After the winter transfer market closed, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar turned out to be an advantageous competition for football players looking to switch clubs.
Some of the greatest signings of the January transfer window were made by Chelsea under the new ownership group, which is headed by American businessman Todd Boehly.
The greatest clubs in the world, as determined by the football statistics website Transfermarkt, are led by Graham Potter’s team.
In the January transfer window, top-flight English clubs spent a record £815 million ($1 billion).
The amount spent on transfer fees in this window was nearly 40% greater than the previous record in the Premier League for 2018, which was $611 million.
Top spenders in Winter Transfer Window
| Club | League | Cost of transfer fee | |
| 1 | Chelsea | Premier | $358M |
| 2 | Southampton | Premier | $68M |
| 3 | Arsenal | Premier | $65M |
| 4 | Bournemouth | Premier | $61M |
| 5 | Newcastle United | Premier | $53M |
| 6 | Liverpool | Premier | $45M |
| 7 | Leeds United | Premier | $44M |
| 8 | Olympique Marseille | Ligue 1 | $43M |
| 9 | Wolverhampton | Premier | $41M |
| 10 | Leicester City | Premier | $33M |
Here is a look at the most expensive transfers across Europe:
Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea
The Blues inked one of the most sensational transfers in football, promising star Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
The 22-year-old midfielder made his way from Portugal on an eight-and-a-half-year contract worth €121 million ($131 million).
The Long-term contract also surpassed the £100 million ($123 million) Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in the biggest deal in British football history.
Fernandez, who formerly played for River Plate, was part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning campaign in Qatar 2022.
The Argentine player is the Blues’ ninth signing in the January transfer window, as they previously acquired David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, and Gabriel Slonina.
Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea
One of the top youngsters in world football, Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk completed his move to Stamford Bridge from Shakhtar Donetsk on an eight-and-a-half-year deal.
Shakhtar Donetsk received €70 million ($75 million) for the player and another € 30 million ($32 million) is envisaged as a bonus payment.
Following the signing ceremony, the owner and president of Shakhtar Rinat Akhmetov published a statement about Mudryk’s transfer, saying, “the club will allocate $25 million to help Ukrainian soldiers and their families.”
Mudryk produced 12 goals and 17 assists in 44 matches for Shakhtar as he played eight matches for his native Ukraine.
Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United
All eyes will be on Anthony Gordon after his sensational £45-million ($55 million) transfer to Newcastle United from Everton.
The 21-year-old is already a talented winger with the world at his feet. His ability to boost heavily to the attack makes Gordon highly effective.
Gordon, who moved to St. James’ Park on a long-term contract, made 78 appearances for Toffees, scoring seven goals.
According to Sky Sports, Gordon joined Newcastle in a $55M contract from Toffees with a potential £5M ($ 6.1 million) in add-ons.
Cody Gakpo, Liverpool
Gakpo, a pure PSV product, made appearances for the Dutch club’s senior team between 2018 and 2022.
Born in Eindhoven, Gakpo won the Dutch title in 2018 and the Dutch Cup last season.
The 23-year-old played for the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup, scored three goals in five matches.
Liverpool signed Cody Gakpo for a transfer fee of $46 from PSV, according to Sky Sports.
Benoit Badiashile, Chelsea
Chelsea signed France defender Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for $43 million on a seven-and-a-half-year contract.
The 21-year-old defender has been a regular in Ligue 1 for the past five seasons and recently made his senior debut for France, having represented Les Bleus twice.
Badiashile boasted significant experience in Ligue 1, where he spent five seasons, scoring six goals.
“I’m very happy to be here at Chelsea. I’m so excited to start playing for this club. I can’t wait to see the fans and start playing in the best league in the world,” Badiashile said after the signing ceremony.
Joao Cancelo, Bayern Munich
Joao Cancelo moved to Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season from Manchester City, with a $76 million purchase option.
The 28-year-old right-back began his professional career at Benfica and had spells at Valencia, Inter Milan, and Juventus before joining Manchester City in 2019.
The Portuguese player earned 41 caps for the nation and won the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
10 biggest moves of winter transfer window
| Player | Former team | Current team | Transfer fee | |
| 1 | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica | Chelsea | $131M |
| 2 | Mykhailo Mudryk | Shakhtar Donetsk | Chelsea | $75M |
| 3 | Anthony Gordon | Everton | Newcastle United | $55M |
| 4 | Cody Gakpo | PSV | Liverpool | $46M |
| 5 | Benoit Badiashile | Monaco | Chelsea | $43M |
| 6 | Noni Madueke | PSV | Chelsea | $38M |
| 7 | Vitinha | Braga | Olympique Marseille | $35M |
| 8 | Malo Gusto | Olympique Lyon | Chelsea | $32M |
| 9 | Georginio Rutter | Hoffenheim | Leeds United | $30M |
| 10 | Jakub Kiwior | Spezia | Arsenal | $27M |
| Kamaldeen Sulemana |
