Money

The18's 5-Minute Winter Transfer Window Round-Up

According to Transfermarkt, 11,148 transfers were officially made between January 1 and February 1, with the transfer fees totalling a little over $600 million.

While significantly less than the 18,488 transfers worth $1.6 billion that occurred last January, it's still a lot to take in.

But we've made it easy for you.

Here's The18's five-minute guide to the most important transfers of this year's winter window:

Winter Transfers 2021

Five Most Expensive

1. Sébastien Haller (West Ham → Ajax)

Messi’s Astronomical Barcelona Contract Is Mysteriously Leaked

Just when you thought Barcelona had turned the corner with four straight league wins and a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, here comes that nasty debt of $1.42 billion and the ugly realization that the greatest footballer of all-time is headed out the back door again! (Along with another Luis Suárez brace for Atlético.) 

MLS Threatens League’s First-Ever Lockout If Players Can’t Reach New CBA

MLS said on Friday it remains "far apart" on the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and will terminate the existing pact and lock out players for the first time in league history if a new deal is not reached by midnight Thursday.

Major League Soccer, whose 2021 season is due to begin on April 3, extended by one week the deadline to complete negotiations with the players' union on a new deal and is committed to regular meetings over the coming days.

Fans Will Return To Stadiums Eventually, But Will We Ever See Them Again (On TV)?

Watching the USWNT play Colombia in a pair of friendlies last week, I was struck by two things. First: Catarina Macario is the real deal. Second: We may never see fans at sporting events again.

The World’s 30 Richest Clubs After The Hellstorm That Was 2020

If you’re FC Barcelona, do you want the good news first, or bad news? The good news is that, according to Deloitte’s annual report for the world's richest soccer teams 2021, Barcelona was the highest-earning club in 2020! The bad news is that total revenue was decreased by nearly $153 million, a precipitous fall of 15 percent from 2019’s earnings. Oh, and you’re also $1.46 billion in debt.

With Jordan Morris Joining Swansea, Americans Have Become The Best Value In Europe

Jordan Morris joined Swansea City on Friday on loan for the rest of the 2020-21 season, with the EFL Championship side retaining an option to buy the American striker permanently at the end of the campaign. The deal reinforces a recent trend: European clubs finding massive bargains in American players.

FIFA Promises To Unilaterally Destroy Anyone That Even Thinks About A European Super League

World soccer's governing body FIFA says players who feature in any breakaway European Super League would be banned from playing in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

In a joint statement with European governing body UEFA and the other five continental confederations on Thursday, FIFA said they would not recognize any such breakaway.

The Spanish Super Cup Arrives At The Worst Possible Time

When Spain's soccer federation signed a lucrative deal in 2019 to export its rebooted Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, they did not envisage matches in empty stadiums across southern Spain and tired teams negotiating record snowfall in order to get to them.

But that is what they will get when the mini-tournament begins on Wednesday after coronavirus restrictions in Spain and the gulf state forced organizers to overhaul their initial plans and re-think the competition to fit today's unprecedented times.

With Burnley Under New Ownership, We Scout Some Potential Transfer Targets For The Club

The long-overdue Burnley takeover was finally finalized on Thursday, providing happy news to Burnley fans who were frustrated by their club's lack of transfer spending this year.

The biggest question is whether the Clarets will stray from their current transfer model: buying players playing in England, often from the Championship, for low fees and molding them into dependable Premier League starters (or better).

Kits Of Shame: We Examine The Worst Soccer Jerseys Of 2020

If this year's soccer kits seemed even worse than usual, it's because they were.

Every kit release is accompanied by internet outlash and general dissatisfaction. You can say that Twitter trolls are a factor, but the fact is that the quality of soccer kit designs is steadily declining.

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