It’s January 1st and the 2023 winter transfer window is open with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea all looking to snare high-profile signings. Liverpool are the only club to confirm a major addition so far with the £37million signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV. Express Sport looks at some transfers we’d look to see follow the Gakpo deal over the next few weeks…
Jack Otway – Memphis Depay to Man Utd
Memphis Depay was a dud during his first spell at Manchester United, lasting just 18 months before being flogged to Lyon by Jose Mourinho. However, in the years since, he’s evolved. And, today, he’s a completely different player to earlier in his career.
United need a forward and Barcelona are happy to sell. Depay, on the cheap, would certainly be wiser than landing Alvaro Morata – or even Marko Arnautovic, who was linked back in the summer.
Depay has unfinished business at Old Trafford and playing him alongside Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford would make for an impressive front three.
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Joe Krishnan – Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea
Not since the days of Michael Ballack and Michael Essien have Chelsea embraced their need for a midfield enforcer, but it seems that Enzo Fernandez could be the signing that takes Graham Potter’s side to the next level.
The 21-year-old is a tidy passer and plays with a refreshing tenacity and eagerness to retrieve the ball, which is a central thesis to Potter’s high pressing system and will complement Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount in the three-man midfield.
His performances at the World Cup were nothing short of exceptional and he was a deserving winner of the Young Player of the Tournament award, and I’m excited to see how he fares with a clear step up from Portugal to the Premier League.
Tom Parsons – James Maddison to Newcastle
James Maddison has clearly shown he has all the attributes to succeed at a top club in the Premier League. Leicester will struggle to give the creative genius the platform he needs to win silverware as they’ve struggled for form this season. And Newcastle could be the team to take advantage.
The Magpies will be confident of securing Champions League football next season after climbing into the top four in the Premier League. And Maddison would surely jump at the chance to be part of Newcastle’s journey and make a name for himself in the north east.
Neil Squires – Harry Maguire to Leeds
Maguire needs first-team football and for all his World Cup form for England he looks unlikely to get it under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United where he is fourth choice centre-back.
Leeds United have not kept a clean sheet for nine matches. Put the two together and you could have a win-win with Maguire – a Yorkshireman – just the sort of spit-and-sawdust defender Elland Road could end up idolising.
Andrew McLean – Kieran Tierney to Newcastle
The Scotsman is comfortably one of the best left-backs in the country but will not gain the game time he deserves at Arsenal given Oleksandr Zinchenko is a better fit for Arteta’s system. He therefore could be forced to look elsewhere and Newcastle could be perfect.
Dan Burn has held the fort magnificently but it is a position the Magpies should look to improve if they are to hit the heights that they are capable of.
Tierney can be that man, locking down the position at St James’ Park for the foreseeable future and becoming a driving force from defence.
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Ryan Taylor – Weston McKennie to Bournemouth
It appears there is legitimate interest but I really like the idea of Bournemouth moving for Weston McKennie following the Las Vegas-backed takeover at the Vitality Stadium.
This would be the perfect signing to kickstart the new era and there’s no doubt that McKennie has the X-factor. He shone at the World Cup against England and could easily play Champions League football.
If they were able to pull it off, it would once again show the growth of the Premier League. Relegation-threatened clubs can still attract star players while also spending big fees.
Charlie Malam – Moises Caicedo to Liverpool
Jude Bellingham is going nowhere until the summer but Liverpool look as though they need some fresh quality in midfield now. Their spot in next season’s Champions League is far from assured, especially with Manchester United and Chelsea improving and Newcastle on fire.
Brighton’s Moises Caicedo looks as though he’d be the perfect player this month. The Ecuadorian would not be cheap, likely costing around £60million to £70m, but is just 21, is accustomed to playing the Premier League and offers all the on-ball and off-ball attributes necessary to play in a Jurgen Klopp midfield.
It would be fascinating to see how such a young, intelligent, energetic and hungry box-to-box midfielder could freshen up this Liverpool team straight away. If Caicedo helped secure a top-four finish, he might even then be joined by Bellingham for next season, which would make the Reds’ options in the middle almost as exciting as their choices in attack.
Charlie Gordon – Mohammed Kudus to Everton
It has been a treat to watch Ghanaian star Mohammed Kudus strut his stuff at the World Cup and in the Champions League, but it would be even better to witness it on a weekly basis. In truth, the 22-year-old may now be out of the Toffees’ reach after catching the eye in Qatar but it may suit his electric play style to go into a new side and immediately become their standout performer. Capable of playing up top, in midfield or out wide, Kudus’ unpredictability makes him a nightmare to defend and he could become even more efficient as he matures.
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