January finally behind us, the slowest transfer window since records began. No records being broken when it comes to Premier Leaague expenditure at the start of 2026, Jean Philippe-Mateta fails a Milan medical. All among the backdrop of another weekend of top tier soap opera. Issue 70. Go.

If you spent most of your Monday watching Sky Sports News and their Transfer Deadline content, I mean this in the absolute nicest way possible but you are a bit of an idiot. Wall to wall coverage throught the day, hardly a brick being moved from one end of the country to another.

Just seven moves completed in the final 24 hours of trading within the top tier of English football, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s switch from Wolves to Crystal Palace the most expensive of a rather small bunch.

His £48m move from Molineux is something of an eye-raiser when you consider that Oliver Glasner is definitely off in May, the Austrian could be off sooner if Palace do not discover that winning feeling. Who has signed off on such outlay.

For their new arrival, the obvious parachute out of the West Midlands and into South London may make him a card carrying member of the Premier League at the start of the 2026/27 season, then again the Eagles have not confirmed their own membership yet.

Whether the Norwegian is a direct replacement for Jean-Philippe Mateta can be argued but there is no question that he will serve as his replacement in the short-term. His newfound attacking counterpart thought he was off to San Siro, his fitness decided otherwise.

Instead of Serie A, it is now the surgeons knife. A spell of at least three months on the sidelines for a player who played a considerable part in the club’s FA Cup success in May, the club having to weigh up whether his last ball for Palace has been kicked.

A slight chance he could be back for the final few games of the season, a greater chance he will be sold in the summer instead. Palace fans sing ‘Glad All Over’, this could be another instance where they are sad all over instead.

Jorgen Strand Larsen making the Palace-based headlines for the right reasons, the collapse of Dwight McNeil’s move from Everton making them for the wrong reasons later that same Monday night.

A move worth £20m was all lined up and ready to go, McNeil and those closest associated prepared to up sticks from Liverpool to London at the drop of a hat - the nature of being a footballer and the loved one of those persons.

However, the move never materialised. McNeil waiting by the phone, the Palace admin staff seemingly not prepared to stay on after 19:00 UK time. Not a good look for Steve Parish and his club, not good news for the former Burnley midfielder.

Not holding back was the stance of McNeil’s partner on Tuesday morning, “radio silence” used in her social media post after a four and a half year contract had been offered, no account for the players’ mental health once the deal faded into oblivion.

Mental Health matters they say, it does not seem to matter if you lose interest in a commodity (or footballer as they are otherwise known). Poor form from Palace, just as poor as current form on the field of play.

Kalvin Phillips moved from Manchester City to Championship side Sheffield United on loan for the rest of the season. Might be the move the player needs, you forget he once cost Pep Guardiola £45m to collect from Elland Road.

The departure of Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool looks further solidified after the soon to be outgoing Premier League champions landed Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes for £60m both Sunderland and Wolves welcomed new faces.

But why the paucity of deals?

Nothing really smacked of desperation on the final day, most squads already settled before then. Manchester City loading the bases in case someone remembers 115 charges need to be settled.

Has PSR pinched the Premier League? Probably, intra-league deals certainly seem to be in vogue over the past year or so - you can only move around the money you have at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, Chelsea were incredibly quiet by their own standards. Raheem Sterling’s stint in the ‘bomb squad’ finally ended, it will be interesting to see where if anywhere is his next port of call.

While all this activity or the lack thereof does make you wonder if a January window is really necessary. I’m just thinking out loud but would it not be a better test of managerial acumen if all a club’s business had to be done by August.

No emergency levers to pull - ok maybe an additional loan deal or two if we are offering some element of flexibility but your squad is your squad from September until the following May.

Radical thought perhaps but if no club is in the position to really use it to its fullest just as we saw at the start of the week, why not close this trading cycle of for good - it may just increase the Premier League drama further.

Agree/Disagree, as always let me know via the usual channels.

Aston Villa’s title hopes felt like they went up in smoke on Sunday, manager Unai Emery will wish that VAR was up in smoke after Tammy Abraham’s goal was ruled out for an out-of-play decision 20 seconds previous.

