How will January signings affect the promotion-chasing teams?

And so the winter transfer window, which this year spilled over into February, is done and dusted. Following the quietest Premier League window since the January 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was still causing havoc for every clubs' finances, every club in the country now knows what they have in terms of playing resources for the remainder of the season.

Below we’ve assessed the signings up and down the pyramid, and the impact they could have on each club’s ambitions for the rest of the campaign. 

Premier League

As we’ve just mentioned, this was a quiet window in terms of spending from the big boys in the Premier League. Clearly the impact of Everton’s points deduction and the tighter FFP regulations have forced clubs to rethink their previously lavish spending. But some important deals still got over the line. 

Tottenham Hotspur will be satisfied with their work this window, splashing out £26.7m on Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin and bringing in Timo Werner on loan. The latter has already made a good impression in the capital and so the 4/6 available with Betfred on Spurs to finish in the top four looks like a fair price. Given they’ve strengthened more than their top-six rivals, they should have a strong end to the season. 

Morgan Rogers joined Aston Villa from Middlesbrough for an initial fee of £8m as Villa look to finish in the Champions League places. However, Adam Wharton was the biggest deal this window, as Crystal Palace paid £22m to sign the promising midfielder from Blackburn Rovers. With Wharton, Michael Olise and Ebere Eze, Palace now boast a trio of young stars surely destined for the very top. 

Palace are 16/1 to record a top-10 finish this season, which is a big price given the talent they now have within their ranks. The ones who may feel most buoyed by their January window, however, are Sheffield United. Currently bottom of the league with just 10 points, the arrival of Ben Brereton Diaz has already made a big impact, with the wide forward notching two goals in two games already. Meanwhile, experienced defender Mason Holgate has arrived on loan from Everton in a bid to aid the worst defence in the league. 

He could be vital in launching an unlikely great escape, but they are clearly stronger now than they were in December. Chris Wilder is a man who can motivate this squad, and their survival hopes have clearly been boosted. The 1/33 on the Blades to be relegated sums up the task at hand though. 

Championship

Ipswich Town were in desperate need of a striker in this window as they look to continue their promotion push, and they got not just one, but two. Experienced number nine Kieffer Moore joined on loan from Bournemouth, while they also spent over £1m on AFC Wimbledon’s Ali Al-Hamadi, one of the most highly-rated forwards anywhere in the country. Kieran McKenna will be delighted with the work his side have done.

Ipswich are 11/10 to get promoted, which seems like a good pick given they have now strengthened where they desperately needed to this winter. 

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has left Southampton for Juventus, and although it is a blow the Saints clearly still boast a Premier League-quality squad. The big movers and shakers this January were Hull City. The Tigers have gone big this window, bringing in a huge amount of quality on loan. 

Fabio Carvalho joins from Liverpool having secured promotion with Fulham from this level, Anass Zaroury starred in Burnley’s title-winning side last season, and Ryan Giles has been a constant attacking threat from left-back in the Championship. All three rock up in East Yorkshire, along with Noah Ohio and Billy Sharp, as the Tigers launch an all-out assault on the top six. Hull are now 14/1 to be promoted, which, given the additions they have made, seems like a huge price. Certainly the ones to watch out for. 

At the bottom, Rotherham United’s only addition was Charlie Wyke on loan and he is unlikely to save them this term, while Sheffield Wednesday have brought in Ian Poveda, Ike Ugbo and James Beadle all on loan, giving them a decent shot at survival. Huddersfield Town spent £2m on Watford’s Rhys Healey in an attempt to keep them clear of the bottom three, but the Terriers are currently 10/11 to go down, having sacked Darren Moore this week. 

League One

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony promised his manager Darren Ferguson that none of his star players would leave the club this January, and he kept his word - sort of. Star winger Ephron Mason-Clark was sold late on deadline day to Coventry City, but only under the condition that he would return to spend the rest of the season on loan with Posh. Now hunting down the top two, Peterborough are just 2/5 to seal promotion, and 2/1 to win the title outright. 

Their likely title rivals also made moves this month. Bolton Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers, now 15/8 favourites for the league, spent money on Aaron Collins from Bristol Rovers - who scored 16 league goals last term. They’ve also made smart loan additions in the form of Nathanael Ogbeta, Calvin Ramsay and Caleb Taylor, who all join Ian Evatt’s title-chasing side. 

Portsmouth hope the arrivals of Owen Moxon, Callum Lang and Tom McInture will help them cling onto top spot, but they are out of form and have played more games than their promotion rivals. It’s a tough ask for them to get back up having lost momentum, but they’ve made moves to strengthen in January. 

League Two

Tom Nicholls has joined Mansfield Town as they look to continue their promotion push, but the main talk once again has to be about Wrexham. They’ve brought in former Peterborough ace Jack Marriott and Luke Bolton, strengthening what is already one of the strongest squads League Two has ever seen. 

Wrexham are now 11/4 to win the title, with Stockport County still the 1/2 favourites. The Hatters have also made additions, Odin Bailey the only permanent arrival alongside four loanees. Those two could tussle for the title, but Barrow (currently 4th) have also made an interesting signing this month. 

Cole Stockton, the man who scored so many goals for Morecambe, has joined on loan from Burton and could prove to be a wonderful signing, if he can find his goalscoring touch once again. Pete Wild's side are 6/4 to go up, and don’t rule them out of the automatic places this year.