Guehi to Liverpool, Neves to Man Utd among six forced hijack transfers to save this January window | OneFootball

Let’s be honest, the January window has become really boring as most of the transfer excitement is reserved for the summer.

This is partially thanks to Profit and Sustainability rules dissuading clubs from making panic buys, while it is also the case that the best players on the market are available in the summer, not the winter.

We are now past the halfway point of this window, and there has only been one transfer worth more than £50m, which is not good enough if you ask us.

The race to sign Antoine Semenyo was fun while it lasted, while the Conor Gallagher saga has been one of the very few deals to provide some thrill this month.

In Gallagher’s case, this is because Tottenham Hotspur pulled one off one of those incredibly fun transfer hijacks, having been forced into a £34m deal to beat Aston Villa to the signing. More of this goodness is required if this transfer window is to be saved.

So, here are six more players who could follow Gallagher in being at the heart of a forced hijack transfer in the coming weeks, with Liverpool and Manchester United potentially dragged from their slumber to do some business…

Yan Diomande to Liverpool

Teenager Diomande falls into the bracket of a player who is far more likely to secure a move in the summer than this month, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Spurs have already tried and failed to sign the winger in this window. 

The teenager has eight goal involvements in 15 Bundesliga games this term, so it is no wonder that he is being earmarked by current club RB Leipzig and several Premier League sides for a big-money transfer in the near future.

Leipzig are rightly opting to hold out until the summer, by which point there will be more competition and likely a higher valuation for Diomande. But plans could always be brought forward if a club makes a silly and irrefusable offer, which Spurs have already proven with Gallagher that they are willing to do.

Diomande will likely have clubs higher up the food chain looking at him in the summer, with Liverpool among the sides who should bring their plans forward if their hands were forced with a sizable Spurs bid.

Were this to happen, Diomande would obviously choose to join Liverpool over Spurs to bolster their winger department, which suddenly looks rather weak following the exit of Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah’s decline.

Joao Gomes to Manchester United

One certainty in the transfer market this year is that Man Utd will revamp their midfield as part of a long-overdue overhaul.

United’s focus on signing attackers and Bruno Fernandes’ failed transfer meant INEOS had to push back their midfield plans, with £100m-rated Carlos Baleba among those put on the back burner.

All reports indicate Baleba remains an option for Man Utd, along with Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson, but they need more than only one of these Premier League standouts if they are to fix their midfield.

Man Utd’s next marquee signing is likely to be one of those three, but this future deal could be supported by one or two affordable signings to cover the potential losses of Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and/or Fernandes.

Gomes, who is reportedly valued at £43m, is certainly a more realistic target for Man Utd this month than those aforementioned midfielders, but Atletico Madrid are currently working on a deal as Wolves seemingly look to cut their losses before his value drops further following relegation.

The 24-year-old will become much cheaper in the summer, but Atletico’s interest could complicate matters and force Man Utd to show their transfer muscle to win a transfer race, which they continue to do despite their woes on the pitch.

Marc Guehi to Liverpool

Liverpool’s collapsed deal for Guehi in the summer was all their doing as they wasted far too much time before striking a £35m agreement with Crystal Palace, who had no choice but to pull the plug on deadline day over their inability to source a suitable replacement.

By all accounts, Guehi had one foot in Liverpool in the summer and they have remained a frontrunner for his services in recent months, but their failed deal in the summer opened the door for them to miss out completely if another club decided to make a serious move for his services, and this is what is currently playing out…

Injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol gave Man City the impetus to step up their interest in Guehi and they have been rewarded for their proactiveness.

The arrivals of Guehi and Semenyo provide a significant shot in the arm for Man City’s title challenge, while Liverpool have been punished for standing still, as they will miss out on their top centre-back target unless there is a rather dramatic hijack at the eleventh-hour…

Ruben Neves to Manchester United

Neves is an even more realistic signing for Man Utd than Gomes this month, with the current Al-Hilal star said to be the only player they could sign as he is in the final months of his contract and valued at £20m.

The former Wolves standout is among the considerable examples of players to head to the Saudi Pro League when he still had plenty to offer at the top level in Europe, and this remains the case as he is still only 28.

Neves’ situation makes him a no-brainer signing for most Premier League clubs, including interested sides Man Utd and Newcastle United, and it feels increasingly likely that he will end up back in England at some point this year.

A free transfer would be most beneficial to Neves personally, but a deal could always be brought forward if a club is the first out of the traps in this window.

As proved when Newcastle were put in their box on numerous occasions in the summer, Neves would head to Man Utd if was a straight fight between the two sides.

Lucas Paqueta to Aston Villa

Paqueta is sick of the West Ham dumpster fire and wants to return to the home comforts of Brazil with a move to Flamengo.

It is clear that the Hammers are doomed with or without Paqueta in the relegation fight, but it is a bad look for their owners to admit defeat by selling the Brazilian international, who remains one of their better players despite his attitude issues, before a defining run-in.

Still, the player often wins in this scenario and West Ham will likely swerve the headache of keeping him if their valuation is matched, with this offer most likely to come from a Premier League club.

Paqueta has his heart set on a move to Flamengo, but he may have to make adjustments if he’s to leave West Ham this month and a switch to Aston Villa, after Fabrizio Romano cost them in the summer, could still be an answer.

Igor Thiago to Spurs

We were all very wrong about Brentford this season and this is largely thanks to Thiago filling the void left by Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, scoring 16 goals in 21 games as the second-best striker in the Premier League this term.

Unfortunately for Brentford, Thiago’s goalscoring exploits mean the London side will be expecting to lose their prolific striker this year.

The most tempting offers for his services are likely to come in the summer, but Spurs could spoil Aston Villa’s plans with another hijack if each club goes for Thiago this month.

Spurs have been toothless in attack in most matches this season, while Villa need to strengthen after offloading Donyell Malen to AS Roma. Therefore, a swoop for Thiago is not completely out of the question and Brentford could benefit from their respective desperation when negotiating a price.

Again, the north London side would be the victors of this two-way battle because they are in the Champions League and the fact that players often prefer to live in London rather than Birmingham.