Soccer is no different, with two distinct periods where players switch teams: the long and impactful summer window and the intense January transfer window. As we enter the month of January, soccer teams across the globe are looking for players to turn their seasons around or to push them over the line in the fight for silverware. But the question still stands: what makes the January transfer window so impactful?

One of the primary reasons that bringing in a new player is so important is, first and foremost, their potential to turn your season around. Many teams with underwhelming performances until January are pressured into making big moves to bring in a player so good that the entire season will get better. This strategy does not always work out. Namely, supporters of teams will proclaim that if the ownership brought in a good player in one critical position to the club, success would follow suit.

Such is the situation at Tottenham Hotspur: they currently sit in position number 12 in the English Premier League, and fans are dissatisfied. The fandom is calling for the purchase of a defensive-minded player, claiming that the team’s misfortunes are due to the vast injury crisis they are undergoing, leaving them with few defensive options.

This concept of one or two players coming in does not always go as planned. More often than not, teams rush into a decision that doesn’t ultimately solve their problems as much as they had hoped. An example of this was the signing of Giovanni Reyna, who was loaned in by Nottingham Forest last year to help their season; however, his involvement in the team was limited, and they only finished 17th in the 2023-24 season.

Despite obvious flaws in the logic of signing a player in January and praying that they solve the issues at the club, these transfers can and do work out. Occasionally, a problem with a team may not be so widespread, and the last piece of the season’s puzzle is one more player, a prime example of which was Manchester United’s January 2020 signing of Bruno Fernandes.

Manchester United decided to spend big on the Portuguese midfielder nearly five years ago, and he fit in seamlessly into their system. In just 14 games, he was able to make 15 goal contributions: eight goals and seven assists. He revitalized the squad by pushing for a respectable third-place finish. Fernandes’ success proves that despite winter transfers not always working out, when they do, it’s remarkable what they can achieve in such a short period.

Due to his success, Fernandes is often considered one of the most significant January transfers ever. Many others succeeded just like him, proving invaluable to a team’s success over time, such as Serbian center-back Nemanya Vidić, who transferred to Manchester United in 2006.

Joining for a comparatively lowly 7 million euros and from a Russian team nowhere near as good as English teams, expectations were low. Despite concerns, Vidić proved invaluable to Manchester United, winning the Carabao Cup in his first season. Vidić cemented his legacy at United, winning many Premier League titles, two Premier League Player of the Season awards, and the illustrious UEFA Champions League. He is undoubtedly one of the most famous January transfers due to how successful he was despite how low of a price he was paid for the industry.

Concerning the current season, there are still a lot of transfers on the cards. A lot of deals have already gone through. Teams like Como have brought in fresh talent in the form of Spaniard Assane Diao. At the same time, teams such as Napoli have brought in Danish midfielder Phillip Billing to add more depth to the position for the Italian team.

These two transfers are strengthening pre-existing player cores. Teams such as Manchester City are circling established Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush to save what has been an abysmal year for their standards. The Parisian outfit is also attempting to secure superstar Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to replace the gaping hole left in their team after Frenchman Kylian Mbappé departed in the summer.

“I’d expect some big stuff to happen in the coming weeks,” said sophomore Elliott Kane.

Overall, the 2024-25 January transfer window looks full of excitement, drama, and excitement. Undoubtedly, it will influence the upcoming year of soccer, as always.