. Marko Grujic has been linked on loan to Brighton and Villa too...personally rather see him at Brighton due to playing at Prem level but I think he would get more chances at Villa. 

The curious tale of Lazar Markovic will continue as to whether he will finally get a move out of his purgatory state of never getting a sniff of the first team and having not been loaned out. Surely can't be expecting to get a decent figure for someone who's not played at all this season. 

Danny Ings as well may get loaned out to a Prem team. But it's one of them with Sturridge having picked up a knock and Solanke still gaining experience I don't know whether it's best for Ings to hang around and keep getting minutes from the bench. 

[Kaney]

Bye Alexis. It's been fun

[Lineker]

1 hour ago, Christmas Creature said:

Bye Alexis. It's been fun

Pep Guardiola has informed Manchester City’s hierarchy that he would like to sign Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez and Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, with both understood to have been identified as primary targets for the Premier League leaders.

City, who will entertain Bournemouth on Saturday as they go in search of a 17th successive victory, are keen to strengthen in the January transfer window despite their record-breaking start to the season that has seen Guardiola’s side establish a 11-point lead over Manchester United.

Having failed to agree a deal for Sánchez in the summer after Arsenal decided against cashing in on the Chile forward despite him entering the final year of his contract, a renewed approach next month appears likely despite Arsène Wenger reiterating his stance that the 29-year-old will not be allowed to leave the Emirates. City are willing to wait until the summer if necessary, however, with the club aware that introducing a new signing could potentially upset the balance of the current squad.

Guardiola has also set his sights on Holland international Van Dijk as he attempts to provide back-up for his defence, with concerns over captain Vincent Kompany’s long-term fitness. It is believed that there has already been contact between City and Southampton regarding the 26-year-old’s availability, with City keen to avoid a repeat of the summer saga which saw Liverpool reported to the Premier League for an alleged illegal approach.

Van Dijk has been restored to the Southampton first team under Maurico Pellegrino after having a transfer request rejected but could be allowed to leave should they receive a suitable offer, thought to be in the region of £60m. However, City are unlikely to pursue him in the January window and view the former Celtic defender as a long-term replacement for Kompany.

Guardiola has also stipulated that he would like to add another central midfielder to his squad as cover for Fernandinho, who is expected to hold talks over a new deal in the coming weeks, with Yaya Touré set to depart the club at the end of the season when his contract expires. Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl is understood to be one of the names under consideration, although the 22-year-old Germany international has also been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks, with Barcelona also credited with an interest.

Kevin De Bruyne is also set to sign a new contract in the new year having starred for City this season, with a six-year contract worth around £210,000 per week believed to have been agreed with his agent Patrick De Koster last week. De Koster is currently on holiday until after Christmas but told the Guardian he expects the deal to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Guardiola is also keen to retain the services of Sergio Agüero despite the potential arrival of Sánchez. The Argentina forward was left out of the side which beat United in the Manchester derby earlier this month and showed his frustration when he was substituted in the 4-1 victory over Tottenham no Saturday. But with City still in contention to win an unprecedented quadruple of Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League, Agüero remains part of his manager’s plans.

“That’s normal - I understand,” Guardiola said after the Spurs match. “He wants to play but at that moment I needed a little more energy with Gabriel [Jesus] in that position.

“I don’t want to hurt the players. I understand, I was a football player and I know they want to play. It always breaks my heart when the players cannot play because they deserve it. But it is what it is.”

[DavidMarrio]

City don't need anymore players...they've already pissed the league

[Baddar]

Reminds me of FM a few years back where City were winning the league at a canter and still improving the squad just because every season. 

[Benji]

2 hours ago, Davidmarrio said:

City don't need anymore players...they've already pissed the league

From someone whose team won the league and did absolutely fuck all of worth off the back of that transfer-wise, best time to improve your team is when you're already on top.

[Lineker]

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Manchester United are preparing an opening offer of initial £25m for Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon, with José Mourinho prepared to allow Luke Shaw to leave Old Trafford in order to sign the England youth international.

Sessegnon, 17, who finished as joint-top scorer at the European Under-19 Championship in June with three goals, has been tracked by United’s scouts for some time and has also attracted interest from Tottenham and Real Madrid. The European champions have watched the defender on several occasions this season and are understood to be monitoring his situation, while Spurs had a bid potentially worth more than £20m with add-ons rejected in the summer.

Despite usually operating as a left-back, Sessegnon is also capable of operating further up the field and has gained a reputation as one of English football’s brightest attacking talents. He became the became the first 17-year-old to score a hat-trick in the top four divisions of English football since Dele Alli when he inspired Fulham’s 5-4 victory over Sheffield United in November.

Fulham have indicated that it would take a bid in excess of £30m to tempt them into selling their prized asset, with manager Slavisa Jokanovic insisting on Friday admitting that he is unsure whether Sessegnon will remain at Craven Cottage.

“In this moment, I am not thinking of being without him for the season, but it is not under my control,” he said.

“All the questions are what the value of this player is, but myself, as a coach, I prefer to stay with the more important players for the competition that is ahead of us, but on the other side I can understand the business side too. If we want to be competitive we must keep our important players.”

Should United have a bid accepted, Tottenham are expected to renew their approach but have also enquired about Shaw, who has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford under Mourinho. The 22-year-old has played just 328 minutes in the Premier League so far this season having joined United from Southampton in 2014 for £30m, although any move for Sessegnon is not believed to be contingent on him leaving.

Tottenham are also interested in signing Sessegnon’s twin brother, Steven, who also plays for Fulham and starred for England’s Under-17s in their World Cup victory earlier this year. Along with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, Mauricio Pochettino also retains an interest in Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha but Crystal Palace are adamant that the £50m-rated forward will not be sold in January.