The A-League Men's midseason window has slammed shut. Silly season has come and gone, and, beyond existing free agents, teams will now have to make do with the squads at hand in pursuit of silverware. Some clubs have been very busy over the past month; others not so much, and perhaps some haven't been as busy as they should be.
But who did well and who didn't? Invariably, we won't know that until the campaign's end, when teams arrive at their destination and we try to figure out if they've progressed farther than they otherwise would have.
It's also notable that, with a FIFA World Cup looming, the definition of success is likely different for several of the players who have moved Down Under in recent weeks, with their primary goal less focused on the collective and more impressing Socceroos boss Tony Popovic enough to earn a spot on the plane to North America.
But collective success is a likely byproduct, or even a prerequisite, for players such as Mitch Duke, Nicholas D'Agostino, or Daniel Arzani to achieve this goal, and, therefore, the arrival of World Cup hopefuls that otherwise would have likely remained overseas had they not needed regular starts and minutes, represents a worthwhile gamble for clubs.
So, with that in mind, here's ESPN's look at each team's moves during the January window.
- Sydney FC loan will bolster Stamatelopoulos' World Cup chances - Talay
- Mohamed Toure scores hat trick in stunning starting debut for Norwich
- A-League stocks: Brisbane Roar's siege mentality in danger of turning sour
Adelaide United | Grade: D
Much of the transfer talk surrounding the Reds over the past month has centred on Panagiotis Kikianis, who was the subject of reported interest from Eredivisie outfit Heracles Almelo -- being led on an interim basis by former Adelaide technical director Ernest Faber -- and their newly swelled war chest following the sale of Jizz Hornkamp. No such move eventuated, however, with Heracles instead bringing in Perth Glory youngster Rhys Bozinovski and Kikianis staying in place at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Instead, Adelaide, never one to splash the cash in favour of younger, cheaper alternatives, prioritised re-signing the likes of Bart Vriends and Luke Duzel, and agreed to a mutual contract termination with Julian Kwaaitaal. Signing a three-year deal as a 19-year-old back in August of 2024, Kwaaitaal was immediately loaned out to second-tier Dutch outfit FC Eindhoven for the subsequent campaign, before landing Down Under and making all of one appearance in the Australia Cup before exiting -- a thoroughly bizarre signing, in hindsight, that tied up salary cap space and a visa slot that, ostensibly, could have been put towards someone that could have actually contributed.
And with Craig Goodwin set to be out for about three months with a groin injury, lone addition Ajak Riak already out injured, Brazilian import Anselmo struggling to get and stay on the park, and the grind of the season well and truly here, a window of inactivity could come back to bite.
Auckland FC | Grade: B-
Another outfit that mostly stood pat during the window, Steve Corica's side's lone move to reinforce the squad came via the signing of Marconi goalkeeper and Australian Championship breakout performer James Hilton, who will serve as back-up to Michael Woud after a serious injury to Oliver Sail. But sitting second on the table, coming off the back of a premiership, and having secured the likes of Lachy Brook in the offseason, the Kiwi side arguably didn't need to be too busy.
Auckland did, however, score a major win when it announced that defender Francis de Vries had signed a new, three-year contract extension, one that will keep him at Mount Smart Stadium until the end of the 2028-29 campaign. One of the best players in the competition, whose wide and set-piece delivery plays a vital role in his side's build-up, the 31-year-old is a key retention.
Brisbane Roar | Grade B+
The Roar got mutual with Marcus Ferkranus, who is expected to land with Australian Championship outfit Avondale, and said goodbye to Lucas Herrington, with the latter netting a club-record fee as he completed his move to MLS outfit the Colorado Rapids. Coming the other way was Socceroos striker D'Agostino, who arrived on loan from Norwegian champions Viking FK in a bid to press his case for World Cup selection.
If "Daggers" isn't trying to do everything he can to impress Popovic ahead of June, he likely isn't available to an A-League side, so, with English striker Chris Long struggling to make his mark, the Roar being able to pounce and secure a national team player represents a handy bit of business. Add to this his being a Queenslander who made his senior debut with the Roar, and it looks even better.
Initially, it looked like that would be all the Roar would do in the window, which wouldn't have been ideal, until they also added Norwegian defender Marius Lode on loan from Swedish outfit BK Häcken. Given the cracks that have appeared at Lang Park as of late, it perhaps would have been much better to reinforce down back earlier -- it's not like Herrington's exit would have caught them by surprise -- but the veteran brings a resume that suggests he should help to steady the ship.
