Newcastle would be third in the Premier League based on points gained since end of transfer window
- Paul Okey
- 22 March 2022
Magpies are showing Champions League form after some astute buys in January, while inactivity has proved costly for Brighton, Leeds and Norwich.
No surprises as to who are top
Liverpool may have played two games less than some of their top-flight rivals but seven wins from seven have resulted in 21 points, three clear of Arsenal.
Luis Diaz was their only January signing and while he has slipped into the side seamlessly, it would be overstating his impact to claim the Reds won the transfer window.
Newcastle, meanwhile, began February in 18th with just two wins and 15 points to their name.
Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett and Dan Burn were added and, in the eight games since, the Magpies have doubled their points tally.
Five wins and a draw have lifted Eddie Howe's side to 14th and almost banished their relegation fears.
Based on results since the close of the window, the Tyneside club would be third in the table, marking them out as the clear winners of the transfer window.
Premier League table since January 31
| Pos | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 21 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 16 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 15 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 13 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
| 8 | Wolves | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
| 9 | West Ham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| 12 | Southampton | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| 13 | Leicester | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 14 | Burnley | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 9 |
| 15 | Watford | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 8 |
| 16 | Leeds | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 7 |
| 17 | Brentford | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| 18 | Everton | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| 19 | Brighton | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 1 |
Consistently inconsistent
Villa have fared slightly the worse of the quartet having played a game more, with the addition of Philippe Coutinho not quite having the effect many people thought it would.
Despite the inconsistent form, all four have moved up a position, however, and that is thanks to a major fall-off from the team who ended the window in ninth. More on them later.
Tottenham are another team who have been up and down.
Manager Antonio Conte, who has made much of the club's transfer failings, brought in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski in the window. And while the duo have both impressed, five wins and four draws from nine is remarkably similar to Nuno Espirito Santo's record before his was given the old heave-ho (five wins, five defeats).
The big losers
They did, however, opt to replace their manager in February and it is that which looks to have given them a Premier League lifeline, with Jesse Marsch having guided them to successive wins, both thanks to injury-time strikes. The six points have bolstered their output for the period to seven from 27 which, based on points per game, is still only 18th-best.
Everton also have reason to be thankful for a last-gasp winner, with Alex Iwobi clinching all three points against Newcastle in the 99th minute last time out.
The victory doubled the Toffees' points output for the period. However, despite having brought in Vitalii Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson, Anwar El Ghazi, Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli, a paltry haul of six points from seven games shows they were a long way from beating Newcastle in the window.
