Transfer deadline day: City sign González, Tel seals Spurs loan, Chilwell to Palace – live

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Departures at Chelsea on busy deadline day

Jacob Steinberg

Jacob Steinberg

João Félix is heading to Milan on loan for the rest of the season, six months after joining Chelsea for £45m. The Portugal forward has grown frustrated over his lack of opportunities under Enzo Maresca and will hope for more playing time at Milan, who are paying a loan fee of around £5m.

Christopher Nkunku has endured similar frustration but Chelsea found no takers for the France forward as the deadline passed. Other outgoings at Chelsea included the England left-back, Ben Chilwell, who joined Crystal Palace on loan. Aston Villa submitted a deal sheet after agreeing a loan deal for the centre-back Axel Disasi and Dortmund signed the midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan.

Chelsea also agreed a deal in the region of £12m for the teenage Saint-Étienne midfielder Mathis Amougou, who could be loaned out to partner club Strasbourg.

Let’s check in with the interactive elves, who are tugging at my sleeve to inform me that Brentford have signed Birmingham City attacker Romelle Donovan to their B-team, while Milan have spent £8.3m on Monza midfielder Warren Bondo. We’re still waiting on confirmation of João Félix’s loan move …

According to the BBC, there are “a few” deal sheets in from Premier League clubs – but Sky reckon that Wolves’ double signing of Nasser Djiga and Marshall Munetsi is going through without the need for them. Well, someone put in a deal sheet. At least Everton owned up to it. I can wait all night!

Another last-minute deal that has gone through – Bournemouth have signed 18-year-old forward Eli Junior Kroupi and loaned him back to Lorient, where he has smashed in nine goals in 17 Ligue 1 matches this season. Just how many more quick, prodigious talents can Andoni Iroala fit into his squad?

Crystal Palace sign Ben Chilwell on loan from Chelsea

Another done deal, as Palace confirm the arrival of Ben Chilwell on a straight loan with no option to buy agreed. “I’m very excited to be here,” he told the club’s website. “Crystal Palace are a club that’s going in a great direction. You look at the last few months, with the results and how the team’s playing, and it was a no-brainer to make the decision to come here.”

Andy Hunter

Andy Hunter

Everton are still working on Carlos Alcaraz’s proposed loan move from Flamengo, so the dreaded deal sheet has indeed gone in. David Moyes predicted his first transfer window back at the club would go down to the wire – like many others during his first spell in charge – and he wasn’t wrong.

David Hytner

David Hytner

More on that deal from David Hytner:

Tottenham have completed the loan signing of the Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel with an option to buy for £50m in the summer after going back in for one of the hottest properties of the winter transfer window.

It appeared at the end of last week that the 19-year-old was not inclined to join Spurs, where the manager, Ange Postecoglou, has been desperate for a new attacking option. Spurs had offered £50m to make a permanent deal happen straight away.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United had been among the other clubs to look at Tel, who has fallen from favour at Bayern, making only four starts this season under the manager, Vincent Kompany. But Spurs were able to talk him round, Postecoglou playing a key role, the player and his agent, Gadiri Camara, flying to London ahead of the deadline to finalise the move.

Tottenham sign Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich

Confirmation from Spurs that Mathys Tel has arrived on loan with a £45m permanent option for a six-year deal, ending a transfer saga that drew in Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United before Ange Postecoglou got involved. He will wear No 11, and has been announced with a “Show and Tel” video – I’d have gone for Tel-etext myself.

The Scottish transfer window also closed at 11pm – and Celtic have just announced the arrival of Jeffrey Schlupp on loan from Crystal Palace. That presumably clears the way for Ben Chilwell to move from Chelsea to Selhurst Park.

“Worth reminding yourself where Liverpool signed Kaide Gordon from, just to twist the knife even further for Derby fans,” notes Christian Lowis. Ah. Oh!

Manchester City seal €60m deal for Porto's González

Jamie Jackson

Jamie Jackson

Manchester City have signed Nico González from Porto for €60m (£49.8m) inside the final hour of Monday’s 11pm transfer deadline, with the champions’ fourth major signing of the winter window taking their January spending to £177.5m.

The fee for the 23-year-old represents the former Barcelona player’s release clause. City were reluctant to pay the full amount but it is thought the club structured the transfer to source the fee over several instalments.

Gonzalez bolsters Pep Guardiola’s options and adds depth to the manager’s squad as he can operate as a defensive, central or attacking player. The Spanish midfielder has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal, tying him to City until June 2029.

The January transfer window has closed

The bell tolls in the Premier League – but that doesn’t mean the spending is about to stop …

I can sense the dreaded deal sheet approaching for Everton, who are trying to seal a loan deal for Carlos Alcaraz (the former Southampton player, not the tennis star). It’s going to the wire with his current club, Flamengo, a few hours behind the UK.

