The Christmas period is upon us, which means we are somehow already more or less at the midway point of the 2025-26 football season. As many of Europe's leading leagues pause for the winter break, it's time to take stock and reflect on four scintillating months of action. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed transfers across the continent in the summer, now that they have a decent sample size of games under their belts.

As we reach Christmas and approach the midway point in the Premier League season, the time has come to reflect on the first half of a campaign that has delivered drama and unexpected twists in abundance. It's also the opportune moment to assess those players who completed a transfer to, or within, the English top-flight back in the summer, with a decent sample size of games now under their belts.

Shaun Wright-Phillips has urged Chelsea to break the bank for Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw in the upcoming January transfer window. Thiaw, who cost Newcastle just £30 million ($40m) when he arrived from AC Milan in August, has been one of Eddie Howe’s standout performers this season. And now, the former Chelsea star wants the Blues to go all-in for the defender to bolster their backline.

Cesc Fabregas' aims to strengthen the Como squad, opening talks to sign Malick Thiaw and Alvaro Morata while negotiations for Nicolas Kuhn have begun.