Central Coast Mariners | Grade: B-
No team was busier during the transfer window than the Mariners, who honoured pre-existing agreements under their new APL custodianship and brought in six players: Oliver Lavale, Nathanael Blair, Kaito Taniguchi, Ali Auglah, Chris Donnell, and Seth Clark. The latter three all arrived from NPLM NSW side Sydney Olympic, continuing on an obvious trend that coincided with former Olympic chairman Damon Hanlin's attempt to acquire the licence. Meanwhile, 2024 Grand Final hero Ryan Edmondson bode farewell and returned to Europe.
Taniguchi is ostensibly the best credentialled of the arriving sextet, possessing nearly 100 appearances in the J1 League in addition to stints in the J2 and J3. And with Edmondson never quite making the impact that was hoped beyond his Grand Final heroics, he doesn't have too high a bar to meet to serve as an upgrade. But he's still getting up to speed, with there not a lot of time left for him to start making an impact. The other five, meanwhile, aren't the most high-profile of signings, even if Auglah, who scored for fun in the Australian Championship, and Lavale have potential.
But importantly, Warren Moon has been given some extra depth to call upon. And while you'd hope that doesn't come at the expense of opportunities for the likes of Miguel Di Pizio and Haine Eames, a recent upswing in form suggests that's helping.
Macarthur FC | Grade: A
After selling Ariath Piol, Oliver Jones, and Jed Drew during the 2024-25 midseason window, as well as releasing skipper Valère Germain from his contract, it's been a much quieter January for the Bulls this time around. And while that means they haven't been able to bolster their bank account, holding onto their talent is also going to do the silverware hopes of Mile Sterjovski's fourth-placed side a world of good.
So, too, will the addition of Socceroos forward Duke. Like D'Agostino at the Roar, the Sydney-native has returned home seeking to bolster his candidacy for World Cup selection, and with three goal involvements in his first four games, he's doing a good job of both pushing his case and boosting the Bulls' fortunes after the loss of Ji Dong-Won, who had yet to fire anyway since his arrival during the winter months, due to injury.
Melbourne City | Grade: B+
Losing Kai Trewin was always going to be a massive blow to City and, given his rise, was also probably going to happen at some point. And while it would have been preferable for it to occur post-season, they were at least able to fetch a fee of more than a million dollars when he made the switch to New York City FC. They quickly found a well-credentialled, if not a like-for-like replacement at No. 6 for the rest of the season, too: securing the loan signing of Ryan Teague from Belgian side KV Mechelen.
Up front, the addition of Arzani on loan from Ferencváros and Marcus Younis from Brøndby IF is looking increasingly welcome as Aurelio Vidmar's injury-hit side bangs its head against a wall in search of goals, while Harrison Delbridge brings a veteran and underrated presence in a defence that has struggled without Trewin screening it and which has dealt with repeated soft tissue injuries to Samuel Souprayen.
With all these loan signings -- none of which are believed to have an option to make the deals permanent -- the focus has been on the short-term for City and most of their additions, needing to juggle both league and Asian Champions League Elite commitments. But with Teague and Arzani both long odds to make the World Cup squad after their not-so-auspicious European adventures, City can also count on them giving it their everything.
Melbourne Victory | Grade: C+
Victory asked the question as former players D'Agostino, Teague, and Arzani returned to the A-League on loan but, on each occasion, couldn't make the deals work. Instead, their lone addition with their limited room to maneuver came in the form of Japanese striker Charles Nduka, able to be brought in following the mutual termination of Luka Kolić's contract. With both Nikos Vergos and Jing Reec struggling to net consistently this season, it was a position of need and the 27-year-old, who landed in Australia on a short-term, prove-it deal, filled it.
After producing hardly the most auspicious of debuts in a defeat against Central Coast, Nduka showed a bit more promise in his side's win over Wellington over the weekend; however, much of that came in his work off the ball and facilitating teammates. And given that the thing Victory needed more than anything else was someone to reliably bang in some goals, the jury is still out.
Newcastle Jets | Grade: C
There wasn't much movement at the Jets in January. Former Adelaide man Zach Clough arrived on a multi-year deal (although one wonders if he would have headed back to Hindmarsh had Kwaaitaal not still been on the Reds' books at that point) while Aleksandar Šušnjar was released to allow him to sign for Uzbek side Lokomotiv Tashkent. Clough will be a good leader and skill set to have but, sitting atop the table and increasingly able to put together more complete performances, the Jets probably didn't need to add much more over the past month to remain competitive -- and none of their rivals have made the kinds of signings that make one sit up and demand a response.
Nonetheless, with Clough still yet to play after arriving with a hip injury, Kota Mizunuma already serving as a veteran presence off the bench since returning from injury, and the Jets' depth being increasingly pushed by ACL injuries to Alex Badolato, Oscar Fryer and Christian Bracco, it wouldn't exactly have hurt for the club to add someone ready to make a more immediate impact.
