Although countrywide regulations prevent Luxembourgish clubs from splashing the cash and making drastic reinforcements in January, the signing of two outfield players and a goalkeeper is permitted in order to fix injury crises or find solutions to pressing on-pitch issues.

Every January has some spectacular winners in the country, either the teams that rack up some profit from sending their most prized assets to the professional world, or the ones who snap up the most coveted free agents on the market.
 
On the flip side, not every deal can go through, and a failed negotiation can result in hastily arranged solutions as executives go chasing alternatives in the hopes of maintaining the squad depth and quality demanded by the manager.
 
Below we are taking a look at some of the highest-profile moves domestically and internationally concerning BGL Ligue sides, and addressing some of the key talking points following the last day of the window earlier this week.

Swift hold involuntary fire sale

After the forfeit 0-3 loss against Mondorf on 1 December due to player protests, it was clear some of the culprits would not be welcome at the club any longer. However, first-division teams made a pact shortly after, stating no one would offer a contract to any of the rebels, thus leaving foreign employers as the only way out of their dire situations.
 
By the end of January, Hesper still have unpaid wages to deal with among players and staff, and they have announced no fewer than seven departures without a single replacement. 
 
Simão Martins and Adrien Kack found new clubs in their respective homelands in Portugal in France, Mathis Lemeray terminated his contract, Yann Matias returned to Mondorf (having not been on the squad list for the infamous incident against the same team in December), while Karim Bouhmidi (ES Sétif) and Jérôme Simon (Panevežys) managed to make the jump onto the professional scene after a promising first part of the season. Noah Scheidweiler has moved to the United States to pursue higher education; his departure was expected and came as no surprise.
 
As a result, Swift, who have routinely boasted the most bloated rosters in recent years, are now down to a mere 26 senior players, two of whom are also integral part of the youth setup. Another player on the books, Jérôme Mabom, has recently been banned by the national federation after Hesper refused to pay compensation upon signing him in the summer from lower league Berdorf-Consdorf. Mabom is also alleged to have been denied a residence permit in France, which makes him unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future.
 
Hesper are currently fourth in the league competing for a European qualification spot, but the question marks around the club are only increasing. Last year, UEFA punished them for late salary payments by revoking their continental license and the same story is expected to play out this May; manager Emmanuel da Costa has handed in two resignation requests only to see them both turned down by a frustrated board; the quality and depth in some positions is inadequate, but the club’s financial situation means no replacements were sorted for some key players who left in the winter.
 
If Hesper do end up finishing fourth after such a calamitous 12 months even by their standards, it will be nothing short of a masterclass from da Costa and his staff. Whether that would equip Swift with the required resources to continue their development, though, is still uncertain.

Fede Varela comes, World Cup star doesn’t

Most of the winter window’s dealings were overshadowed by two giant coups in the mainstream, by FC Differdange and Sanem respectively.
 
After Jorginho’s loss to Kazakh top division side Kairat Almaty (who paid €100k for the striker’s services), league leaders FCD compensated by signing André Mendy from Portugal, but further steps were adjudged to be necessary for a successful title defence. The final solution was presented in the last days of the window, when they announced the arrival of former Porto wonderkid Federico Varela.
 
Varela, 28, has experience in the Portuguese and Turkish top divisions, as well as a domestic cup title and European appearances for Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia. His most recent adventure ended prematurely in the USA, but his return to Europe can fill the FCD fanbase with excitement. It also foreshadows a potential summer departure for Guillaume Trani, 2024’s Player of the Season, after he saw several offers from foreign suitors rejected by the Differdange board.
 
The plan according to executives was to hold on to one of their two most valuable assets for an extra six months to ensure some continuity in the midst of a title race. Trani clearly has admirers and as one of the brightest gems in the country, that situation is unlikely to change by July, when he is expected to be given a green light.
 
The other bombshell announcement surprisingly came from amateurs Sanem, who are involved in a promotion fight. In a social media post in late January, they foreshadowed the arrival of a former World Cup and Champions League appearance maker, which prompted widespread discussions among fans around the country, creating wild rumours and debates about the identity of the mystery signing.
 
In the end, it turned out to be a savvy PR move from the ambitious lower-league club, whose new signing will strengthen the club’s e-sports department. This makes Differdange’s Varela the most anticipated new face on the scene ahead of the league’s resumption on February – at least for those fans choosing the stadiums over consoles.

Gerson headlines defensive efforts

After the first weeks of January were dominated by creative, versatile attackers swapping teams, most of the clubs recognised the importance of solidifying their defensive departments in the last days, resulting in a few notable coups.
 
