Premier League: 5 January signings who will take the league by storm next season

Arsenal v Everton - Premier League
Aubameyang will be a contender for EPL golden boot next season

The English Premier League 2018 January transfer window was electric and full of surprises with high profile players crossing over from one rival club to another and clubs beefing up their squads for the second leg of the season. EPL clubs showed their financial muscle again by spending a record-breaking £430 Million in the winter transfer window.

Liverpool broke their record transfer fee for a defender when they splashed a mammoth £75 Million to sign Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, eclipsing the £54 Million Manchester City paid in the summer to acquire the services of English right-back Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City also added a new defender to their ranks in the name of Aymeric Laporte from Atletico Bilbao in a deal reported to be around £57 Million, making the young French defender the second most expensive defender in football history.

Arsene Wenger and his Gunners side were also not left behind as they also broke their transfer record set in the summer when they signed Alexander Lacazette from French side Olympique Lyon for a fee reported to be around £52.7 Million by signing Gabonese superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund for a fee reported to be £56 Million.

Olivier Giroud also swapped Arsenal to join their London rivals Chelsea in a bid to be in good shape during the FIFA World Cup in Russia as the arrival of Aubameyang was going to permanently condemn him to a bench role.

The most bizarre transfer of the winter window was the swap deal between Arsenal and Manchester United where Alexis Sanchez joined Manchester United and Henrikh Mkhitaryan moved in the opposite direction. It was widely reported that the Chilean superstar was supposed to link up with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City after a deal failed to materialize in the summer. Sanchez joining Manchester United as opposed to Manchester City raised eyebrows all over.

However, the players are still settling in the new clubs. They have shown glimpses of promise and after a summer preseason of bonding with new teammates and getting to master new tactics by their new coaches, the players will now show their true colors in the forthcoming season.

Here is a look at 5 top players that joined new clubs in the English Premier League during the winter transfer window and will be lighting up the Premier League.

#5 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round
Virgil has been a leader for Liverpool

Liverpool splashed £75 Million to sign their long-term target Virgil van Dijk in January from Southampton, making him the most expensive defender in football history.

The Dutchman seems to be the missing piece of the jigsaw for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side as he has settled well in his new club. Virgil has played an integral role in Liverpool's road to the UEFA Champions League finals.

In his 19 appearances for Liverpool, the Dutchman has shown what Liverpool have been lacking in their defense since Jurgen Klopp took over the reins as the Reds manager. His height gives him an aerial advantage and his vision blends with Jurgen Klopp's footballing philosophy of building play from the defense.

Van Dijk has shown his potential in his few appearances for the Reds and in his first full season with Liverpool, he is going to show his full potential for the Klopp side.

#4 Cenk Tosun (Everton)

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton - Premier League
Cenk Tosun in action for Everton

Everton's failure to replace Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a whopping £75 Million deal last summer, cost them a lot in the first half of the season. Even after the arrival of high profile players like English legend Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Davy Klaasen, the Toffees lacked the spark in the final third.

The Merseysiders splashed £27 Million to acquire the services of Turkish sensation Cenk Tosun in January in a bid to secure Premier League survival under Sam Allardyce.

It took Tosun time to settle at Everton as he had to adapt in a competitive league and new coaching methods. After failing to score in his first four matches for the Toffees, Tosun responded well by finding the back of the net in three consecutive matches including a match-winning brace against Stoke City.

Tosun notched 24 goals in his last full season at Besiktas and by the time he joined Everton, he already had 4 goals in 6 Champions League appearances for the Black Eagles. At Besiktas, Cenk's link-up play with Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma was great and at Everton, he can forge the same partnership with Theo Walcott.

Tosun managed 5 goals in 14 appearances for the Toffees in the second half of the season as Everton finished eighth in the Premier League table. Cenk has shown a lot of promise during his half-season spell with Everton and he could be a thorn in defenders' flesh next season.

#3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal)

Arsenal v Everton - Premier League
Henrikh Mkhitaryan made a promising start with Arsenal

The Armenian international joined Arsenal in a bizarre transfer which saw Alexis Sanchez join Manchester United. Despite only playing 11 league matches for the Gunners, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has shown glimpses of the form he had in his last season at Borussia Dortmund where he scored 11 goals and notched 20 assists.

Mkhitaryan posted impressive figures for Arsenal by scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists in 11 league appearances for the Gunners.

Mkhitaryan rekindled his devastating striking partnership with Aubameyang as the Gabonese international also joined the Gunners in the winter transfer window. Linking up with Mesut Ozil in the Arsenal attack midfield behind lone striker Aubameyang, the Gunners will be having one of the most dangerous attacks in the English Premier League.

#2 Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United)

Manchester United v Sevilla FC  - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg
Alexis Sanchez in action for Manchester United

Alexis Sanchez opted to join Manchester United after being linked with a move to Manchester City in a shock deal in January. Sanchez's deal to link up with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side failed in the summer and it was expected that he would finally join the Citizens in the January transfer window.

However, Sanchez has not fully settled at Old Trafford as he has failed to produce the world-class performances he displayed both at Arsenal and at Barcelona. The Chilean maestro is still adapting to Mourinho's playing style at Manchester United and has not sparked the Old Trafford fans as expected.

Alexis managed 2 goals and 3 assists for the Red Devils in 11 league appearances and 1 goal in the FA Cup which was a crucial equalizer against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals.

The stats Sanchez has posted at Manchester United do not match his superstar status but when he settles well at Old Trafford then the Chilean is going to be a force to reckon with and will form a formidable attack alongside Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

Arsenal v Southampton - Premier League
Can Aubameyang lead Arsenal to Premier League glory next season?

Arsenal broke their transfer record twice in the same season as they signed Gabonese superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng from Borussia Dortmund in January for a reported fee of £56 Million, eclipsing the £52 Million the Gunners paid for the services of French striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Aubamayeng was probably the best January transfer as the Gabonese striker scored on his Premier League debut against Everton with an audacious chip and went on to score 10 goals in 13 league appearances for the Gunners, making the best start ever by an Arsenal striker.

Despite Aubamayeng's hot streak in front of goal, the Gunners still finished sixth in the Premier League and will ply their trade in the Europa League for another season.

The Gabonese striker will surely be in contention for next season's Premier League golden boot.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram