Stevie Nicol and Craig Burley talk about what role Gakpo will play. There is a time and a place for it. The Premier League's winter spending of 335 million was the second highest in history and was spent by the bottom five clubs. It's not clear how teams will respond to the various challenges this year, but there have been agreements for some high-profile signings. The major deals in January were graded. Each day, the highest fee is paid for the most recent write-ups. Check back later if you don't see a grade for a big move. You can check out the completed deals. Fees are reported if they are confirmed.
€20m ($21.3m) Barcelona: A.
Atletico Madrid: A-
Jan. 2
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN
Barcelona paid 120m to sign a player from another team and then lent him back to them for two years. If he played over 45 minutes in 50% of the games for which he was available, the loan would be made permanent for 40m. The fee was halved to avoid a saga. It was one of the worst deals in the history of the club, and seeing Griezmann shine for France in a new role at the World Cup just makes it worse.
It's a gamble given that he hadn't regained his previous brilliance for them while on loan. They won't have to keep an eye on his minutes. They will be happy if they can get the best out of his new skills.
€42m (£37m, $45m)
PSV: A.
Liverpool: A
If Man United had offered 50m over the summer, PSV would have allowed Gakpo to leave, according to the director. The valuation of the club remained the same after the World Cup. Even if they got another 8m in add-ons they could have asked for more.
It's a great move from the other side of the city. They beat United to the punch but haven't spent a lot on a player with 55 goals and 50 assists from 159 senior games. At 23 years old, he has a lot of room to grow as a person. It will be a step up in quality but Gakpo has the skills to deal with it.
£300,000 ($360,000)
The Central Coast is home to the Central CoastMariners.
Newcastle: B
Kuol became the youngest player to represent Australia since Harry Kewell when he was called up to the World Cup squad. He only signed his first professional deal in June and has a lot to learn. He's highly rated and the Mariners weren't going to stop him from moving.
Eddie Howe said the forward will be developed in the next couple of years to get him at the right level for the premier league, so don't expect him to have an immediate impact. The club have had a lot of loan offers since impressing at the World Cup. It's very important for the future.
Loan
A.
Wolves: B
He failed to find regular first-team football with seven goals in 54 appearances after joining from Hertha Berlin for 25 million dollars. His lack of minutes this season saw him miss out on a place in the Brazil squad for the World Cup. The transfer fee that will be paid in the summer was done brilliantly by the team.
Sources said that the initial loan deal will cost Wolves 40m, plus another 10m in add-ons. It seems an extremely large fee for a player who hasn't set the world alight in LaLiga and has plenty of potential.
Free
A+ is assigned to Al-Nassr.
You don't get many chances to sign a player of his class, so fair play to the Saudi Arabian side for putting up the silly money that he couldn't refuse. It's a strange place for one of the greatest players of all time to end his career.
If personal grades were given to a player, they would score low. While he talked about playing until he was 40, competing at the highest level and fighting for trophies, it seems he is now only interested in money.
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