5 best January deadline day deals in the Premier League

Everton v Liverpool - Premier League
Perhaps Liverpool's best January signing

The January deadline day is upon us as clubs are now hastening up any loose ends in order to get the players they want. You see, there is always room for improvement, which is why the seemingly unbeatable Manchester City signed Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Club.

Even Manchester United snapped up Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a bid to compete with their eternal rivals. In short, every club wants to become a stronger team by signing good players. It has been done in the past and will happen in the future as well.

But we will stick to the history now and list out the five best January deadline day deals in the past.


#5 Wilfried Zaha from Manchester United to Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace v Burnley - Premier League
Zaha is a key component in the current Crystal Palace side

When Zaha hit the scene, he was rated as one of the best African prospects in the world at that time. The hype surrounding him was such that people could have been forgiven for believing that he would win the Ballon d’Or in the future.

As a result, Manchester United snapped him up in 2013. The fans were mightily pleased with the deal, only to be largely frustrated with his initial displays. And just 6 months after he was bought, he was sent back to Crystal Palace on a loan deal.

A year after that, on the deadline day of 2015, Wilfried Zaha was bought back outright for £6 million including add-ons by Palace. Since then, he has lifted his career with the club and have helped them stay in the Premier League, despite constant flirtations with relegation.

Indeed, in his last season, he reached the peak of his powers to score 7 goals and make 11 assists in 35 Premier League games.

#4 Asmir Begovic from Portsmouth to Stoke City

Stoke City v Hull City - Premier League
One of Stoke's best signings ever

If a list of the most underrated players is every compiled, Asmir Begovic’s name should be on it for sure. The former Stoke City goalkeeper was bought by the Britannia outfit for a fee in the region of £3.25 million.

The deal happened on 1 February in 2010 after Begovic opted to join Stoke over Tottenham Hotspur. After that, he served the club for five years till 2015, when he left them for Chelsea. In those five years, he was one of the most consistent shot-stoppers in the league, often saving Stoke single-handedly in games where their defence had failed to show up.

In his 214 appearances in the Premier League, he has 54 clean sheets, 45 of which came as a player for Stoke City in 160 appearances.

#3 David Luiz from Benfica to Chelsea

Chelsea v FC Nordsjaelland - UEFA Champions League
David Luiz's first stint with Chelsea was good

David Luiz divides opinion like none other. To some, he is a PlayStation footballer being handled by an 8-year-old. To others, he is a talented footballer who thrives with the proper setup. Whichever way you look at him, Chelsea’s acquisition of him—at least in his first spell—should be labelled as a success.

There are many reasons for that. For starters, Chelsea signed him for £21.3 million in January of 2011 from Benfica and let Nemanja Matic go to the Portuguese outfit. In his very first full season, he helped the Blues win the Champions League.

He might have had his bad moments, but in the end, his sale earned £50 million for the London outfit—which is more than double of what Chelsea paid for him in the first place. So everything considered, he was a good signing for the Blues.

#2 Javier Mascherano from West Ham to Liverpool

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League
One of Liverpool's finest former players

While Liverpool might have requested clearance for him on 16 January in 2007, FIFA only approved the deal on deadline day. After that, he served the club for three and a half seasons and became a legendary figure at Anfield.

Indeed, at one point of time, the Reds had the most complete midfield in the world. The box-to-box prowess of Steven Gerrard and the imperial vision of Xabi Alonso was beautifully complemented by the steel of the Argentine.

He was a leader in front of the defence and although he could never win anything with Liverpool, he holds a legendary status with the fans. He played in 139 games for the Merseyside outfit and scored two goals.

#1 Luis Suarez from Ajax to Liverpool

Manchester United v Liverpool - Premier League
Suarez almost led Liverpool to a Premier League title

Another player who couldn’t earn any accolades with Liverpool, but announced himself to the world stage at Anfield. Luis Suarez came to Liverpool from Ajax for £22.7 million on 31 January 2011.

Even though Ajax agreed to Liverpool’s offer on 28 January, the deal was officially announced on deadline day. On one hand, Liverpool fans were in pain of losing Fernando Torres, but on the other hand, Suarez’s deal gave them hope.

And he didn’t let them down. He, like Javier Mascherano, stayed at Liverpool for 3 and a half years and scored 82 goals in 133 games. He also won the PFA Player of the Year in 2014 and became a hero at Anfield.

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Edited by Raunak J