Christian Pulisic

Sometimes the best transfers are the ones that aren't made, after all. Sure, most of January - and a lot of the months in between - is spent wondering who will go where, when, and for how much. And this is all very good content. It's why we follow football, of course: transfer rumors, gossip, and social media anger.

Yet there is an art to ensuring that rumors remain nothing but, well, rumors. Indeed, for every transfer that does go through, there are numerous that don't. And sometimes that is just fine. Such was the case for the USMNT this January. Sure, there were plenty of rumors, and Alex Freeman went from Orlando City to Villarreal. But it was otherwise a quiet window, with big names sticking around when they might have otherwise moved away.

READ MORE: USMNT Transfer Grades

Just how wise those decisions are remains to be seen. Indeed, there might have been a mistake or two, perhaps an opportunity missed. But until then, GOAL looks at why some of the USMNT's biggest names didn't leave their clubs...

Oh boy, Josh.

It goes something like this: Sargent had the chance to leave Norwich last summer. The transfer broke down. He stayed, scored some goals, then stopped scoring for a long time. By early January, it was clear that MLS club Toronto FC were interested in securing his signature. Sargent was pretty open to the deal, so much so that he went on strike and was banished to the Under-21s. Talks with the sporting director about negotiating a reason to stay went horribly. By that point, the whole thing was supposed to end with Sargent being shipped to Canada for a decent fee.

Instead, for now, he's stuck. However, there could be another twist, as Toronto are able to sign players until March. If Sargent is indeed exiled, then he could still go. The problem now? Norwich have zero leverage outside of refusing to sell.

Here's an intriguing one. McKennie is a baffling football player who can be quite brilliant and also frighteningly average. Right now, he's in something of a purple patch, enjoying a fine run of form and showing why he could yet be a crucial player for Juventus. That means he was locked into staying, right? Well, not necessarily.

McKennie has six months left on his contract, and he hasn't exactly been getting loads of love from Juve's front office, especially with the Bianconeri insisting on trying to see just how many sporting directors they can employ before getting it right. Everything about that would say he should get out of there. But he keeps scoring goals, and no suitable offer came in this month.

So, for now, he stays. This summer, though? TBD.

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