Grading the biggest January transfer moves

In an uncharacteristically quiet January, there were only a few big transfers made.

Here are my thoughts on the biggest moves of the winter.

Dro Fernandez to Paris Saint-Germain for 8 million

PSG: A+

Barcelona: F

Barcelona never expected Dro to leave, but PSG has once again snuck up to steal a player from the Catalan giants.

His release clause was set at a shockingly low six million, and PSG took advantage.

Had they waited until the summer, he would’ve signed a new deal with a massive clause.

He fits like a glove into Luis Enrique’s system, and signing him for pennies on the dollar is fantastic business for the European Champions.

For Barcelona, this is yet another warning, after Neymar Jr., Xavi Simons, and Ousmane Dembele, that they need to be careful: PSG will come calling when their players have a release clause.

Marc Guehi to Manchester City for 20 million

Crystal Palace: D+

Manchester City: A

Guehi has long been rumored to move to an English giant, and now it has finally happened.

I give Palace only a D+ because they waited too long and couldn’t get full value.

Guehi is a phenomenal player and a much-needed addition for City as they look to chase down Arsenal to win the Premier League yet again.

Crystal Palace should have moved on with this sale earlier, and now it has cost them millions.

Connor Gallagher to Tottenham for 40 million

Atletico Madrid: B

Tottenham: C-

As we talk about seemingly weekly on the CommRadio soccer podcast, it feels once again like Tottenham has no plans for their transfer strategy.

Gallagher is not a good fit for Thomas Frank’s strategy, and a player that Frank reportedly did not even want.

While Frank might be sacked soon, you might as well do it now if you won’t give him what he wants.

Atleti did a solid job of recouping value from his transfer last summer.

They got all their money back after a rough season this year, in which he started only five La Liga matches.

Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City for 63 million

Bournemouth: A

Manchester City: B-

The opposite of what I said about Crystal Palace, Bournemouth has done a great job of selling players at the right time.

While I rate Semenyo, 63 million is a fantastic price to get him back.

It's a lot of money to sign a player about to turn 26, but City has a severe lack of goal scoring outside of Erling Haaland and needs an elite presser like Semenyo.

If he ends up being the difference in what could be a close title race, it would be well worth it.

Edison Pellumbi is a first-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at ejp5889@psu.edu.