Summary

  1. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:26 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

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    Say what you will about Man Utd transfer window, at least Amorim has not made an expensive transfer mistake yet. All post-SAF managers have overseen ludicrous spending - beyond comprehension, really. None more conspicuously than Erik ten Hag. I think it’s a good thing we are forced to limit spending for a while. Keeps more 80-90 million euro flops away from sharing the dressing room with academy products.

    Aldar

  2. Postpublished at 11:26 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Aldar has a similar take...

  3. Postpublished at 11:23 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Cheers Jay, a longer message but a good one.

    Anybody else think Manchester United had a good window? Who had the best? And who had the worst?

  4. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:21 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

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    As a neutral I’ve got to say that I think Manchester United have had not only the best window out of all Prem clubs this winter but their best window for a very long time. Getting rid of two under achieving rotten apples who look constantly miserable must release so much tension at the club. Can’t see those two filling the likes of Mainoo & Diallo with joy. Gives the developers a chance to get more minutes now and Amorim can focus on the positives. Better to have lads who want to be there.

    Jay

  5. Postpublished at 11:19 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Punctuation, acronyms, hyphens, they're all allowed Mary.

    Thanks to everyone who has contributed. Because of you we may just sneak in below the day's maximum word count.

  6. get involved

    Get Involved - Three words Tuesdaypublished at 11:17 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

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    United Relegated? LOL

    Chris

    We're going down

    Steve, Leicester fan

    Arsenal: no ambition? (My three words - hope I’m allowed punctuation!)

    Mary, Arsenal fan exiled in Lancaster

  7. get involved

    'It is a factor clubs are very aware of'published at 11:15 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Phil McNulty Q&A

    Phil McNulty
    BBC Sport chief football writer

    Ben, Eastbourne: Hi Phil, do you think PSR is showing signs of slowing or even stopping transfer inflation?

    Hi Ben. I think what we have seen is a real awareness of what PSR can potentially mean in terms of sanctions. We have certainly seen it with previously big spending clubs like Manchester United, and those who would potentially want to spend a lot more like Newcastle United. They have had to assess their strategies very carefully in January.

    It is making all clubs more aware of their spending capabilities, but we also know some clubs view it as way to maintain the status quo and keep the richer clubs near the top of the table.

    It is a factor clubs are very aware of now and we’ve seen it in this window.

  8. Postpublished at 11:12 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    RE 10:20 after chasing the West Ham news Jonty has returned to the Tottenham injury list.

    It's going to be a long job.

  9. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 11:09 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

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    Hey to everybody just joining us.

    We've had a rush of stories on what had been a quiet-ish morning.

    Tottenham have confirmed that defender Radu Dragusin has an ACL injury, while West Ham's head of recruitment Tim Steidten is set to leave the club.

    Phil McNulty's answering your transfer window questions and, as always, we want you to drive the conversation.

    What are we missing, what should we be focusing on next?

  10. 'Steidten's departure was inevitable'published at 11:05 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Simon Stone
    BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

    Tim Steidten and David MoyesImage source, Getty Images

    Steidten’s departure was inevitable once new manager Graham Potter had confirmed last week Kyle Macauley had arrived as head of recruitment.

    Chairman David Sullivan sided with Steidten in his frosty relationship with former manager David Moyes, withdrawing a contract offer to the Scot, who left the London Stadium at the end of last season.

    The idea was to let Steidten, who made his name in Germany with Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, oversee a revolution in the way West Ham played, while at the same time maintaining a challenge for European qualification after three successive seasons in Uefa combat.

    But the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as Moyes’ replacement raised an eyebrow and while, on paper, a £100m+ recruitment campaign looked quite good, on the pitch, it was shown up to be lacking in speed and quality. Steidten has been heavily criticised for spending £27m on injury-prone 31-year-old striker Niclas Fullkrug, who has scored two goals in 11 appearances, only five of which were starts. The Germany international is currently sidelined for an extended period with a hamstring injury.

    By the beginning of December, it was a matter of when, not if, Lopetegui was going to be sacked. Like Moyes, the former Spain boss stopped dealing with Steidten, whose position became untenable once Potter was installed.

  11. Tottenham's current injury issuespublished at 11:00 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Radu Dragusin on the floor injuredImage source, Getty Images

    Just going back to Spurs, Radu Dragusin's ACL knock adds to a long list of injury problems that Tottenham have had this season.

    Of first-team players, Dragusin becomes the ninth sidelined, alongside Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Radu Dragusin.

    Micky van de Ven was also rested for Sunday's 2-0 win at Brentford following recent injury issues.

  12. get involved

    Get Involved - January window in three wordspublished at 10:56 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

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    Not another loan (Chelsea)

    Max

    Jury is out

    Dave Coram (a Plymouth Argyle fan)

  13. get involved

    'January is more difficult to find real quality'published at 10:53 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Phil McNulty Q&A

    Phil McNulty
    BBC Sport chief football writer

    Jay: Hi Phil, I usually think it’s best for any team to have a good early summer transfer window to have time to settle the players into the squad and style of play. Do you agree or do you think any team this window has got it right & will improve with the players they got in?

