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With the end of the January transfer window signifying the end of the transfer window for this season, it may not have been the usual frenetic transfer period with hectic deadline days of old, but there were some truly weird and surprising signings across Europe's top leagues. While some players have had to take a step back due to lack of first team opportunities, there are some for whom the biggest teams have been willing to splurge.
There are some notable instances which have not made it to this list. Rob Green of 2010 World Cup infamy finds himself at Chelsea, Paulinho moving back to Guangzhou Evergrande from Barcelona, Newcastle smashing their transfer record by signing Atlanta FC striker Miguel Almiron for £21 million, and Shinji Kagawa going on loan to Besiktas are instances of just how topsy-turvy the transfer period can be.
Here is an XI comprising of the weirdest transfers of the season. Some may not seem as weird due to how successful they have been so far this season. Nonetheless, these moves did raise eyebrows when they first took place. These include loan signings, undisclosed deals and player exchange deals. We will be going with a 3-5-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Kiko Casilla (Real Madrid to Leeds United - Free)
At the start of this season, Kiko Casilla, at one point Spain's backup goalkeeper behind Iker Casillas and David de Gea, saw his already dim Real Madrid future become even dimmer with the arrival of Thibaut Courtois.
While his departure from the Bernabeu was expected, nobody expected the owner of three Champions League medals to end up in West Yorkshire at Leeds United for free. Though his game fits Marcelo Bielsa's style quite well, his first outing in a Leeds shirt saw them lose to fellow promotion hopefuls Norwich City 3-1.
Right-Back: Martin Montoya (Valencia to Brighton and Hove Albion - €7 million)
Another case of a player arriving from a highly esteemed club, Martin Montoya, La Masia graduate and ex-Barcelona and Valencia right back, now plies his trade at the Amex Stadium on England's south coast.
He played second fiddle to Dani Alves at the Camp Nou. Montoya could make only 45 appearances across 5 seasons for Barcelona. He has had a relatively good season so far, making 17 appearances, with the Seagulls defying expectations as they nudge towards the top half of the Premier League table.
Centre-Back: Ashley Williams (Everton to Stoke City - Loan)
With his stock extremely high after leading Wales to the semifinals of Euro 2016, Ashley Williams' move to Everton did not turn out to be the seamless fitting that Goodison Park had hoped for.
With Everton faltering in the league, and Williams falling behind Kurt Zouma and Michael Keane in the pecking order, he took the plunge down to the Championship, joining compatriot Joe Allen at Stoke City. The season hasn't turned out too well for the Welsh captain, as the Potters find themselves 10 points off the playoff spots.
Left-Back: Ashley Cole (LA Galaxy to Derby County - Free)
Chelsea old boys Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole find themselves reunited not as colleagues, but as manager and player. After having been released from Galaxy at the end of last season, Cole is the Rams' latest signing, as they build up their campaign to return to the Premier League. We will have to wait and see how this one turns out.
Right-Wing: Youri Tielemans (Monaco to Leicester City - Loan)
A deadline day arrival to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans' arrival from the Stade Louis II, seems to be as shrewd a bit of business as it is surprising. After tearing up the Belgian league with Anderlecht, for whom he debuted at 16, he made the surprising choice of going to Monaco, rejecting heavy advances from Chelsea. One of the most exciting youngsters in world football, he has already represented Belgium 14 times.
Right-Midfield: Joao Moutinho (Monaco to Wolves - £5 million)
Probably a sign of things to come as far as Monaco were concerned, Joao Moutinho left the French Riviera and joined the Portuguese revolution at Molineux as he teamed up with Nuno Espirito Santo at newly promoted Wolves.
A highly underrated player, his first season in English football has been relatively successful, playing in almost all of Wolves' league matches. He has formed a solid midfield pairing with compatriot Ruben Neves, as Wolves push for Europa League qualification in their first back in the top-flight.
Centre-Midfield: Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea to Monaco - £9 million)
This is not a weird transfer but definitely a surprising one. Cesc Fabregas left the Premier League after finishing 2nd on the list of highest number of assists ever in the league with 111, to join Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco, as they reeled in the aftermath of Thierry Henry's departure.
Though he was no longer first choice in midfield under Maurizio Sarri, behind Jorginho and Ross Barkley at Chelsea, it was surprising to see him go considering Danny Drinkwater and Ruben Loftus-Cheek haven't had much of a run either.
Left-Midfield: Kevin Prince-Boateng (Sassuolo to Barcelona - Loan)
Easily the weirdest transfer of the season. It is hard to see what Barcelona saw in the former Spurs, Portsmouth and Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder, especially after Paulinho had done reasonably well last season before leaving and considering that they have Philippe Coutinho, Malcom, Ivan Rakitic, Arthur, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal to take over midfield duties.
As of now, Kevin-Prince Boateng is being kept as cover for Luis Suarez, with the Catalans holding on to an €8 million buyout option.
Left-Wing: Felipe Anderson (Lazio to West Ham United - £36 million)
In what could turn out to be one of the best signings of the summer, West Ham snapped up Felipe Anderson prior to the start of the season, and after an inauspicious start, has really come to the fore for the Hammers.
A debatable option as far as weird signings go, but after having had Manchester United as one of many potential suitors, the decision to go to London Stadium instead of the Theatre of Dreams would have surprised many. He has played in all of West Ham's league matches and has scored 8 times this season.
Striker: Peter Crouch (Stoke City to Burnley - Player exhange deal)
Premier League strugglers Burnley brought in the lanky striker from Stoke for the 2018-19 season in a player exchange deal, with Sam Vokes going the other way. An ever-present aerial threat, Crouch came on as a substitute for Burnley against Southampton last week, winning a penalty in the 94th minute, as Burnley equalized deep into stoppage time.
Left-Striker: Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC to Al-Hilal - Undisclosed)
Though Sebastian Giovinco had been restricted to only 93 appearances in 9 seasons for the Bianconeri, few expected him to shut up shop and pledge his future to the MLS with Toronto FC just as he was reaching the peak of his powers.
After harassing defenders in North America, the diminutive Italian made another strange move, this time to Al-Hilal in the Saudi league. Still only 32, fans would hope to see him run rings around European defences in the near future.
