January Transfer Window Grades: Barcelona Breaks Even, Crystal Palace Overpay For Striker

January is a notoriously bad time for buyers because nobody ever wants to sell top talent midway through the season. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Some clubs need to raise funds to balance the books, while others can be left with not option but to unload an unhappy player who has made it clear that he wants to join a stronger side. For the most part, though, getting good value for money is difficult, as we saw during the last winter window. Manchester City spent almost £180 million on six players a year ago, and not one of them has been an unqualified success. Of course, that won’t stop teams splashing the cash this month, as they look to either maintain their momentum or turn their season around. As a result, GOAL is once again on hand to grade the biggest January deals from the perspective of the two clubs involved, and the player himself… January 29: Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves to Crystal Palace, £50m) For Wolves: Outstanding work! Strand Larsen was a revelation for Wolves last season, which is why Newcastle offered £55m for the forward during the summer. Having already lost Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, the powers that be at Molineux felt that could ill-afford to let Strand Larsen leave too — which turned out to be a mistake, given how poorly he’s performed this season (just one goal in 19 Premier League appearances). So, for Wolves to have still managed to get £50m for a forward whose true value is probably half that fee is genuinely amazing. As long as the money raised is invested in the squad, Strand Larsen won’t be missed — and certainly not by the fans who’d grown bitterly frustrated with his performances this season. Grade: A- For Palace: A big gamble. Palace clearly needed to sign a striker, with Jean-Philippe Mateta keen to leave Selhurst Park before deadline day, and Strand Larsen has shown that he can score goals in the Premier League — or, at least, he did during the 2024-25 campaign. However, £50m is an obscene amount of money for a potential one-season wonder. After all, while Strand Larsen has scored six times in all competitions this season, half of those goals came against League Two side Shrewsbury Town. Of course, at 25, he’s still got room for improvement and Oliver Glasner could help him realise his full potential, but let’s not forget that the Austrian will be gone at the end of the season — if not earlier. Palace are clearly doing what they can to salvage a season in real danger of going off the rails and Strand Larsen could well start scoring again in a far stronger side than Wolves — but they’ve unquestionably overpaid here. Grade: C For Strand Larsen: A welcome change of scenery. After a brilliant debut season at Wolves, Strand Larsen came in for an awful lot of stick during his side’s historically bad first half of the season. The feeling was that he was no longer performing at his best after being left disappointed by the club’s refusal to sell him to Newcastle last summer. It’s hard to imagine that he’d have deliberately downed tools, but there’s no doubt that he could have subconsciously allowed his level to drop. Whatever the truth, Strand Larsen now has an excellent opportunity to get back among the goals with a team that generally creates quite a few chances. Palace might not be as big a club as Newcastle but this is still the kind of move he needed to get himself in the right frame of mind — and form — ahead of Norway’s World Cup campaign. Grade: B+ January 27: Douglas Luiz (Juventus to Aston Villa, loan) For Juventus: A big boost. Luiz ranks as one of the worst signings in Juve’s history, a dreadful waste of money that played a major part in the Bianconeri board’s decision to sack Cristiano Guintoli as the club’s sporting director last June. By that stage, they were also doing everything in their power to offload the midfielder, who failed to score or assist a single goal in 27 appearances during the 2024-25 campaign. In the end, Nottingham Forest agreed to take Luiz on loan last August with a conditional obligation to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. However, Luiz made zero impact at the City Ground, meaning there was a very real risk of Juve having to take the Brazilian back until his former club came calling. The Old Lady will now be praying that Luiz manages to convince Villa — or someone else — to take him off their hands this summer. Grade: C For Villa: A clear sign of their desperation. Villa are third in the Premier League and just four points behind leaders Arsenal, meaning they’ve got an outside shot at winning their first English championship since 1981. The problem, though, is that they’ve just lost three