Top Five Greatest January Signings In Premier League History
With the January Transfer Window fast approaching, it’s a reminder to several sides that the fortunes of your season can change by signing a player within the window. Many a season has been flipped in January by the signing of just a singular player, and despite the market being a difficult one to do business in, there’s always a possibility that you can find a gem in the wintertime.
The Premier League has seen some amazing transfers in the January window, and we’re going to take a look at them today. Title challenges have been strengthened off the back of spending in the window, and some teams have even pulled club legends out of the hat by deciding to spend now rather than wait for the summer.
The Best January Signings:
5: Patrice Evra: £6m
Manchester United doesn’t usually do business in the January window, but when they have it’s usually been quite successful. Alexis Sanchez’s signing has ruined their reputation in the January market, but before him in 2006 came one of the best windows in Premier League history.
Patrice Evra made 378 appearances for Manchester United, winning five Premier League, 3 League Cups, the Champions League, and a Club World Cup. United signed the French left-back from Monaco in January of 2006, and he is now regarded as one of the best defenders in his position in Premier League history. The fact Evra cost United just £6m puts him in this list deservedly as one of the best January signings in the history of the league.
4: Seamus Coleman: £60k
In terms of value for money, Seamus Coleman is not just one of the best January signings in Premier League history, but one of the best signings overall in the competition. Coleman signed for Everton on January 1st of 2009 for just £60k from Sligo Rovers and has gone on to captain Everton and become one of the best full-backs the league has ever laid eyes on.
The Irish right-back is likely to retire at Everton after his most recent injury, but since signing has gone on to make 410 appearances for Everton, scoring 28 goals and delivering 38 assists.
3: Virgil Van Dijk: £75m
Liverpool fans may feel Virgil Van Dijk should be higher up on this list, but he will need to win another Premier League or two before he’s regarded as the best. The Dutchman’s signature was transformative but the fee he cost also puts him a bit lower in this list than the top two. Nevertheless, that’s not to say the fee Liverpool paid for Van Dijk hasn’t turned out to be the best money they’ve ever spent.
The former Southampton man has turned into one of the best defenders in the history of the league, and with some years left could achieve even more with Liverpool to try and boost him towards the title of the very best. Southampton never wanted to lose Van Dijk, but when Liverpool came knocking there was only one thought in the mind of the player. Van Dijk has won everything there is to win while at Liverpool, and even has a runner-up spot in the Balon’ Dor.
2: Nemanja Vidic: £7m
Bought in the same window as Patrice Evra and Ji-Sung Park, the £7m Manchester United spent on Nemanja Vidic in 2006 is one of the best value-for-money signings the league has ever seen. Vidic is now heavily regarded as the best defender in Manchester United’s history and is with a shout to be called the best defender to have ever played in the league.
Vidic remains the only defender to have won two Premier League Player of the Season awards and also led United to five Premier League titles and a Champions League during his time at the club. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand resulted in the longest consecutive clean sheet record in Premier League history with 14 games in a row. It’s hard to look past Vidic as the second-best signing the window has ever seen.
1: Eric Cantona: £1.6m
There are transformative signings, and then there’s Eric Cantona. Cantona came into a United side that hadn’t won the league since 1967 and helped them win 4 of the next five league titles. The only title United didn’t win within those five years was the year Eric Cantona was banned for 8 months. It’s a signing that transformed not only the way Manchester United played football but also how football in England was viewed as a whole.
It’s regarded as the most transformative signing for any one club in the history of the league, and it just so happens that it took place in January. Alex Ferguson was the mastermind behind it, and it’s a signing Manchester United fans sing about every single Christmas until this very day.
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