The Premier League transfer window closed on Monday, and despite it being the highest spending deadline day in five years, according to the BBC, the biggest transfer didn't involve a player.
Manchester City announced that Pep Guardiola would be taking over as manager from Manuel Pellegrini at the conclusion of the season. Guardiola, the current manager of German side Bayern Munich, will take over City on a three-year deal that will earn him $21.6 million U.S. per year.
Not only will Guardiola receive a raise from his current rate with Bayern, he will also be given a $216 million U.S. budget to spend on players, according to the Guardian. A new broadcast deal is set to kick in for Manchester City in 2016-2017, giving the club enough income to allow Guardiola to spend freely. Aside from adding Guardiola, City was relatively quiet during the transfer window.
Stoke City broke a club record for transfer when it paid $26.3 million U.S. for under-21 French international Giannelli Imbula, according to the BBC. The midfielder signed a 5-and-a-half-year deal with Stoke that the club hopes will pay off in spades.
"If he is as good as we think he is, he'll keep his value. You've got to think of it from a business point of view. We want him to be worth more than we paid for him," Stoke chairman Peter Coates told the BBC.
The 21-year-old Imbula has made 10 appearances for Portuguese side FC Porto this year.
In an attempt to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Newcastle United made adjustments to its roster on Monday. Seydou Doumbia and Andros Townsend join Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet who were added to the club earlier in the transfer window, according to the Score.
Perhaps looking to make a push in the later half of the season, Everton added Senegal forward Oumar Naisse, according to the BBC. Naisee comes to the Premier League from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow. The striker has 12 goals in 28 appearances for the club this year.
None of these moves come as a particular shock, however the lack of movement from Leicester City and Manchester United may be the biggest surprise on deadline day. While United's season has been a rollercoaster for manager Louis van Gaal, it wouldn't have been outrageous for the club to add players aside from Will Keane and Adnan Januzaj who were both out on loan.
Leicester City was rumored to be interested in a forward and showed interest in Ahmed Musa or Loic Remy to add depth behind striker Jamie Vardy, however it remained dormant as the window closed.
The Premier League resumes play on Tuesday Feb. 2 with 16 sides in action.