Andy Hunter

Andy Hunter

More potential bad news for Derby (sorry Tom), as their relegation rivals bring in a new striker on loan …

Liverpool forward Kaide Gordon has completed his loan move to Portsmouth. It is his second loan of the season, having made 10 appearances for Norwich before his recall.

With 30 minutes to go, we await official news on Mathys Tel to Tottenham, Nico González to Manchester City, Ben Chilwell to Palace and Axel Disasi to Villa. Willian is also expected to rejoin Fulham on a free transfer.

Wolves’ hopes of bringing Conor Coady back appear to have fallen flat, but Vitor Pereira’s side are on course to sign Red Star Belgrade centre-back Nasser Djiga and Reims midfielder Marshall Munetsi tonight, although the clock is ticking.

“Things are (again) looking pretty dire for Derby right now – Southampton getting three points on Saturday really twisted the knife,” writes Tom Hopkins. “It’s definitely too much to expect 18-year-old Harrison Armstrong to save us in the way that Leon Osman (also on loan from Everton) did back in the day, but it’s a nice comparison to look to for comfort.”

You can keep up with all the done deals as they’re announced with our interactive guide, which the transfer elves at Guardian Towers are relentlessly updating.

A few updates: Tyrell Malacia is expected to join PSV on loan, but Manchester United have an extra day to organise that one, as the Dutch transfer window closes tomorrow night. Willian to Fulham appears to be very much on, and Hayden Hackney looks likely to stay at Middlesbrough with Porto’s £10m offer turned down.

We’re into the final hour in England, Italy and Spain; the window has closed in Germany and France. We begin with news that Rob Holding, completely frozen out at Crystal Palace, has joined Sheffield United on loan until the end of the season.

Burnley sign Ajax forward Jaydon Banel

Will Unwin

Will Unwin

Burnley have signed forward Jaydon Banel from Ajax for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old academy product of the Eredivisie side has signed a four-and-a-half-year permanent deal.
After joining the Clarets, Banel said: “It feels amazing to be here. It’s a historical club and I see a lot of options here for me to show my qualities. I immediately had a good feeling about coming here. It’s a new chapter in my football career and my life; I am now ready to get focussed and get started.”

Ipswich sign West Brom keeper Alex Palmer

Ipswich have signed West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer for an initial £2m fee – potentially rising to £4m with add-ons – and he is likely to compete for the No 1 spot at Portman Road with Aro Muric out of form and Christian Walton injured. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career at the Hawthorns and was loaned out seven times before becoming first-choice keeper.

“With the loan signing of Axel Disasi I am proclaiming the Villa’s transfer window to have been a success,” roars Dan King.

“Disasi will slot straight in at the back, allowing our best midfielder, Boubacar Kamara, to go back into his proper position. And Rogers, Watkins, Ramsey, Rashford and Asensio is a formidable set of front line options. I wish we could have held on to Durán but the last 24 hours has softened that blow.”

It’s been an excellent window, particularly if Villa can push on and secure a top-five finish this season. I would have said selling a temperamental player for such a big fee was a positive, too, but then I haven’t watched Jhon Durán all that much this season.

Just under two hours to go, and this is the point in the night where I realise that there are going to be deal sheets, giving clubs who have had one calendar month to sign players an extra two hours, or three hours, maybe five, whatever you need.

Some updates on the evening’s outstanding deals: Ben Chilwell is closing on a loan move to Crystal Palace with no option to buy, while Axel Disasi looks set to join Aston Villa on loan without a purchase option, but with a €5m loan fee.

João Félix, meanwhile, is heading to Milan for a similar loan fee, but no permanent deal agreed. And finally … Mathys Tel’s expected move to Tottenham will include a purchase option, according to Sky.

“Is it controversial to suggest Man Utd have had a decent window?” writes Sir Jim Kevin Wilson. “They signed a player in the one position they needed immediately (Patrick Dorgu). They moved on underperformers and trouble makers on big wages. They won’t get relegated and won’t get anywhere near Europe. Losing can’t be great for confidence, but all they can do is get used to the system and for the summer to overhaul the squad further. Panic buys are a terrible idea.”

I can see that point of view – most clubs making January moves are trying to fix problems in a market where it’s difficult to get the players you really need. There’s nobody out there who can single-handedly repair this United squad. On the other hand, if Rashford scores 15 goals for Villa and Dorgu does as well as some of their other young recruits, it’ll be a different story.

Armstrong signs Everton deal and joins Derby on loan

Andy Hunter

Andy Hunter

Harrison Armstrong, Everton’s talented 18-year-old midfielder, has signed a new three-and-a-half year contract with the club (with an option for a further 12 months) and joined Derby County on loan for the rest of the season.

Harrison was handed a first team debut by Sean Dyche at Tottenham in August and has made six first team appearances so far. He has moved to the Championship to gain more regular first team experience with Paul Warne’s side. “I’m really excited to sign this deal with a club that means everything to me,” said the Liverpool-born teenager.

