It has been a very busy transfer window for all the clubs in League One and Two. Time now to take stock of who has come on smelling of roses and who has come out just plain stinking…
Here is D3D4’s 5 winners of the January transfer window and 5 losers..
Transfer Window Winners
Wigan Athletic
Ins: James Vaughan (Sunderland), Jamie Walker (Hearts), Christian Walton (Brighton) Loan, Devante Cole (Fleetwood), Jay Fulton (Swansea) Loan
Outs: Jack Byrne (Oldham),
Wigan had a very solid transfer window as you might expect for a club at this level with a decent budget. They made some solid additions but probably their best piece of business was rejecting an offer of reportedly £3 million for Nick Powell from Premier League Brighton. The midfielder has been a key player during the current season but will play a big part for the Latics next season in the Championship should promotion be secured.
The signings of both James Vaughan and Devante Cole were also extremely good additions to a front line already containing an on fire Will Grigg. Overall an excellent window for the League One leaders.
Rating 8/10
Shrewsbury Town
Ins: Max Lowe (Derby) Loan, Luke Hendrie (Burnley), Abobakr Eisa (Wealdstone), Sam Jones (Grimsby), Nathan Thomas (Sheff Utd) Loan
Outs: Louis Dodds (Chesterfield), Zak Joules (Port Vale) Loan
Shrewsbury did some excellent late business to give them a very tidy January. They kept all of their key player and strengthened in key positions. Max Lowe is a Championship quality full back and will be a key player in the run in for the Shrews. Nathan Thomas is a quality addition and can feel slightly unlucky that he wasn’t getting games at Sheff Utd such is his ability. Abo Eisa is the older brother of Mohamed at Cheltenham and could play an interesting role as the Shrews push for an automatic spot over the coming months. Finally Sam Jones was highly thought of by Mariners fans and this very late addition could be a very smart move from his former boss Paul hurst. Overall some excellent signings without the budget of their bigger rivals.
Rating 9/10
Northampton Town
Ins: Hildeberto (Leiga Warsaw) Loan, Joe Bunney (Rochdale), Kevin Van Veen (Scunthorpe), Jack Bridge (Southend), Jordan Turnball (Coventry), Boris Mathis (Everton) Loan, Richard O’Donnell (Rotherham), Gboly Ariyibi (Nottm Forest) Loan, Shay Facey (Man City) Loan
Outs: Billy Waters (Cambridge) Loan, Alex Revell (Stevenage), Marc Richards (Swindon), Dean Bowditch (Stevenage) Loan, George Smith (Chesterfield)
Northampton managed to rebuild their squad very effectively considering the January transfer window is notoriously hard to business in. They brought in a couple of eye catching signings namely Kevin van Veen from Scunthorpe for an undisclosed fee and also Gboly Ariyibi on loan from Forest. Facey and Hildeberto are both good loan additions and they managed to move players out that perhaps were not contributing. Billy Waters is a good player but needs games to rediscover his form and a move to Cambridge should give him that. Alex Revell and Dean Bowditch moved to Stevenage which looks like being a good move for both the clubs and the players.
Rating 8/10
Luton Town
Ins: Flynn Downes (Ipswich) Loan, Lloyd Jones (Liverpool), Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle) £125K
Outs: Aaron Jarvis (Boreham Wood) Loan
Luton Town are flying at the top of League Two but they needed a bit more depth and they went out and grabbed it impressively. Lloyd Jones is perhaps the most impressive addition. The defender impressed in his loan spells at both Swindon and Blackpool and offers much needed depth in the Hatters back line. Don’t be surprised if he breaks into the first team rather quickly. Flynn Downes came to the club with impressive reviews from Ipswich fans who thought the player was good enough to challenge for a place in their first team. Finally the club splashed the cash on Plymouth Argyle’s Jake Jervis. The player is a versatile forward who played a big part in the Pilgrims promotion from League Two just a year ago. Will he be worth the fee? If Luton go up then the answer will probably be “who cares.”
Rating 8/10
Colchester United
Ins: Olamide Shodipo (QPR) Loan, Liam Mandeville (Doncaster) Loan, Brandon Comley (QPR), Aaron Barnes (Charlton), Ben Stevenson (Wolves) Loan, Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe (Malden & Tiptree)
Outs: Tommy O’Sullivan (Torquay) Loan, Mark Kinsella (Aldershot) Loan, Craig Slater (Dundee Utd) Loan, Sanmi Odelusi (Cheltenham)
The U’s did really well during January even though funds were extremely tight. The marquee addition has to be that of Ben Stevenson who was signed by Wolves from Coventry and then immediately loan out to Colchester which perhaps says something about how the U’s are viewed in terms of bringing on young players. Liam Mandeville is a good signing from Doncaster and will add depth to the Colchester front line and perhaps the biggest relief for the club is that they kept hold of home grown hot shot Sammy Smodics. Overall a very decent window for Colchester.
