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The January transfer window acts as a midway point in the current European football calendar. The season can be divided into two parts, one before the window and one after it. As a result, the window itself allows teams to introspect, strengthen their squads for the remainder of the season or sell any unwanted players.
Despite its somewhat limited scope, several clubs have been able to find value in the January window in the past. The signings of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra by Manchester United stand out in that regard, while the recent acquisition of Bruno Fernandes by the club has also proven to be an excellent one so far.
However, the Red Devils, just like all the other top division clubs, have had their fair share of misses in the winter window. While some January signings - whether permanent or temporary - have struggled to live up to the expectations in the past, some have failed to make any impact whatsoever.
Bizarre, dubious, unusual, questionable - whatever you may want to call them, these are the five Premier League January loan deals that left the fans scratching their heads.
#5 Henrik Larsson (Manchester United)
Manchester United fans were delighted when the club signed Swedish striker Henrik Larsson in the January transfer window of 2007. Larsson had earned glowing reviews from the football fraternity during his time with Celtic, for whom he had scored a whopping two hundred and forty-two goals in just over three hundred appearances. A short spell at Barcelona later helped him add a UEFA Champions League title to his trophy haul.
Looking to add an experienced forward to his roster, Sir Alex Ferguson turned to Larsson in January 2007. The striker agreed to join the Red Devils on loan in the Swedish off-season and the deal was officially completed on January 1.
However, Larsson had made prior commitments to his family and his club, Helsingborg, to return to his native land by mid-March. Despite, United's attempts to extend the Swede's loan, he kept his word and departed the club on March 12 thus putting an end to one of the most curious loan sagas in Premier League history.
Larsson later admitted that he should've stayed longer at Old Trafford to receive a winner's medal following their successful 2006/07 league campaign. Regardless, the Swede left a great impression in Manchester during his short spell and earned high praise from Sir Alex Ferguson in the process.
#4 David Pizarro (Manchester City)
Despite being a reliable midfielder since the turn of the century, few had heard of David Pizarro outside of Italy. As a result, plenty of eyebrows were raised when the Chilean was brought in by Manchester City in the January window of 2012. It was Pizarro's first excursion outside his homeland and Italy, as he reunited with his former boss Roberto Mancini at the Etihad Stadium.
Pizarro himself claimed that there were two key reasons for him joining Manchester City. Firstly, his relationship with Roberto Mancini from their time together at Inter Milan and secondly, his fallout with Luis Enrique at AS Roma.
"I had no intention of leaving AS Roma even in January, but I had a bad relationship with Luis Enrique and then when Mancini called I accepted. It was all very sudden," he told Sky Sports in an interview.
The Chilean midfielder was brought in to add steel to a midfield already consisting of the likes of Yaya Toure, Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry, and David Silva. As expected, the Chile international did not get to play much for the Citizens and was only used five times in total in the league. Sadly for him, he even missed out on a Premier League medal due to a shortage of appearances.
Pizarro's short stint at the Etihad Stadium remains dubious to this day, with several football fans still oblivious to the fact that he had been a part of a historic title-winning squad.
#3 Alexandre Pato (Chelsea)
The 2015-16 season was a peculiar one for Chelsea. The Blues came into the campaign as league champions with several pundits earmarking them as favorites to retain the title. However, just a few months in, the London side was dangling close to the relegation zone, struggling to win matches.
Poor performances by players, Jose Mourinho's sacking, and below-par signings all contributed towards the disastrous campaign, with Chelsea eventually finishing tenth in the table.
Among those to arrive at the club that season was former AC Milan wonderkid Alexandre Pato. Several injuries had derailed the career of the Brazil striker, who had once laid claim to the Golden Boy award. Nevertheless, after somewhat reviving his flailing career in Brazil, the forward was handed another shot in Europe by Chelsea.
The Blues were desperate for goals when Pato arrived at Stamford Bridge on loan. First-choice striker Diego Costa had suffered from injuries and loss of form, while summer loan signing Radamel Falcao had proven to be a failure. In the midst of the Chelsea crisis, Pato gave fans some hope after he scored on his debut. However, a disappointing performance in his very next match saw him drop out of the team and never return to the starting eleven.
Chelsea decided against renewing Pato's loan at the end of the season, as the Brazilian returned to his homeland with just two appearances and one goal.
#2 Steven Caulker (Liverpool)
Liverpool's recent transfer business has earned them praise all around the football world - and rightly so. The Reds have built a Champions League-winning team with the help of sensible spending over the years and are now on the verge of ending their league trophy drought. However, things were not always as smooth at Anfield and the signings far from good.
The loan-signing of Steven Caulker was a particularly curious one by Liverpool. The English defender became Jurgen Klopp's second signing at the club when he arrived on a temporary deal from Queens Park Rangers. Caulker had been on loan at Southampton for first-half of the season with his final game for the Saints, coincidentally against Liverpool, ending in a six-one thrashing.
Despite that defensive horror-show, the Reds picked up Caulker to shore up their defense going into the latter half of the campaign. The former-Tottenham star was expected to provide cover to the likes of Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, and Mamadou Sakho. Instead, he was used as an auxiliary striker by Klopp in all of his three appearances for the club; entering the pitch late on as Liverpool looked to salvage some points.
Caulker bid farewell to Anfield at the end of the season with just three appearances in the league and one in the FA Cup.
#1 Kim Källström (Arsenal)
Bizarre or unfortunate? - six years on from Kim Källström's horror spell at Arsenal, the question still lingers. The Swedish midfielder has become somewhat of a cult hero at the Emirates owing to his short stint and a converted spot-kick in the FA Cup semi-final. The latter remains his finest moment in an Arsenal shirt, and by his admission, his life.
The circumstances under which the Sweden great arrived at Arsenal remain strange to this day. Arsene Wenger was in the hunt for a reliable back-up midfielder in the 2013-14 January transfer window with several key players injured.
The Frenchman decided upon signing Källström owing to his experience and a deal was completed on the deadline day. However, during his medical, the club doctors had discovered a back injury, potentially sidelining the midfielder for a lengthy spell. Despite that, Wenger approved the deal, with the player asked to rehabilitate at Arsenal.
Källström would have to wait until March 25 to make his official debut for the club, almost two months since joining them on loan. He ended up making four appearances for the Gunners in the remaining month-and-a-half. His only appearance in the FA Cup came in the semifinal of the competition, during which he scored a penalty in the shootout - a phase of play he describes as the best fifteen minutes of his life.