key midfielders – Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn — to injuries of varying degrees of severity. The situation was further complicated by the club’s ongoing issues with the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Regulations (PSR), which means they’re not in a position to spend much money in the transfer market. Hence the decision to take Luiz on loan. The word is that the 27-year-old favoured going back to Villa over joining Chelsea and there is, of course, a chance he could get back to his best under Unai Emery. Unfortunately, we’ve seen scant evidence over the past 18 months to suggest that a return to Villa will result in a return to form. Grade: D+ For Luiz: A great move given he’s done nothing to deserve it. Luiz’s career has gone into freefall since leaving the club in the summer of 2024. Persistent injury problems didn’t help but even when he was fully fit, he performed atrociously at Juve and lost his place in the Brazil squad as a result. His fitness issues didn’t disappear at Forest either, meaning there seems little chance of him hitting the ground running in his second spell at Villa. Still, Luiz has an awful lot to play for between now and the end of the season. He badly needs this move to work out and not just in terms of his slim World Cup hopes. His top-flight career is pretty much on line. But he’ll doubtless feel that there’s nobody better placed than Emery to help him save it. Grade: A January 27: Dro Fernandez (Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, €8m) For Barcelona: Absolutely infuriating. Fernandez has been on Barca’s books since 2022 and they had incredibly high hopes for a player that only turned 18 earlier this month. Hansi Flick was particularly invested in Fernandez’s future, having included him in the senior squad’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea before handing him his competitive debut in the Liga clash with Real Sociedad on September 28. The Barca boss was, thus, stunned when Fernandez informed him that he felt his development would be better served by moving to Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile, club president Joan Laporta called the whole situation “unpleasant”, particularly as the Catalans will receive just €8m for such a highly rated La Masia graduate. This is the nature of the game, of course, and Barca have in the past picked up promising players for pittance themselves, but that doesn’t make this bitter pill any easier to swallow. Grade: F For PSG: Another satisfying steal. PSG have made quite the habit out of prising high-profile players away from Barcelona in recent years, while they also snapped up Lionel Messi after his contact with the Catalans expired in 2021. This deal, though, is more reminiscent of the acquisition of a 16-year-old Xavi Simons in 2019. Of course, Simons didn’t end up becoming a star at the Parc des Princes but the Dutchman did eventually earn PSG an awful lot of money through transfer fees. Fernandez could end up doing likewise, especially as there’s considerable doubt over whether he’ll find game time any easier to come by in Paris than he did in Barcelona. Grade: B+ For Fernandez: An audacious move. Fernandez had made five appearances this season for arguably the most exciting side in world football, and with the promise of more to come in the coming weeks, months and years. As a result, his decision to leave for PSG has sent shockwaves through Camp Nou. One can obviously understand why Fernandez felt that it might be difficult for him to break into Flick’s starting line-up, given so many of the players ahead of him in the pecking order are not that much older than himself. But why go to PSG of all clubs? The Parisians have an even younger – and arguably even more talented – crop of attackers than Barca. Granted, PSG are not the same star-obsessed club they were when Simons joined seven years ago. Their new transfer strategy is focused almost exclusively on recruiting emerging talents, and they’re not remotely afraid of giving youngsters opportunities to play, even in the most important of fixtures. However, if the likes of Bradley Barcola are forced to settle for rotational roles at PSG, just how many minutes is Fernandez going to see at this very important stage of his development? The teenager clearly has a colossal amount of faith in his own ability but we can’t help but feel he’s been badly advised here. Grade: C- January 21: Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal to Marseille, loan) For Arsenal: A smart move. Mikel Arteta is acutely aware of Nwaneri’s talent, but the fact of the matter is that the Spaniard has no real need for the teenager right now. Arsenal’s squad is so strong this season that even experienced, multi-million pound signings are struggling to