The big boys might have elected to – or been forced to – stay out of the winter window, but there were still some tantalising transfers in La Liga during January. Here we pick out the best five of the bunch.
5. Fyodor Smolov, Celta Vigo
In their last two games, against Eibar and Valencia, relegation candidates Celta Vigo have produced a pair of dominant performances which saw them fire in 29 attempts on goal, 11 of which were on target. There was just one problem: none of them resulted in goals.
It has been the same story all season. With just 17 goals in 22 games, the Galician team are the lowest scorers in La Liga. Aside from talisman Iago Aspas, no player has netted more than twice. Perhaps even more shockingly, they have only scored two goals on one occasion in their 11 home games, during a 2-2 draw with Mallorca (and one of them was a penalty), drawing blanks on five occasions. It’s very clear that Celta simply lacks goals.
Enter Fyodor Smolov. The experienced Russia international, who turns 30 next week, has been snapped up on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow to ease the goalscoring burden on Aspas. His track record is good, averaging a goal every three games over his career, and if Smolov can maintain that ratio in the more demanding environment of La Liga, it could just be enough to keep Celta safe.
4. Carles Alena, Real Betis
Many Barcelona fans were hugely disappointed when home-reared Carles Alena was allowed to leave the Camp Nou at the start of January, heading to Real Betis on loan for the remainder of the season.
Alena’s dramatic fall from favour under Ernesto Valverde was a mystery: after being selected to start the season opener at Athletic Bilbao, the creative midfielder was dragged off at half-time and didn’t reappear until December, only playing 171 league minutes for Barca before being allowed to leave by a manager who, ironically enough, followed him through the exit door almost immediately.
At Betis, he is already receiving opportunities to flourish and there will be plenty of chances to shine alongside gifted teammates such as Nabil Fekir, Joaquin and Sergio Canales. The biggest issue for coach Rubi, in fact, is how he can fit that quartet of talent into the same team without losing defensive balance, so Alena will certainly have to earn his place.
The 22 year-old will be particularly looking for to his team’s next league game: a home meeting with his parent club Barca on Sunday night. And it could be a key game in his career – if he delivers a strong display, it may not only secure his place in the Betis line-up but also persuade the Camp Nou decision-makers to bring him back, with an enhanced role, next season.
3. Alessandro Florenzi, Valencia
Valencia have been struggling to find a right-back since the second game of the season, when first-choice Cristiano Piccini was laid low by a serious knee injury. With summer signing Thierry Correia totally out of favour, manager Albert Celades mostly resorted to redeploying Danish midfielder Daniel Wass in the full-back role, but that could clearly only ever be a temporary measure.
Los Che’s search for a new right-back came to fruition in impressive fashion with the capture of seasoned Italian international Alessandro Florenzi, who has arrived on loan until the end of the season from Roma – where he was club captain – after falling out with coach Paulo Fonseca. The Italian club’s loss is Valencia’s gain, and the Mestalla hierarchy can give themselves a big slap on the back for landing such a tried and tested performer on a loan deal.
Florenzi showed his worth with an assured debut performance for Valencia in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, nearly scoring with a stunning 20-yard volley, and his arrival carries the added benefit of allowing Wass to return to his more natural position in the centre of the field. Valencia needed a right-back, and with Florenzi they have struck gold.
2. Raul De Tomas, Espanyol
Few players have ever made such an instant impact with their new clubs as Raul De Tomas, who has scored in four consecutive games since joining basement dwellers Espanyol from Benfica.
The 25-year-old predator has a point to prove after his big-money summer move to the Portuguese giant quickly unravelled into a major failure, as he made just seven appearances without scoring. He will also be eager to avoid a second consecutive relegation after suffering that fate with Rayo Vallecano last season, despite netting 14 goals to become the third-highest scoring Spaniard in La Liga.
After a long period of underinvestment, Espanyol reacted to their dire straits by seriously splashing the cash in January, also recruiting central defender Leandro Cabrera from Getafe and consistently productive Rayo Vallecano winger Adri Embarba. But De Tomas is undoubtedly the key man, and the way he has started life at the RCDE Stadium suggests he can be the difference-maker in the battle against the drop – and the next game could be crucial as Espanyol host fourth-bottom Mallorca in a Sunday lunchtime showdown. If RDT makes it five in five, his team could soon be on the rise.
1. Paco Alcacer, Villarreal
One of the most prolific goalscoring teams in La Liga are Villarreal, who blasted 36 goals in their opening 21 games as a consequence of their expansive and attack-minded style of play.
Fans of the Yellow Submarine might have feared that their free-scoring days were over when second-top scorer Karl Toko Ekambi was sold to Lyon in January, but they needn’t have worried. Just before the window closed, Villarreal broke with their low-spending traditions to snap up a high-profile replacement striker in the form of Paco Alcacer, who arrived for a club record fee of €25m from Borussia Dortmund.
Alcacer, of course, is already well-known to followers of La Liga after his earlier stints at Valencia and Barcelona, but his goalscoring exploits took several steps forward in Germany as he netted an impressive 23 goals in 37 Bundesliga outings.
Now he is back in Spain at the ideal club to play to his strengths, joining a Villarreal team loaded with creative talent spearheaded by Santi Cazorla and also containing Samu Chukwueze, Manu Trigueros, Moi Gomez and Javi Ontiveros. His partnership with Gerard Moreno could prove highly productive, and the arrival of Alcacer means that Villarreal will continue to be well worth watching over the remainder of the season.
Also watch out for…Youssef En-Nesyri and Suso (Sevilla), Hatem Ben Arfa (Valladolid), Dimitri Foulquier (Granada), Bryan Gil (Leganes) and Enric Gallego (Osasuna).
