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The January transfer window is coming to an end and this year it has been a particularly quiet one. The biggest deal in the Premier League has involved Dimitri Payet depart the Hammers to join Marseille while Leicester City also pulled out the stops and paid 15 million to sign Wilfred Ndidi from Genk.
While this window might be short on excitement so far, things can change drastically on deadline day (31st January). Deadline day deals usually involve inflated price tags and are panic buys, there have been some signings which have had an extremely positive impact on their respective clubs.
Let us take a look at the 5 best January deadline day signings in the English football:
#5 Youssouf Mulumbu (Paris Saint-Germain to West Bromwich Albion: January 2009)
On deadline day in January 2009, Youssouf Mulumbu completed a 6-month long loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain to Premier League strugglers West Bromwich Albion. Six months later, the Baggies had made the signing permanent giving Mulumbu a one-year contract.
The move proved to be a stroke of genius as the Congolese midfielder won over the fans with his battling displays winning the players and fans club player of the year award in the 2011 season and guiding them to a very respectable 11th place finish in the Premier League.
Signed for for a fee of just £175,000, Mulumbu proved to be one of the most astute buys in West Brom’s history and he even went on to lead the club with great distinction. In 2015, Mulumbu finally joined Norwich leaving West Brom after six seasons of distinguished service.
#4 Asmir Begovic (Portsmouth to Stoke City: January 2010)
Current Chelsea second choice goalkeeper Asmir Begovic made his name as an excellent shot-stopper during his immensely successful spell at Stoke City. Highly regarded at Portsmouth, Begovic was grudgingly sold by Pompey for £3.25 million to Stoke City in 2010.
Portsmouth saw Begovic as a long term replacement for Davis James, but financial troubles forced them to sell their most promising talent to Stoke City. Initially starting off as a backup to Thomas Sorensen, Begovic soon established himself as a key player starting every game in the 2012/13 season and even earned the club’s player of the year award.
When Pulis signed Begovic at Stoke, he said:
"We have been tracking Asmir for some time and we believe that potentially he is the best young keeper in the country"
Begovic with his incredible performances at Stoke soon earned a move to Chelsea. However, with Thibaut Courtois in their ranks, he has largely played second fiddle and is looking for a move away from Chelsea this January.
#3 Jermain Defoe (Tottenham to Portsmouth: January 2008)
One of Premier League’s greatest ever strikers, Jermain Defoe made a £6.5million move from Tottenham to Portsmouth in January 2008. The English striker had a great impact at the club scoring in each of his first five home games.
Defoe played an integral role in Portsmouth’s 8th placed Premier League finish scoring some crucial goals along the way. An incredible year in Portsmouth ended in Defoe netting 17 goals in 36 appearances.
Defoe’s form was so good that Tottenham came calling once again in the 2009 January transfer window. Although Defoe spent only one year at Portsmouth, the club made a huge profit on him as they sold him for nearly 10 million pounds (£15.75 million) more back to Tottenham in 2009.
Jermain Defoe played a major role in some of Portsmouth’s best moments in the Premier League.
#2 Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea to Bolton: January 2011)
Probably the greatest loan move in Premier League history, Daniel Sturridge almost single-handedly rescued Bolton from relegation after he scored an incredible 8 goals in 12 matches.
A promising youngster, Chelsea snapped him up after his impressive performances at Manchester City. During his time at City, Sturridge became the first player to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and the Premier League in the same season.
However, Abramovich’s insistence on buying well-established stars saw Sturridge not get enough opportunities which resulted in a deadline day loan move to Bolton. His loan move there proved to be an incredible success and he is still remembered fondly by the Bolton faithful.
#1 Luis Suarez (Ajax to Liverpool: January 2010)
The best January deadline day signing (EPL) hands down, Luis Suarez made a £22.8 million move from Ajax to Liverpool to replace departing Kop Hero Fernando Torres. Suarez did more than just replace Torres, almost dragging Liverpool to the Premier League title in a thrilling 2013-14 season where he even won the PFA Player of the Year award.
Known for his direct running, finishing and dribbling ability, Suarez tormented Premier League defences and tore apart opposition defences with ridiculous ease. Although his tenure was slightly tainted by the biting and racial abuse incidents, there was no denying the impact at the Uruguayan had at Merseyside.
Finally, Suarez made a move to Barcelona for a fee of £64.98 million in June 2014 earning Liverpool a whopping profit of £42 million from his sale. While Suarez earned only one League Cup during his time at Liverpool, he is still considered by many as one of the greatest Liverpool players in the Premier League era.