get a seat on the bench, let alone a spot in the starting line-up. So, letting Nwaneri go out on loan for the remainder of the campaign makes perfect sense — particularly as the youngster could benefit enormously from working with Roberto De Zerbi. The Gunners could also bank around £3m if certain appearance targets are met, which is not bad at all for a loan deal. Grade: B+ For Marseille: An intriguing addition to an exciting side. Marseille may only be third in Ligue 1 this season – behind both Paris Saint-Germain and, more surprisingly, Lens – but they’re the competition’s top scorers, with 41 goals in 18 games. In that sense, they don’t necessarily need another forward. However, 18-year-old Nwaneri is an extraordinary talent – he proved that last season by netting nine times in all competitions for Arsenal – and the word is that De Zerbi feels the England Under-21 international can add a whole new dimension to his side’s attack. The one shame is that there’s no option to buy included in the loan agreement. Grade: B For Nwaneri: A very exciting transfer, even if it is only temporary. Marseille is an incredible city, the Stade Velodrome is an amazing arena and De Zerbi’s team is a joy to watch at times. There’s every chance, then, that Nwaneri will have an absolute blast on the south coast of France — particularly as he’ll get to play alongside the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Igor Paixao and Mason Greenwood. Of course, the presence of so many gifted attackers at the Velodrome means Nwaneri isn’t going to walk straight into the side, but he’ll definitely get more game time at Marseille than he would have done at Arsenal between now and the end of the season. Nwaneri also deserves credit for making such a bold move at such a young age and, no matter what happens, it should prove a very useful learning experience that will likely boost his chances of becoming a regular at the Emirates one day soon. Grade: A January 20: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona to Girona, loan) For Barcelona: A significant first step towards removing Ter Stegen from the wage bill. Given their ongoing attempts to balance the books, the Blaugrana undoubtedly would have preferred to sell their skipper during the winter window in order to edge them ever closer to full compliance with La Liga’s financial regulations, so they’ll be disappointed that West Ham’s reported interest never materialised into a concrete offer. However, Girona have, at least, agreed to cover some of Ter Stegen’s salary and the hope is that if the Germany international performs well for the Catalan rivals, it will result in a permanent move this summer — and if not to the Estadi Montilivi, then somewhere else. Grade: C- For Girona: Odd timing on the face of it. After a tough first half of the season, Girona have finally found some form by winning three league games in a row — and keeping a clean sheet in each of their last two outings. However, while the Catalans have climbed to 11th in the table, they’re still only five points above the drop zone and, most significantly of all, remain in possession of the worst defensive record in the Primera Division. Ter Stegen could definitely help in that regard. He’s had plenty of injury issues in the past few years but he remains an excellent shot-stopper with tremendous organisational qualities. If he’s fully fit, Ter Stegen should prove an upgrade on Paulo Gazzaniga. Grade: B For Ter Stegen: Quite the fall from grace. Just 18 months ago, Ter Stegen was Barcelona’s captain and undisputed No.1. However, he missed almost all of the 2024-25 season with a ruptured patellar tendon and everything changed for him during that unfortunately lengthy lay-off. Emergency signing Wojciech Szczesny impressed sufficiently in Ter Stegen’s absence to earn himself a contract extension, while Barca took advantage of a ludicrously low buy-out clause in Joan Garcia’s Espanyol contract to bring in the best goalkeeper in La Liga last summer. Consequently, Ter Stegen went from first to third choice and, after being sidelined by another injury (this time to his back), he fell further out favour at Barca during a bitter, player registration-related dispute that saw him temporarily stripped of the captaincy. Hansi Flick did give him a game in the Copa del Rey just before the turn of the year, but it was obvious that if Ter Stegen wanted to have any chance of making Germany’s World Cup squad, he needed to find a new club this month. A move to nearby Girona, therefore, makes sense for a player who has never actually wanted to leave Barcelona. He’ll have to eventually, of course, but at least now he’s put himself in a position to remind the wider world of his worth. Grade: B January 19: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace