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The new year is upon us and with it comes the re-opening of the transfer window as clubs assess their options for reinforcement in January.
Spending sprees from Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal contributed to a record summer of Premier League expenditure last summer, with clubs from England’s top flight collectively splashing more than £3bn on new players.
The big news this morning, however, is that Chelsea have parted ways with manager Enzo Maresca after 18 months in charge of the club.
While the acquisition of elite players or long-term targets is less common in the mid-season window, it is not completely out of the question, with the saga surrounding Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo expected to reach its climax in the coming weeks or possibly days. The 25-year-old has been linked with moves to every Premier League big hitter but it appears Manchester City are now leading the race for the player, whose £65m release clause becomes active in January.
Elsewhere, Tottenham’s Europa League winner Brennan Johnson is verging on a £35m move to Crystal Palace, while Eagles skipper Marc Guehi remains a person of interest after his deadline day move to Liverpool collapsed. The England international is about to enter the final six months of his contract at Selhurst Park, giving Palace one last chance to cash in if they choose to.
Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip, rumours and done deals in The Independent’s live blog below
Confirmed: Chelsea part ways with Maresca
Chelsea have parted company with Enzo Maresca after a rapid fallout between the manager and the club’s hierarchy. The club have already begun making contingency plans, with Strasbourg’s Leroy Rosenior now seen as the likeliest successor.
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Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:31
Confirmed: Chelsea part ways with Maresca
“Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted company,” read a club statement.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:58
Latest: Chelsea part ways with Maresca
Enzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea head coach after 18 months in charge.
The Italian departs with the club fifth in the Premier League table – 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal – following one win from their last seven top-flight games.
Speculation about Maresca’s future had intensified during the poor run of form amid reports he endured a strained relationship with key figures at Stamford Bridge.
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:50
Borussia Dortmund open to loan move for Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb
Talks have not yet been held between the clubs but the Norway international could be allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium as City look to bring in another winger, in Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.
Bobb has made 15 appearances for City this season but, after starting the first three league games, he has only begun two more and none since October as Pep Guardiola has preferred players such as Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:49
Mohamed Salah set to stay at Liverpool
Liverpool are braced for Mohamed Salah to stay put after Saudi Pro League clubs’ interest in the player cooled, according to The i Paper.
Salah’s startling tirade against the club’s hierarchy after Liverpool’s draw with Leeds earlier this month appeared to indicate the Egyptian was on his way out, with a highly-speculated move to Saudi Arabia seemingly on the horizion.
However, Salah has since reconciled with Liverpool with the support of his teammates, returning to the squad a week later and receiving a warm reception at Anfield.
Saudi clubs have noted this and are therefore less optimistic about a deal getting over the line.
(AFP/Getty)
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:29
Liverpool transfer news round-up: Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi and more after Alexander Isak injury blow
Arne Slot can at least lean on Hugo Ekitike, with the French forward settling quickly to life in the Premier League.
“It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” Slot said of Isak, who joined the Reds from Newcastle for £125m in the summer and has scored just three goals in 16 appearances in all competitions. “It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.”
But reinforcements could come to boost the Reds after a testing first half of the season.
Here are the latest stories surrounding the transfer market at Anfield:
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 12:12
Burnley may need Josh Cullen replacement after season-ending injury
Scott Parker has admitted Burnley could be forced to act in the January transfer window after club captain Josh Cullen was ruled out for around nine months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Cullen was hurt in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton and will undergo surgery, ruling the 29-year-old out for the rest of the season and the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying play-off against the Czech Republic in March.
“It’s something we certainly need to look at,” Parker said after Tuesday’s 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle. “Josh is a huge loss for us. On the pitch he’s probably been one of our best performers, so to lose him on the pitch as well as off us and what he gives us is a big loss.
“I thought the boys that came in – (Florentino) Luis and Lesley Ugochukwu were very good but we’ll look at it now over the coming weeks with the window opening and see where we may need to strengthen.”
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 11:48
Enzo Maresca is on the brink of leaving Chelsea, The Independent understands.
The manager has fallen out with co-owner Behdad Eghbali over issues around his control at the club, and it seems inevitable Maresca will depart, with an announcement possible today.
Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup and Conference League last season, has experienced a sharp drop-off in results over the past month, overseeing just one win their last seven league outings to fall out of the Premier League top four.
After surrendering another lead in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, it’s now believed January will be a defining month for Maresca which includes nine games across four competitions.
(Getty)
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 11:37
Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal transfer stance for January window amid injury woes
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club are prepared to ease their injury problems by “actively looking” at signing new players when the transfer window reopens next month.
“The window is there and I mean we are Arsenal and we have to be looking at it – ‘Okay, what do we need?’ And we have to be actively looking and then, whether we can do it or not, that’s a different story,” he said.
“But our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen, so hopefully it’ll be very positive.
“When you look across the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players. Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of them not avoidable, we want to be better and we know how important the part of having the right availability with players is going to be this season.”
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 11:24
Liverpool unlikely to go back in for Marc Guehi this month
Fabrizio Romano says that Liverpool are “open” to strengthening the squad next month, though that is unlikely to involve Marc Guehi, having had a bid accepted before the move collapsed late in the window last summer.
The Crystal Palace star is likely to wait until next summer for a move on a free transfer, though Liverpool will still be in the race with Bayern Munich are also strongly linked.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is a wanted man (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
Lawrence Ostlere1 January 2026 11:08