| Michael Dawson | Nott'm Forest to Tottenham (£4m, 2005) |
Perhaps he won’t be the most glamorous name on this list, but as far as January purchases go, Michael Dawson has been extremely effective since joining Tottenham from Nottingham Forest after his former club’s relegation to League One.
The England defender has racked up 242 appearances in all competitions and is a must-pick in the centre of Spurs’ defence when he is fully fit, having played an important part in making the club top six regulars in recent campaigns.
At 28 he still has plenty to give for club and country, with his partnership at the back with Ledley King still not matched by many other central defensive duos in the Premier League. Tottenham are still reaping the rewards from that shrewd piece of January business in 2004-05.
| Emmanuel Adebayor | Monaco to Arsenal (£7m, 2006) |
Emmanuel Adebayor did not have a global reputation when he signed for Arsenal from Monaco as a 21-year-old.
After not setting the world alight in his first 18 months at the Emirates, it was clear Wenger had made a January buy with the future in mind and was soon rewarded when the Togolese hitman scored 30 goals in all competitions during a stellar 2007-08 campaign.
Intense transfer speculation followed that summer when Adebayor was linked with AC Milan and Barcelona, but he ended up staying and enjoying another decent campaign before he eventually was sold, to Manchester City, at a massive profit.
After arriving at Eastlands in a £25 million deal he had a steady goalscoring record but was sent out on loan to Real Madrid and currently Tottenham.
| Patrice Evra | Monaco to Man Utd (£5.5m, 2006) |
Patrice Evra already had experience of a Champions League final when he arrived at Manchester United from the same Ligue 1 club as Adebayor.
A horrendous debut in the Manchester derby against City, which saw him substituted at half-time after an error-prone performance, led to questions over whether Sir Alex had made a wise move.
However, following a shaky start to his Old Trafford career, Evra soon established himself as the Red Devils’ first-choice left-back - usurping Gabriel Heinze - and became one of the world’s top players in the position.
His current form may not be up to those levels, but the experienced Frenchman is still one of the most senior players at the club and captains the side on regular occasions.
| Nemanja Vidic | Spartak Moscow to Man Utd (£7m, 2006) |
Nemanja Vidic was initially perceived as a risky signing for Manchester United when they parted with a significant fee of around £7m for a player who had only played in Russia and his native Serbia.
Just a month after joining the club, the powerful stopper won his first trophy as the Red Devils celebrated a League Cup triumph and the rest, as they say, is history.
He went on to be a part of one of the most successful central defensive partnerships in European football alongside Rio Ferdinand and helped United to four league titles, a Champions League, a Club World Cup and a further two League Cups.
In 2011 he was named as United’s new captain in place of Gary Neville and recently retired from international duty, meaning full focus will be on his club career after returning from the serious knee injury which is currently keeping him out of action.
| Ashley Young | Watford to Aston Villa (£9.75m, 2007) |
Martin O’Neill was accused of overspending when he splashed out almost £10m for Watford starlet Ashley Young, a 21-year-old winger who had just six months’ worth of top-flight experience to his name.
The Englishman soon established himself at Villa Park, though, becoming a first-team regular on the left-hand side of midfield and barely missing a match over his four-and-a-half-year spell, while becoming a consistent contributor of goals and assists.
Young earned England recognition in that time and became increasingly versatile, showing ability to play in advanced roles right across the pitch.
He joined champions Manchester United in the summer for a fee in excess of £15m after it became clear he would look to move to a bigger club with his Villa contract nearing its end.
| Gary Cahill | Aston Villa to Bolton (£5m, 2008) |
Gary Cahill seemed to be a player who had failed to live up to his early potential when boyhood club Aston Villa allowed him to sign for Bolton in 2008.
Since then though, the defender showed the Villans how wrong they were to let him go by becoming a regular at the Reebok Stadium and establishing himself as an emerging star.
Over the last two seasons in particular, Cahill has produced some classy displays and is recognised as one of the country’s most technically gifted stoppers and he broke into the England set-up in 2010.
With his contract running down, the Trotters cashed in on Cahill on Monday by selling him to Chelsea in a £7m deal which still saw them earn more than they paid for him having enjoyed four years of service.
| Lassana Diarra | Arsenal to Portsmouth (£5m, 2008) |
Lassana Diarra had failed to find regular first-team football for both Chelsea and Arsenal when he signed for Portsmouth in January 2008 with his career seemingly heading in a downward spiral.
But he proved to be an inspired purchase for Harry Redknapp at Fratton Park, with his midfield tenacity proving pivotal and the Frenchman finally showing his quality with the opportunities provided by regular first-team football.
Diarra was part of the Pompey team which famously won the FA Cup in 2008 and then played a part in their Europa League campaign for the first half of the following season.
In January 2009, almost a year after signing, Real Madrid made their move and Portsmouth cashed in, receiving close to £20m, with Redknapp later taking the credit for some fantastic wheeling and dealing in the transfer market – he often still cites the success of the deal when discussing his achievements on the south coast.
| Brede Hangeland | Copenhagen to Fulham (£2.5m, 2008) |
Brede Hangeland joined Fulham in a bargain £2.5m deal from Copenhagen in 2008 and has built a strong reputation as an uncompromising and talented stopper ever since.
One of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League, the Norway captain has played a key role in keeping the Cottagers in the top flight and progress to a status of regular mid-table finishers.
Hangeland was also instrumental in Fulham’s run to the Europa League final, where they eventually lost out to Atletico Madrid, and continues to attract interest from bigger clubs, with Arsenal known to be admirers.
| Daniel Sturridge | Chelsea to Bolton (Loan, 2011) |
Chelsea starlet Daniel Sturridge had found regular first-team action hard to come by at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues from Manchester City, with domestic cups representing his main opportunities to play from the start.
Owen Coyle and Bolton swooped for the striker in January to provide them with another option to Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander for the remainder of the campaign.
The move surpassed everyone’s expectations as an impressive Sturridge starred for Bolton, scoring eight goals in 12 league games. His success in the north west, combined with strong performances in pre-season, allowed the player a chance at Chelsea under Andre Villas-Boas – he is now a key part of the squad and has been capped by England.
The Trotters had enjoyed similar success in a loan deal the previous season with Arsenal starlet Jack Wilshere, who also saw his career hit a significant upward turn after a spell at the Reebok.
| Luis Suarez | Ajax to Liverpool (£22.8m, 2011) |
The conclusion to the January 2011 transfer window was simply unforgettable and will go down in the history books for drama.
While the headline-grabbing moves of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50m and Liverpool replacing him with Newcastle’s Andy Carroll in a £35m switch have failed to result in any kind of success, Kenny Dalglish’s Reds did manage to capture a gem.
Luis Suarez had been scoring goals for fun in the Netherlands at Ajax as well as impressing for Uruguay at the previous summer’s World Cup in South Africa, so Dalglish was getting a player with impressive credentials.
Since his arrival at Liverpool, the forward has proven his quality with some outstanding displays and is now as integral to his side’s form and performances as inspirational captain Steven Gerrard.
Suarez did come to Anfield with a controversial reputation and nothing which has happened since – be it his guilty verdict in the Patrice Evra racism row, clashes with opposition fans or accusations of diving – has altered that view, but no-one can doubt his footballing ability on the pitch.
source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/01/17/2849976/luis-suarez-nemanja-vidic-the-top-10-january-transfer-window
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