Perth Glory | Grade: B-
Yes, Bozinovski's departure to Heracles Almelo represents a blow to Perth's campaign. But when one remembers that he was only just picked up a few months ago as a free agent, signed following Western United's placement into hibernation, then the nearly half a million Aussie dollars The West Australian has reported they received for him represents an amazing bit of business.
Khoa Ngo's loan move to Cong An Ho Chi Minh City FC, meanwhile, did prevent Glory fans from building on the hype that was being built around the youngster, but his exit created space for Stefan Colakovski's return, which represents a net increase in their ability to win football games this year. Midfield replacement Luca Tevere, meanwhile, probably won't be shipped off to Europe in six months himself, but is just 23, and his play in the NPLM Victoria competition has long deserved an A-League opportunity.
Sydney FC | Grade: B
With Víctor Campuzano failing to make the kind of impact you need your foreign No. 9s to make, Sydney finally addressed their position of greatest need on the final day of the window when they signed one-time Socceroo Apostolos Stamatelopoulos on loan for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the deal permanent. The 26-year-old started the season brightly for Motherwell but, with his minutes at Fir Park drying up amidst The Steelmen's push up the Scottish Premiership table, Stamatelopoulos has opted to return Down Under to bolster his chances of World Cup selection.
Of the three returning strikers in this boat, the South Australian is probably coming from much further back than Duke or D'Agostino, but he did score 17 goals in 25 appearances for Newcastle during the 2023-24 season and, knowing his long odds, can be relied upon to give maximum effort. Could the Sky Blues have perhaps looked to reinforce further or earlier amid a skid in form? Probably, but at least they did something.
This was then followed by a last-minute deal for German-born, Turkish attacking midfielder Ahmet Arslan, another signing to address the side's sputtering attack. The 31-year-old has spent the vast majority of his career in the German third- and fourth-tiers -- winning a 3. Liga Golden Boot with 25 goals for Dynamo Dresden back in 2022-23 -- and feels very much like a signing produced by the network of sporting director Alexander Baumjohann. With the notable exception of Patryk Klimala, though, the German's signings for the Sky Blues haven't set the world alight -- Arslan will seemingly supplant offseason recruit Piero Quispe -- so it's a case of wait and see on the latest.
Wellington Phoenix | Grade: A
After suffering a season-ending knee injury in round three, Hideki Ishige's contract was mutually terminated while he continued his rehabilitation in the Kiwi capital, opening the door for Wellington to bring in three top-line talents in Bill Tuiloma, Sander Kartum, and the returning Sarpreet Singh.
In Tuiloma and Singh, the former landing on a two-and-a-half year deal and the latter on loan from Serbian side FK TSC, Wellington has added two locals whose levels should not only allow them to be difference-makers at an A-League level but also who are also desperate to enshrine themselves in the plans of Darren Bazeley ahead of New Zealand's World Cup campaign. Kartum, for his part, slots straight in for Ishige and though his minutes were lacking at Hearts -- Cammy Devlin was in his ear to endorse Wellington when he began exploring a move -- his European pedigree suggests he'll be an asset for Giancarlo Italiano as he plots an unlikely finals push.
Western Sydney Wanderers | Grade: B
Ryan Fraser has only been Down Under for three games, but his early impact suggests that, as long as his frustrations don't get the best of him as they did following his substitution in the Wanderers' Sydney Derby shellacking, the former Premier League man should establish himself alongside Tom Lawrence and Brook as one of the best signings of the season.
Down back, Jacob Farrell also arrived on loan after multiple injury-hit seasons at Portsmouth. A World Cup push is probably a bridge too far for the 23-year-old; he's played in four competitive games since the 2024 Grand Final and will have 13, at most, to overhaul Jordy Bos, Aziz Behich, Callum Elder, and Kye Rowles, before Popovic names his final squad. But he should prove an asset to the Wanderers as he logs vital minutes and demonstrates to those at Fratton Park (or elsewhere) that he's got plenty of contributions to make in the years ahead.
Nonetheless, even with the addition of Fraser and Farrell, there's still a sense that the Wanderers, who are underperforming their expected goals (xG) by a remarkable 10.1 this season, per FotMob, still haven't replaced the attacking impetus of Johnny Warren Medalist Nicolas Milanović and World Cup hopeful Zac Sapsford (and let's say nothing of Juan Mata's remontada at Melbourne Victory). Signed to a multi-year contract just days before Alen Stajcic was sacked, the timing of Hiroshi Ibusuki's deal also raised eyebrows, and those eyebrows shot even higher when the striker was completely absent from the Wanderers team sheet against City on the weekend.
The sale of Alex Bonetig to Portland Timbers, at least, represents the type of move Western Sydney should be making a lot more: a young lad coming through their celebrated academy, establishing themselves in the first-team and then moving overseas for a good transfer fee.