Ex-Man City Star Reveals Dark Side of January Transfers Fans Aren’t Aware Of

Former Manchester City star Nedum Onuoha has opened up about the brutal reality of January transfers.

There is just four days until the transfer window will once again close on February 2nd and it appears that there are still plenty of deals in the works.

In the final days of the window, Crystal Palace are believed to be working on a deal for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand-Larson while Raheem Sterling looks for a new club following the termination of his Chelsea contract.

So far this window, Manchester City have undoubtedly been the most active club in the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola's side singing both Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi this month.

But following the confirmation of the moves, former City player Onuoha has revealed just how difficult it can be to join a club in the January window.

Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi both joined Manchester City in January. (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Onuoha played 14 seasons in the Premier League with Manchester City, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers before leaving in September 2018 to finish his career with MLS club Real Salt Lake.

Now, the 39-year-old works for ESPN and has recently opened up about his struggles after leaving City to join QPR in January 2012.

Writing in his column for ESPN, Onuoha revealed that he had expected to leave City after seven years at the club in August 2011 and even said goodbye to his teammates, but the deal never happened.

Instead, on 26 January 2012, Onuoha agreed to a four-and-a-half-year deal with Queens Park Rangers, making his debut a just days later.

But the move was far from easy for the defender, as he admitted that joining the club mid-season while they were in a relegation battle presented a series of challenges.

"Once the transfer was done, I had to hit the ground running, even though I hadn't played for months. There's no time to adapt," he admitted.

"You're a new guy in the dressing room, the team is near the bottom of the table and it's a tense atmosphere because of the situation you're in, losing most weeks, and you've been brought in to help make things better.

"I saw so many fights between teammates as tempers flared up. There was one occasion when two experienced players had a punch-up on the pitch at the stadium because they had a different perspective on what was good for the team, and themselves as individuals.

"One was a new signing and the other had been there prior to the transfer window, so that underlined the challenges of existing players and new signings having to gel quickly. Sometimes they just don't."

Nedum Onuoha made 116 appearances for Manchester City. (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Of course, for the likes of Semenyo and Guehi, both of whom appear to have hit the ground running at City, joining a club second in the Premier League is very different to Onuoha's experience joining QPR as they fought for survival.

However, Onuoha later acknowledged this, saying that a January transfer, or any move for that matter, is completely different for players who are among the best in the sport.

"Sorry to shatter any illusions, but only the very top players get to decide how their career plays out," he claimed.