Why are January transfers more difficult? How spending rules, club priorities make deals much harder than in summer

Twice a year, football fans get excited for the transfer window to arrive, as their clubs position themselves to improve the squad, fill holes, generate funds, and add exciting new players.

The summer transfer window in June and July provides a full view of the market and a prime opportunity to splash the cash for those leagues involved. However, January is a much more difficult time to find the additions that teams desperately desire.

The midseason window for European clubs can present a challenge to identify and complete the right deals to send teams on their way up the table or deep into knockout tournaments.

So, why is it tougher in one window than the other? AllSportsPeople explains why the challenges exist and why clubs must work so much harder and faster to identify the best contributors to fill gaps and boost the team through towards the finish line.

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Why are January transfers more difficult?

There are a number of factors that play a role in making the January transfer window a much tougher environment to complete deals.

First, the pool of available players is much smaller. Clubs are far more willing to part with players during the offseason, when contracts expire or tick down, futures are reassessed, and there is more time available to secure replacements. In the winter, goals are being targeted and reconfigured, and usually only a select number of players are on the open market and willing to leave.

Because of this, teams are often harder to negotiate with, sticking to their guns knowing the leverage is with the seller in the January window. Clubs looking to buy are often extorted in the January window, as the selling clubs know buyers are often far more desperate this time of year.

In the summer, even settled players will consider offers made to them as they ponder the next step of their careers. During the midseason transfer window, however, usually only a handful of unsettled or somehow disgruntled players are on the market looking for a change.

How do spending rules affect January transfers?

Additionally, the financial regulations in place throughout the Premier League, La Liga, and other European institutions make doing January deals much tougher.

Budgets are often far more strapped in the middle of the season when the spending of the summer window remains on the books affecting a club's compliance with the likes of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Thus, the majority of deals that can be completed in the winter window are short-term solutions like six-month loans, loans with an option to buy, or other deals that minimize the impact on the club's financial status.

Why is it harder to buy in January than the summer?

For clubs that wish to fill holes in their squad midseason, identifying players on the market who fit their needs is exceedingly difficult.

Usually, the players made available by selling clubs are either those on the periphery of the squad, those otherwise disgruntled by their current situation, or those running down the final year or two of their contract. Those who are playing and thriving at their present clubs, and are therefore of greater attraction to prospective buyers, are much more difficult to acquire given teams don't want to lose their best performers mid-season.

Finally, the short-term nature of the transfer strategies and relatively quick nature of the window through January run contrary to how many transfers play out. Often, these player deals, especially at the highest levels, require months or even years of relationship-building between player, agents, coaches, and club executives. Thus, completing a deal in a more short-term manner can come with additional roadblocks.

Biggest January transfers ever

Below are the most expensive January transfers in history, according to Transfermarkt.