Rating 7/10
Honourable Mentions: Blackburn and Peterborough both had excellent windows and just missed out on the list and Oldham were a defender or two away from a fantastic window.
Transfer Window Losers
Plymouth Argyle
Ins: Will Mannion (Hull) Loan, Remi Matthews (Norwich) Loan, Kelle Roos (Derby), Simon Church (Scunthorpe), Moses Makasi (West Ham) Loan, Zak Vyner (Bristol City) Loan
Outs: Jake Jervis (Luton) £125k, Toumani Diaaouraga (Fleetwood), Gregg Wylde (Morecambe) Loan, Nathan Blissett (Macclesfield) Loan
It was a frustrating window for Plymouth Argyle. They didn’t want to sell Jervis without signing a replacement but in the end were unable to do so as Luton’s bid triggered the players release clause. The lost midfielder Diagouraga to Fleetwood as well which was a big loss. Argyle are in fine form in League One so the business they have done in the window is probably not going to have a huge effect on the outcome of their season but I expect Derek Adams would have liked to add a couple more players before the window closed.
Rating 5/10
MK Dons
Ins: Josh Tymon (Stoke) Loan, Marcus Travernier (Middlesbrough) Loan, Ike Ugbo (Chelsea) Loan, Eliott Ward (Blackburn) Loan
Outs: Paul Downing (Blackburn)
Milton Keynes did little during the transfer window to suggest they are going to be able to turn their season around. They are in a relegation dog fight against some teams that did pretty good business and will have to hope the young, loan additions are able to cut it at the wrong end of League One. Elliott Ward is a solid centre half and his experience could be important but the club lost a few players whose loan deal came to an end.
Rating 4/10
Crewe Alexandra
Ins: Paul Green (Oldham) Loan, Shaun Miller (Carlisle) Loan, Harry McKirdy (Aston Villa) Loan, Daniel Barlaser (Newcastle) Loan, Jamie Sterry (Newcastle) Loan
Outs: George Cooper (Peterborough)
Crewe slip into the bottom five for deadline day business for me as they didn’t do enough to replace the creativity of George Cooper who joined League One Peterborough. The club rather strangely built up their fans for a fall as their best young player was sent up a division.
They did bring back Shaun Miller from Carlisle and Paul Green but whether these two and the other youngsters they added will be enough to keep them out of trouble considering the business of their rivals remains to be seen.
Rating 5/10
Barnet
Ins: Jordan Nicholson (Peterborough), Fuad Sule (Bohemians), George Legg (Reading), Tin Plavotic (Bristol City)
Outs: Jamal Campbell-Ryce (Carlisle)
Barnet left it very late to do business but none of those they brought it shouts out that they could change the clubs fortunes. It was a difficult window for a club that have been struggling nearly all season. The team lacks depth and results dipped when injuries set in. It remains to be seen whether Graham Westley has what it takes to keep the Bees in the league but with Yeovil, Chesterfield and Forest Green all doing decent business it is hard to see how they will stay up.
Rating 4/10
Grimsby Town
Ins: Malik Wilkes (Leeds) Loan, Simeon Jackson (Walsall) Loan, Easah Suliman (Aston Villa) Loan, Jake Kean (Sheff Wed) Loan, Charles Vernam (Derby) Loan,
Outs: Jamey Osborn (Solihull Moors), Sam Jones (Shrewsbury), Chris Clements (Forest Green) Loan
It is not so much who Grimsby brought in but who they didn’t that concerned many during the winter window. They desperately need some craft in the middle of the park but instead signed another couple of strikers and a young defender whilst letting one of their most promising players leave for a club challenging for promotion in the division above, hardly inspiring stuff. Charles Vernam is a good capture but he will not be able to create chances on his own. The Mariners form is the worst in League Two right now and it is hard to see that changing with the deals done in January.
Rating 4/10
if you are going to post on a Luton Town site then either delete all reference to the MK Stealers or at least have the decency of deleting ‘Dons’. All genuine football fans are fully aware that there is only one Club called Dons and they will soon once again reside in Plough Lane.