to Manchester City, £20m) For Crystal Palace: A disappointing but inevitable exit. Palace were willing to let Guehi leave for Liverpool last summer, but manager Oliver Glasner effectively blocked the deadline-day deal because the club had failed to line up an adequate replacement. Given the defender was still refusing to extend a contract that had entered its final six months, the Eagles were effectively left with no other option but to cash in on one of their most valuable assets before losing him for nothing at the end of the season. It’s still a massive setback for Palace, though. The one positive is that at least this time around they have a couple of weeks to find something resembling a worthy successor, but Guehi was so much more than a centre-back. He was the team leader and his departure midway through the season (and for pittance in the grand scheme of things) arguably kills whatever hope Palace had of qualifying for Europe again this season. Grade: D For Manchester City: Another bargain buy! A year ago, City spent a massive amount of money on potential – and it didn’t work out well for them at all. This time around, they’ve brought in a couple of proven Premier League performers for less than £100m, and Guehi should have just as instantaneous an impact at the Etihad as Antoine Semenyo — particularly as Pep Guardiola is short on centre-backs (albeit only for the time being!). As well as being a tremendous defender, Guehi is also a fantastic professional, meaning he should prove an excellent addition, both on and off the field. The transfer market may be open for another fortnight, but we’re calling it now: City have already won the winter window – and the fact that they’ve beaten long-time rivals Liverpool to two transfer targets will only make their success taste all the sweeter for the club’s fans. Grade: A+ For Guehi: A step up in class a long time in the making. Guehi may have come through the youth ranks at Chelsea, but he never made an appearance at senior level for the Blues and it was only after a successful loan spell at Swansea City that he earned his first taste of Premier League football with Palace. The England international wrote himself into the history books at Selhurst Park by captaining the club to their first ever major honour and has been deservedly praised for the way in which he continued giving his all for Palace — even after the calamitous collapse of his proposed summer switch to Liverpool. Guehi has definitely taken a bit of risk by joining City in a World Cup year — and let’s not forget that we’re still awaiting the verdict in the club’s Premier League financial regulations case. However, he’s going to walk straight into the starting line-up with Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones all presently sidelined through injury, and it’ll likely take something special to shift him. Guehi showed at Euro 2024 that he has it in him to become one of the game’s top centre-backs and Guardiola has provided him with the perfect platform to realise his full potential. Grade: A January 14: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid to Tottenham, £35m) For Atletico: The ideal outcome. Atletico were reluctantly willing to accept Aston Villa’s offer to take Gallagher on loan with a view to a permanent transfer, so Tottenham’s offer of €40m up front felt like manna from heaven, as that money can be immediately reinvested in Diego Simeone’s squad. Gallagher certainly didn’t flop at the Metropolitano. As expected, he played with the kind of intensity and passion that endeared him to his infamously aggressive Argentine coach. But he had become nothing more than a useful rotational player this season, a decent option off the bench — as underlined by his tally of just four starts in La Liga. So, for Atleti to have recouped what they paid Chelsea for him 18 months ago cannot be considered anything but decent business. Grade: B For Tottenham: A timely addition. Spurs were already short on numbers in midfield even before Rodrigo Bentancur picked up a hamstring problem that is expected to keep him out of action for at least two months, so getting Gallagher represents a huge boost for the under-fire Thomas Frank. The England international is Premier League-proven and should be able to go straight into the starting line-up. Spurs also deserve credit for getting the deal done so quickly, given they’ve seen quite a few transfers hijacked in recent seasons due to their famed hesitancy and parsimony. Grade: B For Gallagher: A welcome return to London. That Gallagher never wanted to leave Chelsea is common knowledge. He was forced out of a club with a frankly ridiculous approach to the transfer market and the fans were very sorry to see him go. They’ll now be seriously frustrated to see him lining out for city