    Hi, Jay. Totally agree about the summer window being crucial to fashioning a squad and a style of play. January is more difficult to find real quality because the season has taken shape then and clubs are, understandably, more reluctant to part with their best players.

    The second window almost becomes a time to correct faults, plug gaps, or sometimes act in a blind panic because you’re in trouble. Occasionally you do find a gem, but it's not easy.

    We have seen a fair bit of activity from clubs such as Aston Villa and Manchester City but no-one can tell if they have got it right until results and performances unfold.

  14. Joao Felix is the lost wandererpublished at 10:50 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Nizaar Kinsella
    BBC Sport football news reporter

    Joao FelixImage source, Getty Images

    "It’s a chance for me to find a home," Joao Felix said when unveiled in his first Chelsea interview, adding: "After two loans, Chelsea and Barca, I needed to stay permanently in one place."

    Since the 2022-23 season, he started at Atletico Madrid but got a mid-season loan to Chelsea. The Blues didn't make his loan permanent, leading to a season at Barcelona and now after six more months at Chelsea, Felix has joined AC Milan.

    Lurching from superclub to superclub is a strange existence for a player who cost Atletico Madrid £113m and cost Chelsea £45m in the summer while also being given a seven-year deal.

    Simply, at Chelsea, he has not been good enough to unseat star man Cole Palmer in his favoured no10 position.

    His deal never felt needed for Chelsea given Palmer and Christopher Nkunku were there to play his role.

    But the deal seems to have been engineered so Conor Gallagher could join Atletico Madrid for £34m going the other way, helping improve the club's PSR position and while he was in the last year of his contract.

    It now looks like the deal that saw Felix join Chelsea was more about accounting that football.

  15. get involved

    Liverpool's 'recruitment team have got it absolutely right this month'published at 10:46 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Phil McNulty Q&A

    Phil McNulty
    BBC Sport chief football writer

    Christian, Liverpool: With Liverpool entering the crunch period of the season with no signings and three contract rebels, are they gambling potential successes on no injuries/loss of form to key players?

    Morning, Christian. I wouldn’t call Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold “contract rebels.” They are trying to negotiate their next deals - or their next moves - carefully, and the way they are all performing is certainly not rebellious.

    I suppose there is a small element of a gamble, especially with potential injuries, but ask yourself this question. Who is out there who Liverpool could realistically get, who is of the sort of quality who would improve their squad at the moment?

    I am not sure I can think of anyone in this January window. I think, looking at the all-round strength of Liverpool’s squad, the club’s recruitment team have got it absolutely right this month.

    Fans often clamour for signings, but coming up with realistic available names, who would actually improve things in January, a difficult month to sign quality, is not quite so easy.

  16. Steidten told to 'stay away' from trainingpublished at 10:42 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Jonty Colman
    BBC Sport

    Tim Steidten looks onImage source, Getty Images

    Tim Steidten's time at West Ham lasted for less than two seasons, having arrived in the summer of 2023 shortly after the Hammers won the then-named Europa Conference League.

    Steidten's arrival came at the start of David Moyes' final season in charge of West Ham.

    Towards the end of last season, Steidten was told to stay away from the club's training ground after heading the recruitment process for Moyes' replacement before Moyes' exit had been finalised and just a few months after Moyes had been offered a contract extension, that was later withdrawn.

    Having then acquired Julen Lopetegui to replace Moyes, Steidten was again told to stay away from training last month following a fall out with the Spanish manager shortly before his departure.

    Shortly following the arrival of Graham Potter at the London Stadium, the Englishman had confirmed the arrival of Kyle Macauley as the club's new head of recruitment, who Potter had previously worked with at Ostersund, Swansea, Brighton and Chelsea, making an exit for Steidten inevitable.

  17. Postpublished at 10:39 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    Erm, James. That's two words.

  18. get involved

    Get Involved - January window in three wordspublished at 10:38 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    #bbcfootball, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    I trust Kai

    Ed, London (Arsenal fan).

    Strikers are overrated.

    Dave (Arsenal fan)

    "Cold Trafford"

    James - Man Utd fan.

  19. Postpublished at 10:33 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February

    West Ham's statement: "Tim has been instrumental in our recruitment efforts.

    "With the arrival of our new head coach Graham Potter, who has brought in his own head of recruitment, it is time for Tim to pursue new opportunities.

    "We would like to thank Tim for his dedication and hard work and wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

  20. West Ham's technical director Tim Steidten to leave clubpublished at 10:31 Greenwich Mean Time 4 February
    Breaking

    West Ham United

    West Ham's technical director Tim Steidten will be leaving the club, say the Premier League side.