La Liga: Five Big Transfers in the January Transfer Window

There
was
not
much
spending
across
the
division,
as
a
total
of
18
deals
took
place.
Perhaps
the
biggest
move
was
Memphis
Depay
switching
from
Barcelona
to
Atletico
Madrid.
Here
we
take
a
look
at
five
important
deals
of
La
Liga
in
the
January
transfer
window-

Memphis
Depay
to
Atlético
de
Madrid:

Things
are
beginning
to
come
together
for
Atlético
de
Madrid
after
a
stop-start
season,
but
one
thing
remains
clear:
they
need
to
score
more
goals.
Step
forward
Memphis
Depay,
who
became
a
permanent
signing
from
FC
Barcelona
this
month.
He’ll
bring
goals,
power
and
pace
to
lift
Los
Rojiblancos’ hopes
of
securing
a
top-four
finish.
Memphis
can
play
up
front
or
as
a
wide
forward
and
can
add
some
variance
to
Atleti’s
attack.
He
also
practically
guarantees
goals,
having
averaged
more
than
one
goal
per
two
LaLiga
Santander
starts
with
FC
Barcelona,
after
also
proving
prolific
with
Lyon
while
in
Ligue
1.
That’s
not
to
mention
his
43
goals
for
the
Netherlands,
making
him
his
country’s
second
all-time
top
scorer.

César
Montes
to
RCD
Espanyol:

After
keeping
only
two
clean
sheets
before
the
pause
for
the
World
Cup,
it
was
clear
RCD
Espanyol
needed
to
tighten
up
their
defence
and
they
looked
to
Mexico
international
César
Montes
to
help
secure
their
back
line.
Standing
at
195cm
tall,
Montes
has
added
a
physical
presence
to
Diego
Martínez’s
side
and
he
has
an
impressive
passing
range
which
is
sure
to
help
the
team
make
quick
transitions
from
defence
to
attack.
Since
signing
on
a
permanent
deal
from
Mexican
side
Monterrey,
where
he
won
two
CONCACAF
Champions
Leagues,
Montes
has
already
slotted
straight
into
Martínez’s
side,
playing
90
minutes
in
three
consecutive
games,
including
back-to-back
wins
over
Getafe
CF
and
Real
Betis.
His
arrival
has
given
Los
Pericos
extra
stability
in
their
battle
to
steer
clear
of
the
relegation
zone
and
climb
higher
up
the
LaLiga
Santander
table.

Cyle
Larin
to
Real
Valladolid:

First
impressions
don’t
come
better
than
this.
Cyle
Larin
had
only
been
on
the
pitch
for
14
minutes
when
he
flew
in
the
air
to
meet
a
Darwin
Machís
cross
and
snatch
a
90th
minute
winner
for
Real
Valladolid
against
Valencia
CF
in
front
of
his
new
home
fans.
The
goal
ended
a
worrying
five-game
losing
streak,
lifting
Real
Valladolid
out
of
the
relegation
zone.
Fans
will
now
hope
for
more
of
the
same
from
Larin,
who
is
the
Canadian
national
team’s
all-time
top
scorer
with
25
goals.
He
played
in
all
three
of
Canada’s
matches
at
the
2022
World
Cup
and
his
loan
move
to
Real
Valladolid
from
Club
Brugge
gives
him
the
chance
to
shine
for
the
first
time
in
one
of
Europe’s
major
leagues.

Matt
Doherty
to
Atlético
de
Madrid:

The
last
time
Atlético
de
Madrid
signed
a
right-back
from
Tottenham
Hotspur,
they
ended
up
winning
the
LaLiga
Santander
title
two
years
later.
Matt
Doherty
might
not
have
the
same
profile
as
Kieran
Trippier
but
the
Irishman
has
consistently
proved
his
ability
to
cause
havoc
as
a
wing-back.
In
119
Premier
League
matches
for
Tottenham
and
previous
club
Wolverhampton
Wanderers,
he
scored
11
goals
and
provided
17
assists,
a
goal
contribution
roughly
every
four
matches.
The
31-year-old
will
compete
with
Nahuel
Molina
for
a
place
in
Diego
Simeone’s
team
and
his
strengths
as
a
wing-back
will
allow
the
Argentine
coach
to
modify
his
formation
when
necessary
and
play
a
five-man
midfield.

A
new
challenge
for
me
I’m
very
happy
and
excited
to
represent

@Atleti
it
will
be
an
honour
to
wear
number
12
for
this
great
club.
Time
to
focus
and
get
to
work.
Thank
you
for
the
incredible
welcome.

pic.twitter.com/eIebSbUo7B

—
Matt
Doherty
(@mattdoherty20)

February
1,
2023

Haris
Seferovic
to
RC
Celta:

RC
Celta
may
boast
one
of
the
most
reliably
consistent
goalscorers
LaLiga
Santander
has
ever
seen
in
Iago
Aspas,
but
they
could
they
do
with
easing
some
of
the
burden
on
the
striker,
who
is
responsible
for
half
of
his
team’s
strikes
this
season.
The
signing
of
Haris
Seferovic
on
loan
from
Benfica
is
the
club’s
attempt
to
do
just
that.
The
Switzerland
striker
has
a
wealth
of
experience
in
European
football,
having
already
played
in
Germany,
Italy,
Turkey,
Portugal
and
Spain,
with
Real
Sociedad.
It
was
at
Benfica
that
he
was
at
his
most
prolific,
plundering
more
than
20
goals
per
season
on
two
occasions,
while
his
physical
attributes
mean
he
can
be
the
perfect
foil
for
Aspas.