rivals, especially as Gallagher has every chance of making a big impact at Tottenham. After all, he’s still only 25, meaning his best years are ahead of him – and he’ll be incredibly determined to hit the ground running with the World Cup now less than five months away. Granted, getting back into the England squad is not going to be easy in light of the toxic atmosphere at Tottenham right now, but his chances of doing so have been dramatically improved by swapping the Atleti bench for the Spurs starting line-up. Grade: A- January 13: Joao Cancelo (Al-Hilal to Barcelona, loan) For Al-Hilal: Not what they would have expected after investing so much money in Cancelo. Remember, Al-Hilal paid Manchester City €25m for the Portugal defender just over 18 months ago, while also handing him a three-year contract worth €15m per annum. Unfortunately, Cancelo’s proven a colossal waste of cash, with his time in Riyadh characterised by injury issues and poor performances. Indeed, it didn’t take long for new coach Simone Inzaghi to realise he couldn’t rely on the 31-year-old at all — which is why Cancelo hasn’t featured in the Saudi Pro League since September. A winter-window exit was, thus, a formality, and while Inzaghi would have undoubtedly preferred to see him join Inter, given the Nerazzurri were offering to send one of their players in the opposite direction, Al-Hilal will probably just be happy that Barca have agreed to cover some of Cancelo’s salary. Grade: D For Barcelona: Not a bad stop-gap solution to their defensive dilemma. Coach Hansi Flick was hoping that Barca would bring in a quality center-back this month, but the Catalans’ continuing cash-flow problems made that difficult. However, signing Cancelo helps in a round-about way, as it means that Flick has cover at right-back if he needs to move Jules Kounde into the middle. Of course, the Benfica academy product can also play on the left-hand side of the defence, so while there are concerns about his fitness (as well as his propensity for repeatedly getting caught out of position!), Cancelo does at least offer Flick valuable cover at the back, while he’s also more than good enough on the ball to play further forward if need be. Grade: C For Cancelo: An unexpected return to the ‘big time’ for a flawed but tremendously talented footballer. Cancelo’s club career at the very highest level looked over when he moved to the Middle East after his previous loan stay at Barca failed to materialise into a permanent move. And, aside from a couple of positive performances for Portugal, he’s done very little since joining Al-Hilal to suggest that he’s capable of recapturing the fantastic form that made him such a popular player at the Etihad before falling out of favour with Pep Guardiola. Cancelo will, thus, be delighted that he’s managed to secure a return to Catalunya, given he really enjoyed his previous season at Barca. Grade: A January 9: Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth to Manchester City, £65m) For Bournemouth: The end of whatever slim chance the Cherries had of qualifying for Europe. Bournemouth made a brilliant start to the season — thanks in no small part to Semenyo’s sensational form — but a run of 11 games without a win saw them plummet down the table. Also, if it hadn’t been for Semenyo, that rotten run wouldn’t have come to an end against Tottenham on Wednesday. So, there’s now little chance of Andoni Iraola’s side propelling themselves back into contention for a top-six finish, or even enjoying a good cup run, without their best player – particularly as the most obvious replacement, Brennan Johnson, decided to join Crystal Palace. Of course, looking at this deal from a purely financial perspective, one cannot help but once again laud Bournemouth’s business model. Admittedly, it would have been nice if the buy-out clause had been a bit more reflective of Semenyo’s true market value, but the club has nonetheless generated enormous profit on another player signed for pittance (£10m to be precise). Still, losing Semenyo midway through the season is a bitter blow for Iraola, who will now be looking nervously down at the teams below Bournemouth rather than those above them. Grade: B For City: A very satisfying signing, given that almost every other member of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ had an interest in Semenyo. Some have questioned precisely where the 25-year-old will slot into Pep Guardiola’s side, with Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku among those vying for starting spots. But while the Catalan coach has an abundance of attacking options, he doesn’t have another winger blessed with the same mix of pace, skill and, most importantly of all, physicality as Semenyo. The Ghanaian’s arrival is also likely to result in the