Progrès Niederkorn were the headliners of these deals by beating Differdange to the signature of one of the most revered names in the country’s modern footballing history in Lars Gerson. The 97-cap Luxembourg international centre-back had been a professional in Scandinavia since 2007, and had several offers from abroad, but at the age of 34, he decided to return to the country where his career kicked off. The Wasps are thus getting a player with vast experience against some truly world-class opponents for the Red Lions, and an all-round ability to play in the backline or further ahead as a midfield pivot.
 
Gerson was officially unveiled at a press conference featuring another two new names around the block. Vincent Boesen arrives from nearby Trier in Germany to replace the leaving Kenny Mixtur, who was poached by French club Villefranche. Eddy Ehlinger, a 23-year-old French goalkeeper, has been without a club lately and is looking to return to the right track by training in Niederkorn.
 
F91 Dudelange scoured the international market in their search for a defender, and came back with Ukrainian Alan Aussi, whom they signed from Romanian top-flight team CFR Cluj. Aussi was the first signing announced by F91 in the winter, followed by Union Titus Pétange’s striker, Kyrgyzstan international Kai Merk. Merk is supposed to deputise for the departures of Oege-Sietse van Lingen (Suphanburi, Thailand), Pedro Mendes (Belval Belvaux) and Toni Luisi (contract mutually terminated).
 
Jeunesse Esch were especially active in collecting defenders, as they got their hands on two at the same time – Godmer Mabouba has notable experience in Luxembourg having played for Etzella Ettelbrück, while Yeo Eun-soo is completely new to the country, arriving from the South Korean lower divisions. Another arrival was made official earlier this month, as free agent James Alves also made a return to the Grand Duchy from Italian Serie A side Venezia after failing to make a breakthrough at senior level.
 
Alves has also previously been called up to the national team by Luc Holtz, but stayed on the bench on every occasion. His move to Esch-sur-Alzette might just be the perfect platform to return to a more prestigious club in the near future.

Clean slate for prolific attackers

Numerous strikers find themselves facing new challenges in the second half of the season. For the aforementioned Mabom, the biggest one is merely to be allowed on the field again, but for others, the desired restart is a lot more feasible and depends on them making an instant impact during pre-season friendlies before the season gets underway later this month.
 
Union made a number of moves concerning attack-minded players. Besides offloading Merk, they also let go of Paolo Buzzi, a capable goalscorer at amateur level whose efforts proved insufficient in the top tier. Most of the scoring burden will now have to be shouldered by new arrival Oscar Faulds. The New Zealander has considerable experience in and outside of Europe, and has recently been turning heads with his form in his homeland, playing for Napler City Rovers.
 
Rosport’s sole signing this January is a winger expected to burst onto the scene. Jodel Dossou, 32, is a former teammate of Sadio Mané at RB Salzburg, with considerable experience in France and Switzerland, besides 63 caps and the captain’s armband for the Benin national team. He is expected to be involved in the Africa Cup of Nations next winter, too, after successfully qualifying this year.
 
Davy N’Goma is back in Luxembourg to reunite with Yann Mabella at Racing FCUL. Both players enjoyed a fruitful spell in the capital before embarking on their professional journeys. However, after short spells abroad (in N’Goma’s case, two unsuccessful spells in Romania), they are once again donning RFCUL’s sky blue jersey to emulate previous successes.
 
Yannick Kakoko’s team are joint-second after 15 games and are considerably overachieving their pre-season targets, but goalkeeper and sporting director Romain Ruffier stated the team would only enter the window for the right player at the right price to keep the existing team dynamics and the youthful exuberance in the dressing room. Securing a former player for free represents the type of low-risk investment that could propel the City’s team even closer to their aims of a European cup tie next summer.
 
Marwane Benamra and Bruno Correia Mendes both made domestic moves in the search of more minutes and more fundamental roles in their new surroundings. Benamra leaves Mondorf after a solid spell to bolster Fola Esch’s attack. A player of his quality can easily mean the difference between relegation and survival, especially if this Fola team shows the same fighting spirit and resilience we have come to expect from them in recent years. Last season’s messiah, Kévin Quinol, left for Hostert afterwards, but if Benamra manages to keep the club up with a few impressive outings, his stay would already be memorable at Stade Émile Mayrisch.
 
Correia Mendes, meanwhile, leaves a packed Strassen attack for a Rodange team desperately lacking firepower. Manager Stefano Bensi found it challenging to give the Bissau-Guinean forward sufficient playing time in a roster featuring Zachary Hadji, Nicolas Perez, Matheus, Conrad Azong and Edis Agović, among others, despite a solid dependable presence on the wing and consistent performances. Rodange have experienced severe struggled since new manager Mehdi El Alaoui took over in his first-ever managerial job, and the sales of attackers Erwan Hoarau and Nélson Galvanelli further exacerbated their problems. Correia Mendes only joins on a six-month loan deal, so if the worst outcome happens and R91 go down, his status as a top-flight player will not be in danger.