The decision as you probably know by now is that the ball is ajudged to have gone out of play. The problem is this decision was not as cut and dry as it would be with goalline technology at each end of the pitch.

Nothing absolute here, a calculated guess to rule that the whole of the ball and had gone over the line. Not a lot that Villa can do, should it have been pulled back with 20 seconds already passing anyway?

Another subjective call but perhaps another that have any debate closed off if football really leans into technology. It seems like everything is there to help referees and their assistants oversee a game to the best of their ability but not everything is plugged in.

VAR understandably gets a very bad press, the Villa Park judgement not doing its PR any good but there are two ways that such decisions do not catch anyone out in the end.

One is logical, one is maybe pushing the boundaries but I’ll float it anyway

Idea 1) Goalline Technology Around The Pitch

Pretty self-explanatory, Hawk-Eye around the whole pitch. Any line-based calls become absolute decisions thanks to a further rollout of the technology already in place - all the Premier League teams can afford it, there should be no real barrier here.

Idea 2) The Line Is The Out

This one is more from the ‘forward thinking’ department but you could make absolute decisions another way. Instead of the whole of the ball needing to be out, if the ball touches any part of the line it’s a throw-in/goal kick or corner.

Remove any margin or doubt, that’s all you need to do. Take your pick but let’s at least pick something.

Let me know your thoughts. Was it ‘On The Line’ as John McEnroe once said at Wimbledon (not Selhurst Park or Plough Lane)

A look at the main stories from last weekend’s Premier League action. Get yourself some Tuesday night takeaway.

Wolves’ purple patch looks like it has come to an end, even the idea of just going out and playing with freedom has left Rob Edwards’ men these past couple of weeks. The sale of Jorgen Strand Larsen less than 48 hours late does at least bank the relegation certainties £48m.

As for Bournemouth, all seems well in their Post-Semenyo world, their win in West Midlands means it is now four league games unbeaten and 10 points from the last 12 on offer for Andoni Iraola’s men. Three points off European football, the mood is reset to optimism once again.

Leeds were masters of their own downfall in the first half of their visit of Arsenal on Saturday, they were simply outclassed in the second. A 4-0 defeat for Daniel Farke’s men was rather bruising and especially when Elland Road was considered as a difficult place to go to.

Arsenal now out of their blip, their set-piece tactic still unbeaten. Almost as if their is a glitch on EA FC (or FIFA) and Mikel Arteta is spamming the buttons on his PS5 controller. Detractors will moan its not the way to win a Premier League title. Arsenal won’t care because they are going to win the Premier League title.

James Milner may have edged closer to the all-time Premier League appearance record with his 94th minute cameo on Saturday. Unfortunately, three minutes later, he and 10 of his Brighton teammates conceded a 97th-minute equaliser to Everton. A 10th draw of the season for the Seagulls, the most in the Premier League at present.

That dramatic equaliser from Beto also saw David Moyes pick up a yellow card for celebrating. I know its easy to say the game has gone as a throwaway statement but the game really has gone if a manager cannot celebrate a goal in those circumstances without punishment. Not for me Clive.

They did it the hard way, the first time they have ever done so from 2-0 down but Chelsea continued their unbeaten league run under Liam Rosenior. Tactical flexible the name of the game in the halftime dressing room, the Blues playing a different game after the break. Would former boss Enzo Maresca admit he made a mid-game mistake?

As for West Ham, desperately unlucky not to get anything from this game after such a bright start. No points to take back across the capital but there is no doubt that the level of performance has improved (defensive woes aside). Crysencio Summerville helping in terms of attacking load. Adama Traore still ready to unload on Joao Pedro.

A comfortable win for Liverpool in the end, one that only keeps them sixth in the Premier League table. All they can do is win after a wretched run of indifferent results but Arne Slot’s men do have an air of even a broken clock is right twice a day about them. Florian Wirtz finally finding his feet, the partnership with Hugo Etikite looking promising.

