The five best deals on transfer deadline day in La Liga
It was a case of much of the same for Spain in the January transfer window. Loans were the order of the day, as clubs looked to not only add quality to their squads but also depth.
There were no major deals made by Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. Instead, it was largely a case of teams near the bottom of the league who made the moves. With little to no money around those clubs, it explains why loans were so frequent.
In total, only £20m was spent in the entire month by La Liga clubs. Much of the business involving money was done early, with Sevilla in particular, bolstering their squad for an unprecedented title push.
So what were the eye-catching deals in the last 48 hours of the transfer window?
Jese - Las Palmas
Arguably the headline-grabbing deal in Spain. Jese has returned home, to his boyhood club Las Palmas. And boy, do they need each other. On the part of the club, Las Palmas were desperately seeking attacking reinforcements given Sergio Araujo’s fall from grace at the club - culminating in his exit.
Despite being one of the more eye-catching teams in Spain with their brand of expansive, free-flowing football, goals have been hard to come by for Quique Setien’s men. They need not only a player who can break down defences, but also score. Jese fits the bill perfect.
For the player meanwhile, this move comes as a relief for Jese after an underwhelming time in France. The idea of PSG was appealing to Jese, and he has the ability and ambition to play for the club, but ultimately Unai Emery saw no way of fitting the player into his setup.
The arrival of Julian Draxler signalled the end for Jese, and the subsequent arrival of Goncalo Guedes was salt in the wound. Jese needs to humble himself slightly, and get the enjoyment back in his game. Las Palmas can provide the right sort of football to suit his needs, and a good environment for the player to settle in. There is indeed, no place like home.