10 best January transfer signings of all time

#9 Brede Hangeland

Transfer: FC Copenhagen to Fulham, 2008

Cost: £2.5 Million

If you asked any Fulham supporter who was the best player to have represented their club, undoubtedly the majority would answer Brede Hangeland. Doubted by David Moyes on his survival in the Premier League, Hangeland proved him wrong by being Fulham’s mainstay in central defense for more than six and a half years.

Strong, commanding and relaxed on the ball, the Norwegian became Roy Hodgson’s first signing at Fulham in January 2008. What a bargain of a signing he proved to become! Fulham’s origins of their best center half pairing came on a cold wet night at Bolton Wanderers where Hangeland formed a lethal partnership with Aaron Hughes.

Hangeland was ‘the stopper’ who read and sniffed out any danger while Hughes’s job, his partner in crime, was to cover the Norwegian and act as the last line of defense in case of any mistakes.

Hangeland played an important role in ensuring that the Cottagers survived the relegation battle in 2008. It was the following season where Hangeland rose like a phoenix with his consistent defensive showings ensuring that Fulham finished seventh in the Premier League (highest in Fulham’s history). More importantly, Hangeland was pivotal in the run to the final of the UEFA Europe League in the 2009-2010 season.

Hangeland struggled to reach the heights of his initial years once Roy Hodgson left the club but he still remained an indispensable part of the team till he left the club.