The winter transfer window closes at 7pm UK time on Monday, and several Premier League clubs still have adjustments to make to their squads.
Some are looking to take advantage of their final opportunity to strengthen for the rest of the season. Others will be trying to hold onto those of interest to other teams. There will be players wanting to leave their current club and move elsewhere, with the World Cup now barely four months away.
With just hours to go, The Athletic outlines the main Premier League deals to watch out for as deadline day unfolds.
Jean-Philippe Mateta
January was a long month for Crystal Palace fans.
Club captain Marc Guehi moved to Manchester City in a £20million ($27.3m) deal, manager Oliver Glasner said he felt “abandoned” by the club’s owners and announced he will be leaving in the summer, they failed to win a game and their FA Cup defence ended at the first hurdle in a humiliating third-round defeat against non-League Macclesfield.
And their February might not start much better.
Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who had started all 23 of Palace’s Premier League games this season prior to the weekend, underwent a medical on Sunday with Italian giants Milan as part of a proposed deal worth in excess of €30million (£26m; $35.6m).
The Athletic reported on Friday that Milan were working on a deal to sign the 28-year-old Frenchman after Forest made an offer worth £35m. The two Premier League clubs drew 1-1 at the City Ground on Sunday.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported last week that Palace wanted a package worth around £40million for Mateta. Palace secured the loan signing of Aston Villa forward Evann Guessand on Friday, in a deal including an option to buy the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international for £28m in the summer.
What Mateta would bring to Milan
Analysis by Anantaajith Raghuraman
Among players to have attempted more than 50 shots in the Premier League since the start of 2024-25, Mateta’s 0.21 expected goals per shot is the third-most behind Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Yoane Wissa (Brentford and now Newcastle United). That is testament to the quality of shots attempted by the Palace front man.
Mateta has been one of Europe’s best at attacking low crosses across the past two seasons. He knows when to attack the penalty spot and which spaces to target, while his ability to shoot with either foot can confuse defenders. Add in his skill at running in behind to meet through balls and proficiency from the spot, and Mateta is an extremely well-rounded striker.
His finishing is unique, too. As the map below shows, Mateta never looks to find the top corners. He prefers to keep his shots, which are often first-time efforts, low and just inside either post.
This can be a disadvantage at times as it gives goalkeepers a chance to keep his attempts out.
Mateta can be wasteful, missing 36 of his 53 defined big chances since the beginning of last season. But his goal return in that span (22 in the league, only bettered by six players) suggests he will find ways to score.
Jorgen Strand Larsen
The saga over the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker’s future looks to be nearing an end, with The Athletic reporting on Sunday that a bid from Crystal Palace worth £43million ($58.9m), plus £5m in potential add-ons, has been accepted.
Strand Larsen was due to have a medical in London on Sunday before completing a move to Selhurst Park on a four-and-a-half-year contract, with an option to extend that by a further 12 months. The Athletic had reported on Thursday that Palace were close to a verbal agreement to bring in the 25-year-old Norway international.
There have been other interested parties. Leeds United had offers up to £40million rejected for the player, who has been keen on a move to Elland Road. However, Leeds have not wanted to raise their offer, and Palace were discussing a higher price.
Strand Larsen impressed last term with 14 goals for Wolves while on loan from Spain’s Celta Vigo, and has six so far in this one after making the move permanent for £23million — though only one has come in the Premier League.
What he offers compared to Mateta
Analysis by Anantaajith Raghuraman
Standing at 193cm (6ft 4in), with solid hold-up play and excellent box instincts, Strand Larsen is an old-fashioned No 9. Ninety-three per cent of his shots since moving to the Premier League on that initial loan in summer 2024 have been from inside the opposition penalty area.
Filling Mateta’s boots at Palace, given he has scored 22 Premier League goals for the south Londoners since the start of last season, will not be easy. As shown in the graph below, which uses Skillcorner data to compare their off-the-ball runs, both are skilled at attacking crosses.
