Europe

AMSTERDAM — Ajax Amsterdam will try everything possible to have record signing Sebastien Haller available for the Europa League knockout rounds after failing to register the Ivory Coast international, coach Erik ten Hag said on Thursday.

But he conceded an administrative error will likely cost the club a vital player in their bid to win the trophy, blaming a computer glitch for leaving the 26-year-old French-born striker off the additions to the squad for the rest of the competition.

Eden Hazard has been the target of several criticisms for his poor performance since his arrival at Real Madrid, in theory, to replace Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. However, his quality hasn’t been the same as the one that took him to the top with Chelsea.

In addition to the above, injuries and his physical shape have increased the negative comments against him and even mockery, such as the one made by Burger King, the famous burger chain.

Burger King quoted a tweet asking why the forward hadn't trained with his teammates, saying "2x1 at Burger King."

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)

Portuguese coach André Villas-Boas announced that he has resigned as coach of Olympique de Marseille because he disagrees with the club's sporting policy, although he said he will remain in charge of the team "until the management board lets him go."

"I have submitted my resignation to the management board, I have not yet received an answer," the coach said at a press conference ahead of a league game against Lens.

There’s nothing quite like the madness of transfer Deadline Day. Top European clubs rushing to get last-minute deals done creates an exhilarating 24-hour news cycle. In the latest winter transfer window, European clubs invested their stock in USMNT transfers.

Here’s a list of every transfer, loan or signing in Europe from Deadline Day that involved a USMNT player. 

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar said he wants to remain at the Ligue 1 champions and hopes Kylian Mbappé will also pledge his future to the club.

Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of $269.26 million but Spanish media have frequently linked the 28-year-old with a switch back to the Catalan side.

Mbappé has 18 months remaining on his contract in Paris and new manager Mauricio Pochettino has played down reports the French forward could be on the move to Real Madrid.

Five years after joining Leicester City from Birmingham, Demarai Gray's time with the Foxes has come to an end. On Sunday, Gray completed a $2.2 million move to Peter Bosz's Bayer Leverkusen, currently fifth in the Bundesliga.

TRANSFER NEWS

Demarai Gray joins Bayer 04 from @LCFC ! pic.twitter.com/ghumQF412O

Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann fired Barcelona to a 2-1 win at home to Athletic Bilbao in LaLiga on Sunday, avenging their recent defeat to the Basque side in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Messi curled in a free kick after 20 minutes for his 650th Barça goal on the day the club pledged to sue Spanish newspaper El Mundo for publishing the full details of the Argentine's contract.

Elif Elmas joined Napoli as a 19-year-old in 2019 after a strong season with Fenerbahce. 

The North Macedonia international played 40 times for the Istanbul-based club in 2018-19, scoring four goals. His form and potential earned him a move to Serie A as Carlo Ancelotti and the Napoli board shelled out $17.7 million to secure his services after selling Amadou Diawara to rivals Roma.