Big Six Stay Silent, Deals Scarecely Flow: PL’s Historic Quiet Deadline Day

The Premier League experienced its quietest winter transfer deadline day on record, with only seven deals finalized on the day. Notably, no signings were confirmed until after the 19:00 GMT deadline had passed. Crystal Palace announced the first deal at 19:04 GMT, securing striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves for a fee potentially rising to £48 million. Clubs are permitted to complete signings up to two hours after the official deadline, provided a deal sheet is submitted before 19:00 to allow for final paperwork.

Following the deadline, five additional deals were confirmed. These included Sunderland signing Ecuadorian winger Nilson Angulo from Anderlecht for £17.5 million, Wolves loaning midfielder Angel Gomes from Marseille, and Wolves replacing the departed Strand Larsen by signing Adam Armstrong from Southampton for £7 million. These transactions brought the total Premier League spending for the winter transfer window to over £390 million. Separately, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign defender Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes for £60 million, but the transfer and payment will not be completed until the summer.

The day's major developments centered on Crystal Palace, involving both the club-record signing of Strand Larsen and the collapsed transfer of striker Jean-Philippe Mateta to AC Milan due to issues with his medical. Beyond this, the deadline day lacked significant drama, with none of the league's top-six clubs conducting any business. One notable move saw former England midfielder Kalvin Phillips leave the Premier League, joining Championship side Sheffield United on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season, four years after his £45 million move to City from Leeds.

Other late confirmed deals included Nottingham Forest signing defender Luca Netz from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Chelsea winger Tyrique George moving on loan to Everton, and both Tottenham and Arsenal announcing academy signings. The winter window's total spend of approximately £397 million, while not drastically lower than previous years, remains significantly less than the record £3.1 billion spent in the preceding summer window, as January is traditionally a more challenging period for clubs to recruit effectively.

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