IN WHAT WAYS WILL THE WORLD CUP IMPACT THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW?

IN WHAT WAYS WILL THE WORLD CUP IMPACT THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW?

By Rashmi Goel

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January is universally regarded as one of the worst transfer windows in football, both from a club's and a fan's perspective. Players' prices skyrocket during this period when clubs are only given one month to conduct business rather than the three months during the summer. The Fifa World Cup is going to make the upcoming month of movement mayhem significantly worse for many clubs. There is an abundance of talent on display in tournament football. It does not matter whether it is a world-renowned superstar such as Kylian Mbappe or if it is one of the heroes of Morocco, a handful of strong performances on this stage may cause a player's life to undergo significant changes.

Following a stunning performance for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup, James Rodriguez made a £71 million deal to join Real Madrid, but he never achieved the career he had hoped for. There are many people in that situation, for example, Belgian center-back Thomas Vermaelen, and striker El Hadji Diouf. Some of the stars' dazzling performances have undoubtedly led to some frantic auctions in January - and not all moves that follow a World Cup will negatively impact a player's career. Because of the immense interest the major tournament brings, there will be even greater inflation in January transfers than there already is.

A big auction will be driven by Dutchman Cody Gakpo and Portuguese player Goncalo Ramos in January. With three goals this tournament, Gakpo has seen his stock rise significantly over the past few weeks, despite already being the leading marksman in the Eredivisie. The World Cup may have only provided Ramos with one start, but he took advantage of the opportunity to impress. During Portugal's last 16 encounters with Switzerland, the 21-year-old substituted for the veteran Cristiano Ronaldo and surpassed all expectations. During an impressive performance by the Portugal team in Qatar, Ramos scored a stunning hat-trick. Gakpo was a target for Southampton and Leeds United in the summer transfer window, with the Dutchman almost joining the Yorkshire club during the summer transfer window due to the World Cup's influence on the transfer market. Six months ago, the Saints were also exploring the possibility of signing Benfica's Ramos, and both teams will be outdone in January by clubs looking at these stars now that they have accomplished so much on the international scene.

As January 1 approaches, football clubs will find themselves paying over the odds for new recruits, as that is the nature of the mid-season window, but now World Cup tax will also be included. Sellers take advantage of buyers who are in need of reinforcements, either when a player leaves or there is an injury crisis. It is important for them to cover their own backs, not only financially, but also so they have time to bring in their own replacement depending on the time of the month. With the transfer window just around the corner, and plenty of World Cup talent likely to prompt bidding wars, it is now almost time to strap yourself in and wait for the drama to unfold.