Mateta is one of the Premier League’s best at runs in-behind, though Strand Larsen offers some of that too.
The 24-time Norway international is more skilled at playing with his back to goal, which will help stretch defences in a different way to Mateta’s sprints beyond the last line.
Axel Disasi
Defender Disasi joined Chelsea’s first-team training ahead of their Champions League win over Pafos last Wednesday, exactly one year since he last appeared for the west London club — but that is not an indicator he is going to be reintegrated.
The plan is still for Disasi to leave before the deadline on Monday night, ideally on a permanent transfer but with a loan also possible for a player who was similarly shipped out to Aston Villa in last season’s winter window. Clubs in England, Italy, and France have been interested in the 27-year-old France international centre-back, who can also play right-back — including, as The Athletic reported on Friday, West Ham United.
As The Athletic’s Sebastian Stafford-Bloor reported in that update, sources briefed on the situation indicate that though nothing is imminent, West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is keen to add to the squad, who are currently third-bottom of the Premier League and six points short of safety.
West Ham have already made three permanent signings this window, most notably bringing in winger Adama Traore from Fulham.
It has been over a year since Disasi last played for Chelsea (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Raheem Sterling
Another player whom Chelsea have been keen to offload, and in Sterling’s case, they have finally done so. He had not played a competitive game for the club since May 2024 but was their highest-paid player. Reaching an agreement to terminate his contract early will come as a relief to both parties.
Sterling, 31, will now look to restart his career away from Stamford Bridge. As The Athletic reported early in January, he was determined to leave permanently rather than go on another loan (having spent 2024-25 with Arsenal).
The question is whether another Premier League team will be prepared to take a chance on the former England forward. Sterling has not kicked a ball at first-team level since his final appearance for Arsenal last May — but his experience is unquestionable, and he will no doubt be keen to prove he still has a lot to offer.
Ricardo Pepi
Despite a recently broken arm that is expected to keep him out until mid-March, Fulham are still pursuing Dutch champions PSV’s United States international forward Ricardo Pepi.
The west London club have already strengthened their attack by bringing in Norway international winger Oscar Bobb, 22, from Manchester City in a deal worth £27million, and want to add 23-year-old Pepi, too. As The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported in The Transfer DealSheet, Pepi’s injury last month has slowed the process, but Fulham remain in pole position.
Last weekend, Tom Bogert reported that PSV rejected a bid of around £26million from Fulham in December and coach Marco Silva’s side have since submitted an increased offer of $38m (£27.8m). The gap between the two clubs’ valuations is narrowing, and talks are ongoing.
Ricardo Pepi playing for PSV (ANP via Getty Images)
Tyrique George
With Manchester City winger Jack Grealish unlikely to feature for loan club Everton again this season due to a foot injury, The Athletic reported on Friday that the Merseysiders have shown interest in borrowing Chelsea’s Tyrique George.
After being a regular starter in the Londoners’ successful UEFA Conference League campaign last term, the winger was close to joining neighbours Fulham for £22million in the summer window but ended up staying at Stamford Bridge.
Now, after only four Premier League appearances in the current campaign, none of them starts, Everton have reached an agreement in principle to sign the 19-year-old on loan. George has been allowed to travel for a medical, and the deal includes an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. The terms of the mooted move are pending ratification by Everton.
George has made 11 appearances for Chelsea this season across all competitions, starting five times across the Carabao Cup and Champions League, and has scored three goals. However, he has not appeared since playing against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup on December 16.
Adam Armstrong
Wolves look like losing Jorgen Strand Larsen to Palace, and have been shopping for a replacement. The Premier League’s bottom side have made an offer worth £7million for Championship club Southampton’s striker Adam Armstrong, who has 11 goals in 29 appearances in the second tier this season.
As reported on Sunday, a deal is expected to be done for the 28-year-old including £2million of achievable add-ons.