“It shows the belief that Everton have in me and I just want to keep progressing and getting better. Getting the chance to play for the first team this season has been great and I just want to push on and reach more. I now have an opportunity at a really good club like Derby to learn and hopefully do well for them and I’m looking forward to it.”

A quick actual football update – West Ham lead 1-0 at Chelsea! After the hosts missed a number of half-chances, Jarrod Bowen showed them how it’s done with a fine finish on the break.

A couple of familiar names on the move in Europe: Michy Batshuayi is joining Eintracht Frankfurt from Galatasaray for about €3m, while left-back Juan Bernat – somehow still at PSG – is now no longer at PSG, having joined Getafe on a free.

Emmanuel Dennis, who tore up the Premier League for about two weeks in 2021, is heading to Blackburn on loan from Nottingham Forest, reports Will Unwin.

In other Forest news, the Champions League chasers have signed New Zealand international defender Tyler Bindon from Reading, but will loan him back to the Royals until the end of the season. Forest are also looking to recruit 16-year-old Aberdeen defender Lewis Carrol, in what could surely be called a fairytale move.

Lloyd Kelly joins Juventus on initial loan

In one of today’s more eyebrow-raising moves, Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly has joined Juventus on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. In short, he won’t be coming back to Tyneside, and Juve will pay a reported £20m in the summer; handy for PSR purposes, no doubt.

An excellent email from Matthew Lysaght: “On Nkunku being on the bench tonight, I’d like to see a situation akin to the NHL, where a player can be traded literally at any stage of the day regardless of they are playing or not.

Recently, JT Miller was traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the NY Rangers 25 minutes after entering the Canucks dressing room for their away game against the Dallas Stars. Then there’s Matt Duchene, who was pulled from the line-up in the 2nd period of a Colarado Avalanche game as he’d been traded to the Ottawa Senators. He then had to fly to Sweden with his old team as they were playing his new team there!”

Arsenal to admit defeat in attacker search

Ed Aarons

Ed Aarons

Arsenal are set to admit defeat in their attempts to bring in attacking reinforcements as the deadline fast approaches. Mikel Arteta had made no secret of his desire to add to his squad following the injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. But having seen their bid for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa and exploring a potential loan for Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, their search is expected to end without them making a signing. Arsenal supporters won’t be happy but Arteta will have to make do with what he’s got until the summer.

Fulham have a bit of history when it comes to deadline-day splurges, although they run a tighter ship these days. But according to the Telegraph, they could bring Willian back to the Cottage. The Brazilian is a free agent after leaving Olympiakos, so that doesn’t have to get over the line tonight.

Middlesbrough might not land Tyler Morton tonight, but they have signed Kelechi Iheanacho on loan, with the Nigeria striker being shown around the Riverside before their game with Sunderland. Iheanacho joined Sevilla on a free in summer but his only goals in Spain so far have come in the Copa del Rey.

Dortmund have announced that initial loan deal for Carney Chukwuemeka, which we mentioned about 50 minutes ago. Some more Chelsea news – Sky are reporting that Axel Disasi to Tottenham isn’t happening, clearing the way for Aston Villa to add another heavyweight loan signing before the deadline. It looks like Kevin Danso will be Spurs’ only defensive recruit this month, despite Radu Dragusin being ruled out long-term with an ACL injury.

Having said that, in the modern era I wonder if it might be possible to complete, say, a six-month loan move while on the substitutes’ bench? It must have happened somewhere.

Christopher Nkunku has been the subject of transfer speculation throughout January – but it looks like he’ll be staying put, as he’s on the bench for Chelsea’s home game against West Ham. Follow that with John Brewin, here:

It’s been a little quiet in the Championship so far today, but one club who are still busy are Swansea. Having lost Matt Grimes to Coventry this month, they’ve signed Lewis O’Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest. Get your masks ordered now, Swans fans.

Swansea are also trying to wrap up loan moves for Manchester City’s Jacob Wright and the former Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark, who is currently at Red Bull Salzburg. They have also seen a six-figure bid for Ethan Galbraith knocked back by Leyton Orient earlier in the day.

Sky’s Melissa Reddy is at Old Trafford, where she confirms the lights are already out – Sir Jim Ratcliffe clearly keeping tabs on that energy bill. Their major January signing, wing-back Patrick Dorgu, has been on a stadium tour with his family this afternoon. I wonder if they had to pay for it.

Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu take a photo on the pitch.
Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu take a photo on the pitch. Photograph: Conor Molloy/ProSports/Shutterstock

Reading have signed Burton forward Billy Bodin on loan; he can slot in to my imagined old-school footballer names XI, along with left-back Harry Milne, who has joined Hearts from Partick Thistle. Who else might be included? Stanley Mills (son of Danny) went to Oxford from Everton, while Tommy Watson appears to be staying at Sunderland.

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