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Falling roughly midway through the season, the January window provides clubs with an opportunity to bring in reinforcements for the remainder of the season, conclude previously agreed deals or let players leave to clear the wage bills.
While clubs across Europe are busy trying to sort out their new signings and outgoings before the ongoing January transfer window closes, a few have completed shock deals already.
Top 5 ridiculous January signings this season
Some of the deals that have taken place during this window were anticipated and expected, but the randomness of a few has been mind-boggling.
Most of these unexpected signings have been free transfers, but they have still been ridiculous deals nonetheless. On that note, let us take a look at the five most ridiculous transfers this window.
#5 Luka Jovic | Real Madrid to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)
Luka Jovic joined Real Madrid in a €60 million move from Frankfurt back in 2019 after a stellar campaign with the German side, where he scored 27 goals in all competitions.
However, he did not come close to justifying that investment for the Spanish giants, scoring just twice in his 18 months at the club. That was heavily due to lack of playing time coupled with a number of injuries as well.
Jovic has now been loaned back to his previous club, where he seems to have regained his mojo, scoring three goals in five games. But it remains to be seen if he can continue this form for the remainder of the season.
#4 Stephan El Shaarawy | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua to Roma (Free)
In another case of returning to a former club, Stephan El Shaarawy is back in familiar waters, as the 28-year-old is headed back to his homeland as a free agent.
The Italian completed his return to AS Roma after a torrid 18-month spell in China with Shanghai Shenhua.
He had spent almost three years at the Stadio Olimpico between 2016 and 2019 before moving to Asia. However, El Shaarawy had a very injury-plagued stint with the Chinese outfit, scoring just two goals and two assists in only 18 appearances.
Now back in familiar surroundings, El Shaarawy will hope to help his side mount a surprise title challenge.
#3 Sami Khedira | Juventus to Hertha Berlin (Free)
World Cup winner Sami Khedira joined Hertha Berlin permanently, penning a deal that would keep him at the club till June 2023 after falling out of favour with Juventus.
The German’s last bit of action for Juventus back in June. Considering his age, he was alienated by the Old Lady and had been looking for a new club since the summer.
The 33-year-old hasn't seen regular first-team football for a while, so it is not known if he would hit the ground running at his new club.
He is now back in his homeland, where he started his professional career with VfB Stuggart. Nevertheless, Hertha Berlin would be glad to have a player with a wealth of experience and winning mentality as they look to pick themselves up in the second half of the season.
During his time at Juventus, Khedira won five Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia honours as well, while notching up 21 goals and 13 assists in 99 appearances.
#2 Sebastian Haller | West Ham to Ajax (€22.5M)
In 2019, Sebastian Haller became West Ham United’s record signing, having arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for €40M following a stellar campaign in the Bundesliga.
The Ivory Coast international, playing alongside Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic, scored 20 goals and assisted 12 in all competitions. He, however, failed to live up to expectations, scoring ten goals in 48 appearances for the Hammers, before joining Ajax on a four-year deal.
He seems to have regained his top form and is already proving integral to the Eredivisie giants as they seek to defend their title. He has scored twice for Ajax and assisted another four in seven games for his new side.
#1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | Ajax to Schalke 04 (Free)
Veteran striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar returned to Schalke 04, a club where he spent seven years, marking an end to his second spell with Ajax.
The striker, who has over 400 goals to his name, has returned to Germany to help Schalke avoid the drop. In a shockingly horrific season, Schalke have only managed one league win all season and sit rock bottom in the Bundesliga, garnering only eight points in 19 games.
They have also scored a league-lowest 15 goals; therefore, the addition of a proven goalscorer could do them a world of good. Whether the 37-year-old Huntelaar still has it in him to do the job remains to be seen though.
The former Netherlands international, who scored 111 goals for the Royal Blues during his time in the Bundesliga, would look to reprise his days of old to help Schalke stay in the top flight.