As for Newcastle. a bright start after hitting the frame of the goal and then opening the scoring through Anthony Gordon. After that, not so much. Was it fatigue after playing in Paris in midweek. Maybe but then again, their opponents also had European efforts to deal with. The simpler reason being their poor away form haunting them once again.

Michael Carrick’s second stint as Manchester United manager stays in perfect territory - albeit only just. They talk about ‘United DNA’ at large, a little drop of ‘Fergie Time’ never hurt anybody. Slight complacency when 2-0 up on Sunday, they may not have even been in such a position under Rubin Amorim just two months ago. Three points the most important aspect.

As for Fulham, sheer frustration in being vulnerable after getting themselves back in the game. Kevin’s superb strike counting for nothing at all when it deserved a lot more. Beating Brighton in the final minute the week before, downed by United in exactly the same manner. The fine margins of the Premier League at its very best (or worst).

A share of the points at the City Ground, a result that serves both Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace well - especially after West Ham’s defeat at Chelsea the night before. Neco Williams’ red card just before the break was bordering on the absurd considering there are cameras at every angle. He may just have got away with his indiscretion if it was 1991.

Palace’s run of defeats comes to an end but it is still nine without a win for Oliver Glasner and his players. Nine points above the relegation zone coupled with West Ham’s uptick in performance means the Eagles still need to soar away from the bottom three. Is their new Norwegian hitman going to be the man to launch them into flight?

You feel like that’s your lot in terms of Aston Villa’s title hopes, seven points behind the Gunners once again. A combination of favours from elsewhere and a winning streak for Unai Emery’s men to make any inroads on the Gunners - neither component looks like being triggered over the next few weeks. Protecting the top five berth their new priority.

Keith Andrews may have got it wrong in terms of personnel last week, he got his tactics spot on at Villa Park on Sunday. The worst was feared when Kevin Schade was given his marching orders in the first half, the best was felt when Dango Outtara put the Bees ahead just a few minutes later. Football, it’s a funny old game.

A good point for Tottenham at the final whistle but not one that will be universally celebrated by the club’s support. A point that will take the wind out of the burgeoning ‘Frank Out’ movement. A point that now places a huge red and white bow on the Premier League title for their nearest neighbours. Dominic Solanke’s second goal was great though.

A fantastic albeit fortunate second for Solanke but should his first stood. It looked as if he went through the back of Marc Guehi before slotting home. Was the boot on the other foot, you get the feeling a penalty would be awarded. The former Bournemouth forward getting the benefit of the doubt. No doubt that City are now up against it for the title.

Sunderland’s home unbeaten run in the Premier League continues and it does so in emphatic fashion. Their 3-0 win over Burnley on Monday may not have had armchair supporters lining up to watch it but those who did would have been rewarded by a rather impressive performance from the Black Cats. One that sees them now lie 8th in the table.

As for Burnley, their mini-revival in the more generous of terms comes to an end with a Monday to forget. Not only a heavy defeat on Wearside but also a heavy defeat against a fellow promoted side. A measure of differing fortunes between the two clubs. Monday’s hosts spending well in the Summer. Monday’s visitors business poor by comparison.

Javi Gracia departs Vicarage Road just three months into his second stint as Watford manager. You may be entitled to compensation if you were a Watford manager between 6 April 2017 and 1 November 2025. Call Now.

All change in the Championship, Valerien Ismael given the boot at Blackburn. They keep changing their manager in February. It does somehow seem to keep them the Championship. Have they pulled the cord one too many times though?

More Championship chat. Coventry’s lead at the top has completely been swallowed up. A dip in form combined with a surge by Middlesbrough sees these two sides on equal points, we suddenly have a second tier title race on our hands. Game On!

Celtic have added to their ranks with a number of late window loan deals but there is still scope for a further addition. One that comes in the shape of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The former Liverpool player is a free agent. Joe Hart must have put in a good word.

Three wins down, Tottenham and West Ham to go. I think our perma-permed man is now odds on when it comes to getting a trim.

Right, that’s the end of issue 70 as word continues to spread around the football world.

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Issue 71 drops Friday and I’ll be back with another round of insight, analysis and trends that matter. Any feedback or comments on this issue, contact me below:

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