La Liga transfer window review: The big sides stick but plenty at the bottom twist

Every time a transfer window opens people fixate their eyes on what Real Madrid and Barcelona are going to do. One of them is usually the first to knock down the domino that ripples down the rest of the footballing ladder and forces everyone into panicking. This year the big two didn’t even blink, spending nada. Thus, nothing really happened amongst the side sides anywhere across Europe.

The reasons for both sides failure to invest are quite different. Real Madrid chose not to spend as they are facing the prospect of a transfer ban and want to carefully judge their squad before a potentially hectic summer period. They’re also lucky to have avoided any long-term injuries so a quick fix wasn’t necessary.

Barcelona’s financial woes have been well documented and after signing Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal in the summer they don’t have a penny to spend. They did attempt to strengthen their squad but Celta Vigo, as is their right, refused to let their star player Nolito join on loan. They also asked Villarreal if they could bring Denis Suarez back early – he has a clause which allows Barcelona to sign him in the summer for just over €3m – but were met with a firm no. And with nobody able to come in, no one was allowed to leave.

The other player in the battle for the title, Atletico Madrid, did their business early on in the window as they secured the signing of Augusto Fernandez from Celta Vigo. The Argentinian midfielder was brought in to help plug the gap left by Tiago who broke his leg in November. Unfortunately Augusto is already facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering knee ligament damage against Barcelona.

But despite relatively little being done by those at the summit of La Liga, the same cannot be said for those fighting for their safety down at the bottom.

The Pozzo family link supersizes Granada’s squad

The two biggest movers in the window were Granada and Levante, both willing to take a gamble if it means spending at least another year at Spain’s top table – an even more enticing prospect as the percentage of TV money increases. Some would have probably liked to have made one or two signings but couldn’t, either due to a lack of options or a lack of funds.

For me the biggest winners of the window have to Granada, although not everything is as it seems with the Andalucian club. You see the owner of Granada, Giampaolo Pozzo, is also the owner of Serie A side Udinese. He was also the previous owner of Watford although he has since handed control over to someone else – his son, Gino. There have already been several players funnelled amongst the three Pozzo-owned sides for varying reasons and this window threw up a couple of new surprises.

Watford broke their transfer record to sign Abdoulaye Doucoure from Rennes. The French U21 international cost just over £8m and is a strong, powerful central midfielder but one Watford don’t exactly need right now. You see rumours in France as well as England suggest he was bought to keep him out of the clutches of bigger sides that had begun to take an interest in his development. Watford didn’t want to risk losing him so paid the asking price but then immediately loaned him out to Giampaolo’s Granada until the end of the season. The legalities of such deals will no doubt fall under the microscope at some point but for now, there’s little that can be done.

Granada’s midfield will be boosted by a player they couldn’t have ever dreamt of affording thanks to the Pozzo family connection. He could prove to be a key player in their relegation fight before he heads to the Premier League in the summer. With just two goals and two assists to his name for Rennes, miracles can’t be expected of him, but if he can stop Granada from being such a soft touch it might be enough to keep them up.

The second important signing for them isn’t really a new player but the same one just under new terms. 19-year-old Adalberto Peñaranda burst onto the scene this season when he scored four La Liga goals in a month, not long after making his debut for the first team in December. The Venuzelan U20 international is tipped to have a big future in the game and his primary attributes, raw pace and power, make him a smart fit for the Premier League in 2017 – when his loan from Watford ends. And while he’s impressed for Granada this season, guess which side he was on loan from by prior to this transfer? Yep, that’s right, Udinese. And moving to Watford also removes the player’s buyout clause, mandatory in Spain.

Other business conducted by Granada this January were the signings of ex-Valencia centre back Ricardo Costa and former Barcelona starlet Isaac Cuenca on free transfers. Costa will offer decent cover in defence but is unlikely to force his way into the starting XI while Cuenca has failed to settle anywhere since leaving Barcelona, so who knows what to expect from him.

Levante aim to score their way out of trouble

Just below Granada in the table, propping up the standings, are none other than Levante. The Valencia-based side also decided to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop by signing some recognised names on loan. Giuseppe Rossi was arguably the biggest name to join but the Italian-American hasn’t played a lot of football in the past couple of years due to a successional of serious knee injuries. If he can find anything close to the form we saw last time he graced La Liga; he’s already off the mark, Levante should be fine.

Colombian striker Mauricio Cuero, who is seen as a fine prospect in South America, joined Rossi on Levante’s books prior to yesterday’s deadline. The forward looks to have settled in quickly to his new surroundings and fans are excited at what he can add to an attack that already includes Devyerson and Rossi. Cuero has been used out wide to accommodate the raft of attacking options available to Rubi.

Levante also signed La Liga veteran Joan Verdu on a free transfer after he rescinded his contract with Fiorentina. The 32-year-old midfielder will add experience in the middle of park and will no doubt have a point to prove after not playing much this season. Lucas Orban arrived on loan from city neighbours Valencia. He too, like Verdu, hasn’t played much football this season so it could take a week or two before they’re ready to make any real impact on the side.

Others interesting movements

Denis Cheryshev has finally left Real Madrid on loan but his destination was a total surprise. The Russian winger has joined Valencia until the end of the season, with no option to buy for Los Che, but he was heavily linked with a move to Sevilla in the last couple of days. Villarreal wanted him to return but Madrid vetoed the move, perhaps still angry over the Cheryshev affair which caused them to be thrown out of the Copa del Rey. Ironically he is eligible to play for Valencia in the semi-final of that very competition and was named in the squad today.

Sevilla brought Federico Fazio back on loan to escape his Tottenham Hotspur hell. The Argentina international was seen as one of the best defenders in La Liga when he joined Spurs but never seemed to find his feet in London, much like Soldado, and has jumped at the chance to return home. There’s no option to buy for Sevilla but he isn’t expected to return to Spurs in the summer.

The overall feeling in Spain is that this could turn out to be the calm before the storm. With Real Madrid and Atletico facing potential transfer bans they could go hell for leather in the summer as they stock up for a year without new signings. Barcelona, too, will look to shake off their financial restraints and continue to add depth to their squad, looking to raid fellow Spanish sides. The new TV money won’t mean the lesser sides can say ‘no’ when the big boys come knocking but it should allow them to go out and buy a replacement.

One thing’s for sure, it’ll dwarf the stingy €20.5m spent this transfer window. Yes, that’s €20.5m in total for the entire league - €3.5m less than what Stoke City paid for Giannelli Imbula.