The January transfer window is a time of frantic negotiations, last-minute deals, and clubs scrambling to strengthen their squads for a final push for the league trophy or to avoid relegation. But in today’s digital age, a signing is only half the story.
The other half? The social media announcement. Clubs are now going the extra mile to ensure their announcement videos grab attention, rake in clicks, and keep fans entertained.
From meme references to pop culture nods, the creativity on display can sometimes outshine the transfers themselves. This January was no different, as English clubs delivered some of the wackiest announcement videos yet.
Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur secured the loan signing of 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, to strengthen their injury-ridden squad. Spurs’ social media team jumped on the viral ‘Let me tell you something’ meme, which features a terrified man about to go bungee jumping, desperately trying to delay his jump to share some last-minute words.
The club’s video cuts to Tel himself, who concludes the video, interrupting the actual man in the video to say, “I’ll Tel you something, I’m here.” Loads of fans replied to the announcement with laughing emojis calling it a “10/10 no notes” reveal, which now has almost 3 million views.
Marcus Edwards to Burnley
One might assume the most viewed and elaborate announcements would come from the biggest clubs, but Burnley continue to punch above their weight in this department.
Burnley have signed the English winger on loan from Portuguese side Sporting after he made only 6 appearances this season in the league.
Their unveiling of Marcus Edwards featured an iconic clip from the infamous TV sitcom Friends, where Ross desperately urges Rachel to “Get off the plane!”, a clip that plays a huge role in the show. In Burnley’s version, the scene cuts to Edwards, who’s been green-screened at the door and gives a salute to the camera, followed by an “Up the Clarets.”
The video, after being released on 3rd February, has racked up 4.2 million views, possibly because of incorporating a show like Friends. Fans were ready to award Burnley’s media with the media Ballon d’Or if there was one: “This media team deserves the player announcement’odor.”
Alex Gilbert to Charlton Athletic
League One side Charlton Athletic also got in on the fun with their announcement of 20-year-old midfielder Alex Gilbert, who comes in on loan from Middlesbrough after not finding game time at the Riverside stadium.
Charlton’s media team went with a British classic, The Inbetweeners, using the iconic scene where Jay and Neil excitedly call out to their teacher, Mr. Gilbert, after spotting him at a shopping center. In Charlton’s version, the shouting was seamlessly edited to match Alex Gilbert’s perplexed reaction as he turned in response.
The video, posted just two days ago, has already racked up 2.5 million views on X with fans using Inbetweener’s references to appreciate the reveal. “easily the best new player announcement, not sure this can be topped. Well done Charlton, well done,” said one tweet on X.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman to Birmingham City
Birmingham City took a different route for the unveiling of Taylor Gardner-Hickman, shortened to TGH by the fans. heir announcement video featured the midfielder crawling across the club’s training facilities, up a flight of stairs, and eventually into a room where he put pen on the paper to sign his contract.
While the video may have seemed random to outsiders, Birmingham fans and avid followers of League One would have immediately recognized the reference.
In their most recent game against Rotherham, Hickman hilariously took to the dark arts by crawling onto the pitch late in the game to waste precious minutes. This came just after he’d won his side a penalty, which turned out to be the winning goal.
A niche but brilliant announcement video in the eyes of the faithful, which now has over 2 million views.
Jaydon Banel to Burnley
To round off the list, we return to Burnley—undisputed masters of the transfer announcement game. Their unveiling of Jaydon Banel, signed from Ajax just before deadline day, was a piece inspired by Jim Carey’s The Truman Show.
The clip featured an iconic scene from the movie before cutting to Banel himself, who joins in, embraces Jim Carrey’s character, and winks at the camera before delivering the now-customary “Up the Clarets.”
Burnley’s ability to turn signings into cinematic experiences remains unmatched, with this announcement video notching up a million views on X.
Fans were left impressed by Burnley’s social media team’s double masterclass: “Another gem, well done media team.” said one while another was there just for the announcement video, “Couldn’t give 2 f***s about Burnley but every time they sign a player I love it.”