It’s that time of year again when we all hope to get a brand new present or perhaps if we are lucky two or three that will bring us continued happiness most weekends. No it’s not Christmas presents I am talking about but presents in the form of new players in the January transfer window.
Now our recent track record of January signings has not been great and does come some way to justifying the regularly used statement from the club that it is hard to sign players in January. You have to go back to January 2021 when we signed Jesse Lingard on loan before you can find a successful January first team signing. In the years that followed we had no one in January 2022, Danny Ings arrived in Jan 2023, Kalvin Phillips in Jan 2024 and Evan Ferguson in Jan 2025. All three of those signings could be described as costly mistakes but we have a new manager in his first window to sign players at the club, could things be different?
Analyzing Nuno’s Winter Track Record
Looking at Nuno’s record of January signings since he has managed in England, his track record is also not littered with huge amounts of success either. Nuno made relatively few January signings during his time at Wolves between 2017 and 2021, preferring summer windows for major business.
- January 2018: Rafa Mir (centre forward from Valencia, undisclosed fee)
- January 2019: Jonny Castro Otto (left back from Atlético Madrid, £15m)
- January 2020: Daniel Podence (right winger from Olympiacos, £17m) & Leonardo Campana (centre forward, loan from Barcelona)
- January 2021: Willian José (centre forward, loan from Real Sociedad)
Nuno made no January signings at Tottenham Hotspur as Nuno was sacked in November 2021 before the winter window opened. Nuno joined Nottingham Forest in December 2023 and was in charge for two January windows before leaving in September 2025.
- January 2024: Matz Sels (goalkeeper from RC Strasbourg), Giovanni Reyna (attacking midfield on loan from Borussia Dortmund), Rodrigo Ribeiro (centre forward on loan from Sporting CP)
- January 2025: Wayne Hennessey (goalkeeper on a free transfer)
Looking through his track record it would be right to assume his main focus would be players on loan and most likely a forward. Certainly we need to sign a forward as our priority position. This has probably been the case for the last 15 years at least and is the case now.
The Fullkrug Departure and Striker Targets
Niclas Fullkrug and his agent have made it very clear they wish to leave the club which would spell the end of yet another disastrous high cost forward signing. We would like to make as much money back as we can on the player and may use him in a player exchange deal. His most likely destination would be back to his homeland of Germany or possibly to Italy where the pace of the game is slower.
Potential targets in Italy that could come to us in return are Santiago Giménez, the Mexican forward who is currently at AC Milan, a club that is credited with having interest in Fullkrug and Mateo Pellegrino of Parma. We are big fans of the Belgium league and whilst we haven’t bought players from there recently, it is a league we scout a lot for potential signings. A forward who has sprung to our attention is Promise David of Union SG and the Canadian international could be a worthwhile investment.
It is thought though that the club would prefer a forward from the domestic league and looking around those options are limited. Haji Wright of Coventry and Josh Sargent of Norwich, both USA internationals, seem the most likely to fit the bill and they have been watched. We would also look at the domestic loan market too and possibly a player who is out of favour at a bigger club.
AFCON Absences and Defensive Reinforcements
We also have a problem at fullback with both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf likely to be away for around a month in the New Year at the Africa Cup of Nations. We have Walker-Peters who could cover at right back or left back. Oliver Scarles will be returning from his broken collarbone and may be an option, alongside on loan Brighton defender Igor Julio. Again I think loan moves could be explored. The likes of Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly are not featuring for Arsenal at the moment and may both want to get some first team football to enhance their World Cup chances although Arteta may be reluctant to let them go.
I feel that we also need to sign a new centre back. The defence has been shaky all season and I think there should be more competition for starting places.
The January Departure Lounge
In terms of players leaving, I expect Fullkrug will go. I also think we will see the end of Guido Rodriquez and he will return to either Spain or South/Central America. Forgotten man James Ward-Prowse is also likely to go and could also be used in a player exchange deal but I would imagine a loan move out is most likely to happen with a number of domestic teams, including his former side Southampton showing interest. Andy Irving is another player likely to depart with Cardiff, Wrexham, Celtic and Rangers all said to have some interest in the player.
I think Nuno has an open mind when it comes to signings and will take advice from the recruitment team as well as trusted agents in trying to bring the best options to the club. I think we really need more options in attack. We are heavily reliant on Callum Wilson at the moment and we all know he is a hamstring injury waiting to happen. A new younger, more mobile forward would certainly be a welcomed addition. A new solid centre back and possibly one more exciting winger with pace would be good too.
As said though, January is a difficult month to buy, we may get more success with players whose contracts are up in the summer and they want to make some money on an asset that will leave for free in a few months. A standout candidate for this is Adama Traore of Fulham who Nuno worked with at Wolves and tried to sign for Forest which was one of the reasons he fell out with the chairman at the City Ground. Of course, there are other potential players to look at in a similar contractual position. There are too many to list here but many that make a lot of sense if you do your own research.
Final Thoughts: A Decent Finish?
I believe we will have a decent finish to the season and should be safe from relegation but it is important that Nuno gets a decent budget. There should be one available to bring in a few players now and then go for a big overhaul in the summer.
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