departure of Oscar Bobb, and probably Savinho during the summer. Even if City don’t recoup any money in outgoings, though, Semenyo could still end up proving a bargain buy, as a versatile and proven Premier League performer with his best years ahead of him. Grade: A For Semenyo: A fully deserved step up in class. Semenyo suffered a succession of setbacks during his teenage years, but always believed himself capable of making it to the top, and now he’s got there thanks to his natural talent and wonderful work-rate. Indeed, the mere fact that he left Bournemouth with the best wishes of everyone at the club says everything you need to know about the man. There’s clearly a chance that he could win a major trophy inside his first six months at the Etihad (even if we suspect the Premier League title is already gone!), but we’re not 100 percent convinced that this is the right move for Semenyo. For starters, Liverpool looked like a better fit for the obvious long-term successor to Mohamed Salah, but the real concern lies in the uncertainty surrounding City. There’s mounting speculation that Guardiola – undoubtedly a major factor in Semenyo’s decision – will step down as manager before his contract expires in 2027, while there’s also a chance that the club will be severely sanctioned for an alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations. So, while Semenyo unquestionably has the talent to shine at City, this is far from a risk-free move. Grade: B+ January 2: Brennan Johnson (Tottenham to Crystal Palace, £35m) For Spurs: A strange sale in one sense. Johnson was Tottenham’s top scorer last season, their only player to hit double figures in the Premier League and their match-winner in the historic Europa League final win over Manchester United. And yet just over six months on from that famous night in Bilbao, Johnson has been shown the door — despite the fact that he’s contributed more goals in all competitions this term (four) than the man who has effectively taken his place in the Spurs side, Mohammed Kudus (three). The fact of the matter is, though, that the club were left with no real option but to cash in on one of their most valuable assets as Thomas Frank clearly didn’t rate the Welshman as highly as his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou. In fairness to the Dane, Johnson definitely has his flaws: for a winger, he’s not great in one-v-ones and often goes missing during games. The money is also good (the fourth-highest sale in Spurs’ history), but there’s no doubt that the club could come to regret selling Johnson — particularly if Frank doesn’t see out the season… Grade: B- For Palace: The makings of a masterstroke. Palace made a sensational start to the season but competing on three fronts right up until their Carabao Cup exit on December 23 has taken a heavy toll on a squad that manager Oliver Glasner has said all along lacks strength in depth. Johnson should just help in that regard. The 24-year-old undoubtedly has the quality to force his way into the starting line-up, as he offers the kind of goal threat that Palace have sorely lacked this season. Granted, £35m represents a serious investment for a club of Palace’s limited resources, but the smart money is on Glasner making good use out of an attacker blessed with blistering pace. Grade: B+ For Johnson: The right call in the circumstances. Johnson undoubtedly would have preferred to stay at Spurs, but only if he were playing regular football — which he wasn’t, and that constituted a major problem for a Wales international intent on being fully fit and firing by the time the World Cup play-offs roll around in March. Sure, there aren’t any guarantees that he’ll walk straight into the Palace team — whereas he would have immediately taken Antoine Semenyo’s place at Bournemouth had he instead chosen to move to the Vitality Stadium. However, Glasner was offering him the opportunity to play for an exciting team that usually creates a lot of chances through transitions – as well as a real shot at lifting a European trophy for a second consecutive season. When one also considers the fact that he doesn’t even have to leave London, Johnson looks very well placed to slot seamlessly into his new surroundings at Selhurst Park. Grade: A January 2: Niclas Fullkrug (West Ham to AC Milan, loan) For West Ham: The first step towards hopefully recouping some of the £27m they wasted on Fullkrug 18 months ago. In fairness to the Hammers, it looked like a good idea at the time. Fullkrug was a Germany international who had just played a big part in Borussia Dortmund reaching the final of the Champions League. However, he was plagued by injury problems and even when he was fit, he looked way off the pace and, thus, proved painfully ineffective. The hope now is that Fullkrug stays fit