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No matter what time of the season it is, football teams across Europe are always competing for the best talent available in the market. Loan signings are the theme of transfers in January, but signing someone permanently in the winter only saves them from competing against other European elite teams in the summer.
Mostly the players in the January transfer window are targeted as short-term fixes rather than long term investments. Teams that are performing well do not look to tinker with their sides and thus most of the business at this time of the season is done by the under-performing teams.
The Premier League is considered to be one of the toughest competitions on the planet so players brought in should be of high standards. Out of all the transfers made in January, here are the top five loan signings based on the potential, role and possible impact that the players can have on their new teams.
#5 Nathaniel Clyne - Bournemouth
The former Southampton man had a great start to his career at Liverpool and was a regular starter in his first two seasons there with 33 starts in 2015/16 and 37 in 2016/17. However, injuries halted Clyne's progress last season allowed him with just five starts in all competitions for them. Trent Alexander-Arnold excellent form only made matters worse for him.
But at the age of 27, Nathaniel Clyne looks to get his career back on track and to do that he needed some regular playtime. Playing opportunities were scarce at Liverpool where James Milner was also above him in the pecking order. So a loan move or even a permanent one looked like a feasible option.
Simon Francis' injury came at the wrong time for Bournemouth. But it was the perfect opportunity for a replacement to come in which gave way to the golden chance Clyne wanted. The move was much-needed and hence a very positive one.
#4 Youri Tielemans - Leicester City
Youri Tielemans made his debut in UEFA Champions League with Anderlecht at the age of 16 and in doing so became the youngest Belgian ever to play in Europe's premier competition. In his first season with Anderlecht, he made 29 appearances and made his international debut at the age of 19.
Finally, it was time to make the big move so, in the summer of 2015 he went to Monaco, but things didn't go according to plans. Monaco was managed by Leonardo Jardim at the start of the season and under him, he spent a lot of time on the bench. Despite Jardim not trusting Tielemans' talent, results didn't go the right way.
Thierry Henry was brought in for Jardim, but the standard of football at Monaco didn't improve which lead to Henry's sacking. But it was Jardim's return which brought an end to Tielemans' time at Monaco. In his last season at the club, he scored 5 and assisted once in 20 appearances.
Claude Puel has a reputation for bringing out the best from young players and so he can develop the Belgian into one of the best for the future. Tielemans has a great passing range and also a great burst of pace when driving the attack. He's a complete midfielder, something that the Leicester City line-up has been craving for from the time N'Golo Kanté left.
#3 Denis Suarez - Arsenal
Denis Suarez finally moved to Arsenal after months of speculations and even after talks of a breakdown in the deal at some point. The Gunners also have the option to make it permanent in summer for $18m. But the transfer received a lot of mixed reactions by the critics.
The negative criticism was that they could have invested in other positions of dire need for improvement. For the others, Suarez is the best replacement for Aaron Ramsey, who joins the Old Lady of Turin in the summer.
Arsenal are always known for their creativity and attacking flair, but the majority share of their attacking threats this season have come from a player at the left-back position in Sead Kolasinac.
When you have players such as Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on your payroll, you expect a lot of chances to come by but that hasn't been the case this season.
The two main problems at Arsenal this season are the low counts of chances created and the number of successful dribbles made. Suarez excels at these. Last season he appeared 27 times for FC Barcelona and was involved in 8 goals for them.
Suarez is just 25 and this is a loan deal, so it's a win-win situation for Arsenal because if he does perform good, then he could be someone Emery can build his team around and if the move doesn't pan well, Suarez can always be sent back to Barcelona.
#2 Antonio Barreca - Newcastle United
Newcastle United this season are facing a relegation battle and not fighting for European aspirations. So the need for recruitments was never more intense. Rafael Benítez and the supporters have always complained about lack of transfer activity, but this season the board was compelled to provide some off-field help so that the on-field results could improve.
Newcastle United broke the club record by signing Miguel Almirón. But it was their defence that was struggling more than the offence. Benítez always craved for a player who can make the left back or left wing back position his own. The Spaniard was left frustrated with Paul Dummett's hamstring injury and the inability to replace him. Matt Ritchie was forced to play in that position and in doing so deprived the side of his attacking capabilities.
Antonio Barreca was one of the names on the list for Newcastle. But the situation at Monaco, parent club of Barreca made matters easy for both the parties. He joined Monaco last summer from Torino but just made nine first-team appearances for them. The talent which showed a lot of promise at Torino was warming the bench at Monaco and more recently was made to play for the second team.
Pace is going to be Barreca's biggest strength and he could provide a lot of dangerous deliveries to target man Salomon Rondon. His versatility to also play as a wide midfielder could also be an upgrade over Dummett.
The Magpies also have an option to make Barreca a permanent signing at the end of the campaign.
#1 Gonzalo Higuaín - Chelsea
Gonzalo Higuaín began his career with River Plate in his home nation. But it was Real Madrid where his name got a recognition. He scored 107 times in 190 league appearances for Los Blancos and in doing so won three league titles with them.
A move to Serie A in 2013 surprised everyone, but for Higuaín, it was the right move. It was at Napoli where he gained a reputation of being a prolific goal scorer. In his last season for Napoli which was 2015/16, he scored 36 goals in 35 games.
The goalscoring prowess was enough to get the attention of the other elite European teams. Juventus met his buy out clause in 2016. He scored 24 goals for them in his first season, but the numbers came down in the next one.
Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival made matters worse for him. A loan move at the start of the season to AC Milan didn't go down well. As the whole situation was happening with Higuain, at the same time Chelsea were dealing with a different saga.
The 2016/17 Premier League champions are currently 6th on the league table. Besides being rather timid in defence of late, if there's one department where the Blues have been crying out for help, it has to be the striker's department
Diego Costa left the club after the title-winning season and the management thought it would be an easy task with replacing him. Álvaro Morata was believed to be the right replacement but his time at Chelsea was one filled with inconsistency and finishing struggles.
Chelsea are still embroiled in the fight for a place in UEFA Champions League this season and need to deliver the desired results quickly and regularly. So in the search for points, Sarri looked at Higuain as the best possible candidate.
The loan agreement also grants the option to extend the duration until the summer of 2020 by paying £15.7m or the move could also be made permanent by paying £31.3m at the end of this season.
