Eredivisie: The biggest movers in the January transfer window

The winter transfer window has slammed shut in Europe, with managers now stuck with only the players at their disposal between now and the end of the season in May.

Some clubs around the continent will have benefitted from the window — like big spenders Chelsea, who bettered their squad massively in a bid to climb back up the Premier League table — while others who have been raided by the elite are now potentially worse off as we enter the business end of the campaign.

In the Netherlands, Ajax managed to hold on to wanted stars Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus in the end after being gutted of several key players in the summer. But the same can’t be said for their big three rival PSV Eindhoven, who lost a couple of crucial names in January.

That said, read on as we take a look at some of the biggest dealings in the Eredivisie during the January transfer window.

Cody Gakpo to Liverpool – €42m

When Cody Gakpo lit up the World Cup, scoring in all three of the Netherlands’ group games against hosts Qatar, South Americans Ecuador and African champions Senegal to help the Dutch secure top spot in Group A, it was obvious a European powerhouse was going to come in for the young forward.

It was understood then that it was Manchester United leading the race for the 23-year-old PSV man. However, seemingly out of nowhere, Liverpool swooped in and secured his sought-after services for €42m — adding to their already long list of attackers, which includes big-money summer purchase Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz.

Gakpo hasn’t made the instant impression many would have hoped for at Anfield, with a handful of lacklustre outings thus far in the Premier League and FA Cup. If the Reds are to turn around their fortunes and earn a place in the top four against the odds on this page, then Gakpo needs to start firing on all cylinders.

Noni Madueke to Chelsea – €35m

While there’s no denying that Ruud van Nistlerooy will miss Gakpo’s contribution more — he did rack up over 20 goal contributions in the Eredivisie in the first half of the season alone, after all — PSV lost another attacking option in the form of Noni Madueke to free-spending Chelsea.

The Blues have spent almost £600m since new owner Todd Boehly bought the west London club in May, and Madueke was one of eight players to arrive at Stamford Bridge in the January window — following the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix (loan) to the English capital.

The 20-year-old missed a large part of the opening half of this season due to an ankle injury, so featured just five times in the Eredivisie — scoring his only goal against NEC Nijmegen. He’s yet to make his Chelsea debut, but he looks like an exciting addition at Stamford Bridge.

Amin Sarr to Lyon – €11m

Another promising young player lured away from the Eredivisie in the winter window, Amin Sarr joined Ligue 1 giants Lyon for €11m from Heerenveen — just 12 months after joining the Super Frisians from Malmo in his homeland of Sweden.

Sarr scored five goals and set up four in 19 appearances for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie this season, and his new club Lyon will be hoping the Sweden U21 international will be able to help them find some momentum in Ligue 1 — as they currently sit ninth in the French top flight and 10 points off the Champions League places.

Geronimo Rulli to Ajax – €8m

An incoming player to the Eredivisie this time, Ajax spent a Dutch record of over €110m in the summer as Lisandro Martinez and Antony followed Erik ten Hag to Manchester United — while other key players like Sebastian Haller and Ryan Gravenberch also departed.

The Amsterdam side will be glad to have managed to hold on to their key players in this window as they look to close the gap on archrivals Feyenoord at the top of the table, and they have also strengthened between the sticks — with Geronimo Rulli arriving from Villarreal for €8m.