long enough in Milan to convince the Italian club to take up their option to sign him on a permanent basis during the summer. Grade: C For Milan: A perplexing move but one indicative of the current situation at San Siro. Admittedly, Milan are strapped for cash. They’re also short on numbers in attack, with Santiago Gimenez out for another three to four months, while there’s also talk of the underperforming Christopher Nkunku being sold during the winter window. — which is why coach Massimiliano Allegri has been utilising Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao up front this season (when the latter has been available for selection). However, Fullkrug really doesn’t look like the solution at all, given his own injury issues and his dire scoring record in the Premier League (three goals in 26 appearances). Still, Allegri will probably argue that he could at least give them a decent battering-ram option off the bench. Grade: D+ For Fullkrug: Christmas has come late! There’s just no way Fullkrug would have even dreamed of ending up at the Italian league leaders while once again struggling so badly at West Ham during a fragmented first half of the season for the fragile forward — so his agent probably deserves a raise. Of course, Fullkrug would be perfectly entitled to point to the fact that he’s not the first striker to flop at West Ham — and he probably won’t be the last either. He’ll also doubtless believe himself capable of getting back to something resembling his Bundesliga best if he can stay fit for the next six months. How much game time he’ll actually get is open to debate — particularly as Milan are already out of the Coppa Italia and don’t have any European commitments this season — but he probably won’t be worrying too much about that right now. At 32 years of age, he’s been offered the opportunity of a lifetime out of nowhere. Grade: A January 1: Endrick (Real Madrid to Lyon, loan) For Real Madrid: The smart play. There’s obviously a chance that Madrid will come to regret letting Endrick leave during the second half of the season, when the games come thick and fast, and the risk of injuries to key players increases. However, it was in the club’s interests to send the frustrated forward out on loan. Endrick had become Xabi Alonso’s third-choice striker after falling behind Gonzalo Garcia in the pecking order at the Bernabeu and featured just three times in all competitions. The Brazilian should, thus, benefit enormously from regular first-team football at Lyon, who have not only agreed to pay a €1 million loan fee, but also cover half of Endrick’s wages. When one also considers that there’s not even an option to buy included in this deal, it cannot be regarded as anything but a no-brainer for Los Blancos as this looks like one of those moves that makes perfect sense for everyone involved. Grade: B+ For Lyon: Potentially a season-changing signing. Lyon were not too badly placed going into France’s winter break, sitting fifth in Ligue 1, and just five points off the Champions League places. However, losing Alexandre Lacazette, Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze during the summer transfer window decimated their attack. Indeed, 10th-placed Angers (17) were the only team in the top half of the table to have scored fewer goals than Lyon (22) during the first 16 rounds of the season, with new forward Martin Satriano having struggled badly to find the back of the net. Consequently, the arrival of Endrick, one of the most talented teenagers in world football, is rightly being lauded as a major coup for Lyon — even if it is only for six months. As the club’s media channel pointed out, with the transfer being confirmed on December 23, it really did feel like Christmas had come early for the fans. Grade: A For Endrick: An excellent opportunity to kickstart a career that had stalled in Spain. Alonso’s appointment as Madrid boss hasn’t just been bad news for Vinicius Jr — it also checked Endrick’s progress after an encouraging debut season at the Bernabeu under Carlo Ancelotti. It has, therefore, been argued that nothing will change for Endrick as long as Alonso remains at the helm — but that’s nonsense. He’s still only 19 years of age and has an incredibly high ceiling. A productive spell in Ligue 1 with a team that should also go very deep in the Europa League could well prove the making of Endrick, who has already been handed the No.9 jersey at Lyon. He certainly won’t want for motivation, that’s for sure. Endrick may not have been called up by Brazil since March of last year, but if he starts scoring freely in France, he’s every chance of forcing his way into the Seleccao squad ahead of the World Cup, with the battle for the central striking role in Ancelotti’s starting line-up wide open right now. Grade: A