James Robson And Steve Douglas. Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Manchester City and Aston Villa made big moves just before the midseason transfer window closed on Monday.
Uncertainty over Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel finally ended when he completed a loan move to Tottenham with the option of a permanent deal in the summer. Paris Saint-Germain was one of the most active clubs during the window by signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, and releasing several players.
Man City goes big to salvage season. City usually makes its moves in the offseason. But in a bid to rescue a campaign that unraveled at the end of last year and was derailed again in a loss at Arsenal , City spent big in January on five new signings.
The Premier League title seems well beyond City, which is 15 points behind leader Liverpool, and a Champions League bid has been made extra difficult after being drawn against holder Real Madrid in the playoffs. But City manager Pep Guardiola will hope the new additions can return the club to the Champions League next season. A shift in strategy has seen the Qatar-backed club focus more on younger and French talents rather than superstar names.
Rashford was one of the big stories of the window after falling out of favor at Manchester United. Despite being linked with clubs across Europe, as well as Saudi Arabia, he secured a loan to Villa for the rest of the season. Saudi recruitment stalls? Jota rejoined Celtic during this window. Relief for Barcelona. Barcelona accused the league of making unrealistic requests for extra documentation and said payment for VIP seating at the new Camp Nou stadium became available only on Jan.
