Match of the Day Magazine Issue 619

It’s that time of year when everyone is sick of eating turkey, when Christmas is a whole year away and when it’s dark, drizzly and cold outside. So thank you, football gods, for the transfer window! To celebrate a month of mad moves, we’ve dedicated this whole issue to the crazy world of transfers! THE TRUTH ABOUT JANUARY! IT'S BAD! LOCKDOWN SUCKS! IT'S BAD! AGES UNTIL CHRISTMAS! IT'S BAD! THE WEATHER IS LOUSY! IT'S GOOD! THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS OPEN! Watch Prem highlights on MOTD, Saturday evenings, on BBC One…

ROY KEANE Nottingham Forest to Man.United 1993 • Now he may be a grumpy TV pundit – but back in the 1990s, Keano was an elite midfielder. For some reason, United unveiled him wearing a builder’s hard hat! EMMANUEL PETIT & MARC OVERMARS Monaco to Arsenal & Ajax to Arsenal 1997 What do you do if there isn't a home shirt or a scarf to hold up during a photoshoot? If you’re Arsenal, a copy of the local newspaper will do! ARTHUR GRAHAM Leeds to Man.United 1983 Hard hats, zebras and local newspapers have all been used in these signing shots – but who thought a wheelbarrow would be a good idea? Maybe those balls were his signing-on fee! AILTON Red Star Belgrade to Duisberg 2007 This Brazilian striker played for 21 clubs during his 20-year career – and this was the…

AGE Younger ballers are more expensive because clubs can get more seasons out of them! POSITION Attackers tend to cost more than midfielders, with defenders and keepers the cheapest around! CONTRACT STATUS The longer a player has left on their contract, the more they’re worth. Simples! CLUB Some clubs have to sell their stars, so they're cheaper than those at a big club that has no need to sell! TALENT This one’s easy! The better a player’s been playing, the more in-demand – and expensive – they’ll be! POTENTIAL Some ballers are already great, but the most expensive are those who'll keep improving!…

25 BERNARDO SILVA MAN. CITY & PORTUGAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER | CONTRACT UNTIL 2025 • The Portuguese baller is such a classy player, who could easily shoot up this list in future. He’s nowhere near his peak yet – and he’s at the best club to grow into one of the world’s elite! 24 LEROY SANE BAYERN MUNICH & GERMANY FORWARD | CONTRACT UNTIL 2025 • Everybody knows just how much potential Sane has – now he has the chance to show it. A big contract at a top club means only serious cash would make a transfer possible! 23 FRENKIE DE JONG BARCELONA & HOLLAND MIDFIELDER | CONTRACT UNTIL 2026 • Frenkie was signed by a major European giant from one of the top clubs in Holland for some serious cash! He’s got potential coming out of his ears. The sky’s…

20 KEPA ARRIZABALAGA Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea £71.6m When Thibaut Courtois left for Real Madrid in 2018, the Blues dropped some serious cash on his replacement. It hasn’t worked out as they’d have wanted as yet, but who knows – things could still turn around! 19 NICOLAS PEPE Lille to Arsenal £72m The Gunners smashed their club record transfer to sign the Ivory Coast winger. Pepe became the fourth-most expensive Prem signing ever – we’ll meet the others later – and though he’s scored some top goals, he hasn’t won over everyone yet! 18 ROMELU LUKAKU Man. United to Inter Milan £74m After a failed spell at Chelsea, Rom scored at a ridiculous rate for Everton, earning a move to Man United. That didn't work out either – but he’s now back to his best after leaving for Inter Milan! 17 ARTHUR Barcelona…

STAGE 1 THE TRANSFER STARTS! IF A CLUB WANTS TO BUY… « Once a club decide they want a player, they’ll speak to their target’s club to see whether they’re happy to sell! IF A CLUB WANTS TO SELL… « The player will be put up for sale. His name will be given to other clubs and his agent will try to raise interest in the player! IF A PLAYER WANTS TO MOVE… « If he’s a star player, the club will try to convince him to stay – but a want-away player will often try to force a move! INSIDER INFO... « Managers draw up a list of targets for every position with the help of scouts and the club’s recruitment team – this will then be presented to the chief executive! STAGE 2 THE CLUBS AGREE A FEE! NOW THE…