Biggest winners and losers of the January transfer window

Another eventful transfer window is officially in the books for Europe's top leagues and clubs. Below, theScore picks out the biggest winners and losers from the January signing period.

Winners: Marcus Rashford, Aston Villa

He's free.

Rashford probably isn't faultless here. Ruben Amorim exiled him from the squad and then proceeded, aggressively and publicly, to lambaste him multiple times, so it's fair to wonder if the 27-year-old was mailing it in during training sessions. Manchester United lack talent, depth, and scoring prowess; they're 13th in the Premier League for a reason. It would behoove them to keep Rashford - and to actually play him. Instead, he hasn't seen the field since Dec. 12. So, yes, he surely bears some responsibility.

But he still comes out looking better than his boyhood club. Rashford, who wisely kept showing public support for his teammates throughout this ordeal, now gets to escape a team in tumult for one that's both in contention for a top-four spot and already in the round of 16 of this season's Champions League. Unai Emery, who campaigned hard for the move, is a huge admirer of Rashford and will give him every opportunity to succeed. Aston Villa also offer him a better stylistic fit: Rashford can play off and support Ollie Watkins at Villa Park instead of being the primary scoring option surrounded by a collection of misfiring forwards at Old Trafford.

This is the ideal environment for the former superstar to rejuvenate his career. Aston Villa, on the whole, conducted excellent business this window. Rashford was the biggest piece of a fun puzzle that also included Marco Asensio, Donyell Malen, Axel Disasi, Andres Garcia, and a boatload of cash from several sales - highlighted by Jhon Duran's departure - that immediately alleviated any concerns about meeting Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules.

Losers: Manchester United

Now, back to Manchester United. The way they've mismanaged the Rashford situation is bad enough. Amorim himself admitted the Englishman would help his plodding side, but by that point, he'd already dug his heels in too far. There was no going back. If he and the club really wanted to reconcile with Rashford, it could have been done. Instead, the reported existence of a £40-million purchase option in the loan deal means it's entirely possible Rashford, once the homegrown face of the club, has played his last match for the Red Devils despite being in his prime at 27. That's just bad asset management.

Patrick Dorgu could end up being an excellent signing for £25 million if given time to acclimate and grow. But Amorim's underwhelming squad has holes everywhere, and, aside from the left wing-back spot with the young Dane, none of them were addressed. They also couldn't find someone to take Casemiro off their hands and got only a temporary reprieve from Antony, who'll return, to the delight of nobody, at the end of the season.

There's something to be said for not panicking in the transfer window, especially in January when premiums are higher and overreactions can be more costly. But even then, not acting immediately to sign another left-footed center-back after Lisandro Martinez suffered a serious knee injury over the weekend was a bizarre choice. Fast-tracking 18-year-old Ayden Heaven, just signed from Arsenal, could do more harm than good, as this club simply isn't a healthy environment conducive to the success of young players right now.

Winner: Jhon Duran

If history tells us anything, it's that the average player who heads to the Saudi Pro League for one final, enormous check is effectively saying goodbye to their time as an elite footballer. There's nothing wrong with that, but we can call a spade a spade.

Duran's situation is a bit different, though. The Colombian striker is 21 years old, and he's only a few years removed from playing in Major League Soccer, where his last documented salary was $167,000 per year for the 2022 season. He'll reportedly make double that each week during his time at Al-Nassr, who are said to be paying him over $20 million per season to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Nobody is turning that down.

Duran, who signed a contract until 2030, can cash in for five years, and then, if he so desires, return to Europe when he's about to hit his prime years. He almost certainly won't be able to walk back into a Champions League-level team like he had at Aston Villa, but, again, time would be on his side to get back there.

Losers: Manchester City

Manchester City knew they had to act during the January window. They lost Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, the lynchpin of Pep Guardiola's entire system, in late September, and promptly saw their season spiral out of control. An injection of life was needed for a team that suddenly looked old, slow, and often unmotivated. In that sense, City were smart to bring in four young players who all have room to grow and develop. Omar Marmoush, 25, is the oldest and most established of the quartet. Hugo Viana, who will formally take over as the club's new director of football this summer, had his hands all over these deals, adopting a similar approach that he takes in the same role at Sporting CP by signing emerging talents instead of established ones.

It's a sustainable way to build a squad for the future, sure. But are City demonstrably better than they were a couple of weeks ago? They spent over €200 million and were responsible for four of the 10 most expensive signings of the window. That got them two backup defenders, a forward who was significantly outscoring his expected goal production in the Bundesliga this season - which should always generate at least a little skepticism - and a midfielder who seemingly wasn't on the club's radar until a few days ago and will now be asked to immediately rectify the issues plaguing Guardiola's team. For a club with almost unmatched resources, you'd expect a little more of an immediate impact.

Winner: Nostalgia

Romantic reunions were popular during the winter window. Miguel Almiron, the beloved Paraguayan who helped Atlanta United lift the MLS Cup in 2018, returned to the American side six years after he left for Newcastle. He said he was elated to be going back "home." Portuguese forward Jota, whose career veered off course after leaving Celtic two years ago, rejoined the Scottish giants, saying he was "delighted" about the move.

But no transfer was more emotional than Neymar's switch from Al-Hilal to boyhood club Santos. The Brazilian, greeted by thousands of adoring fans who were eager to welcome their "Prince" back to his homeland, was in literal tears as he pulled on the familiar white shirt and stepped on the pitch for his unveiling. The 32-year-old left millions on the table by terminating his contract with the Saudi Arabian club, but there didn't appear to be an ounce of regret.

Loser: Aurelio De Laurentiis

Napoli's owner has built a reputation as a hard-nosed negotiator who never gets pushed around and only makes deals, especially high-profile sales, on his own terms. When Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's entourage went public about their desire to engineer the Georgian sensation's move to another club in the summer, Napoli, almost certainly at the behest of the outspoken owner, replied sharply on social media. "It is not the agents or the fathers who decide the future of a player under contract at Napoli, but the club SSC Napoli. End of story," the 2023 Serie A champions said.

Kvaratskhelia, one of the protagonists of that Scudetto triumph, was being touted as a €100-million player. Instead, De Laurentiis was forced to yield for less than his market value, eventually sanctioning his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain for €70 million upfront, plus potential bonuses. Financially, this was a sensational move for Napoli, who paid roughly €13 million to sign "Kvaradona" from Dinamo Batumi in 2022.

But this wasn't quite the way it was supposed to go for De Laurentiis. He was always going to make a massive profit, but it didn't happen on his own terms, which will absolutely bother him. It's even debatable whether PSG were outright winners here, considering Kvaratskhelia is likely going to take minutes away from budding superstar Bradley Barcola, but they did get the best player available on the market.

Other winners and losers

Winner: Injury-ravaged Tottenham would've been a clear loser after getting rejected by multiple players, but Ange Postecoglou saved face by convincing Mathys Tel to join the club in a deal that, crucially, could become permanent. For a manager fighting to keep his job, that could go a long way to convincing the brass that he deserves to stick around and build something.

Losers: Only Liverpool have scored more Premier League goals than Arsenal this season, and the Gunners are coming off a 5-1 destruction of Manchester City. But surely, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus still sidelined, another forward to help Kai Havertz would've been welcome. Mikel Arteta now needs the youngsters to keep shining to challenge the Reds.

Winners: Abdukodir Khusanov joined Lens in 2023 from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU for less than €500,000. After just 24 appearances, the French club have turned around and flipped him for €40 million. Whatever way you slice it, that's a huge win. Lens remain relatively well-stocked in central defense even without the Uzbekistan international.