It may not have been the craziest January transfer window here in the Transfer Tavern but our landlord was very happy with the business we took, with fans from across the country here just in case any news filtered through.
Whilst there wasn’t too many big movers, we did see the Premier League break the £1bn mark in a single season for the first time in history and our boredom this morning with the lack of news to cover saw us take on a little challenge.
As we replaced the barrels and got things geared up for a full round of Premier League fixtures this evening, we decided to create a full-team out of January signings- and it wasn’t as easy as we anticipated.
With a wealth of forwards to choose from, cutting down the list wasn’t an easy task and a substitutes bench would be quite intriguing to look at- so there’s a challenge for you guys in the comments!
Hit the image below to see our Premier League January signings XI!
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GK: Costel Pantilimon
Watford snatched goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon from relegation threatened Sunderland this month, improving the Hornets high-flying squad for the second-half of the season and strengthening their claim to become a consistent name in the Premier League.
Signing for an undisclosed fee, Pantilimon made his debut in last weekend’s FA Cup success over Nottingham Forest as he kept a clean-sheet and helped see the Hornets through to the fifth-round of the competition.
RB: Sam Bryam
Full-back Sam Byram was signed just in time by West Ham, who lost Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson to an injury in the last Premier League fixture against Manchester City which saw the England defender ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Pipping Premier League rivals Everton to the signature of the 22-year-old, Byram joins the European chasing Hammers from Leeds United in the Championship. Tipped for a bright future, it’s a stellar coup from the East London outfit and he can become a star in a crucial few years from the Hammers.
CB: Steven Caulker
A bizarre signing for many, Liverpool’s injury-plagued defence was strengthened in the early stages of the transfer window with the addition of QPR’s Steven Caulker on-loan until the end of the season. Weirdly, his first few appearances were as a striker when he was thrown on as a late substitute.
It’s unlikely Caulker will experience too much football at Anfield and we’d be extremely surprised to see this move turn into a permanent one in the summer but it does provide Jurgen Klopp’s side with depth to an area of concern this season.
CB: Timm Klose
Norwich City were one of the busiest sides in the January transfer window and they secured quite a coup by bringing 27-year-old central defender Timm Klose to the club from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. As an experienced Swiss international, he could provide the ideal boost to the Canaries looking to stay in the division.
Just two points above safety, and with Newcastle and Sunderland below them strengthening this month, the Canaries face a stern test in the second-half of the season to avoid an immediate return back to the Championship.
LB: Rhoys Wiggins
Simply the only left-back we could think of that moved to the Premier League this month, Bournemouth brought Rhoys Wiggins to the club for the fourth time! Eddie Howe is clearly a big fan of the full-back, who joined from high-flying Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday.
Like Norwich, Bournemouth are fighting to stay in the division for another season after a reasonable performance in the first-half of their inaugural campaign in the top-flight. The Cherries now face 15 crucial matches, as they’re just four points above the drop-zone.
RM: Andros Townsend
Andros Townsend finally got the move he craved this month as Newcastle United spent £12m to bring the England international to Tyneside from Tottenham Hotspur, in one of the most expensive deals in the mid-season window.
Townsend has vast experience but has been an outcast at Tottenham since Mauricio Pochettino took over and he now faces a gruelling task to get himself back into Roy Hodgson’s thoughts, with the Three Lions boss deciding his squad for the European Championships at the end of the season.
CM: Mohamed Elneny
Arsenal signed just one senior player for the third transfer window in a row this month, with the Gunners bringing relatively unknown Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny to the club. With the central area of the pitch providing vast injury concerns this season, Elneny improves the depth significantly.
It’s unlikely he’ll be the player to fire Arsenal to Premier League glory and it remains to be seen where he fits into Arsene Wenger’s squad when the team has a clean bill of health. With Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini all seeing their contracts expire in the summer though, Elneny’s capture saves a little bit go business in the summer.
CM: Giannelli Imbula
The big transfer on Deadline Day, and the most expensive of the January window, Stoke City made a real statement of intent by spending a club-record fee to bring Giannelli Imbula to the Premier League from Portuguese giants Porto.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder adds to an already impressive Stoke City squad that’s looking to push on and seal a spot in the European competitions next season, with the Potters currently just four points behind fifth-placed Manchester United.
LM: Steven Naismith
Another significant acquisition for Norwich City and their quest to avoid the drop to the Championship, signing Steven Naismith from Everton was arguably the best piece of business done by any side battling to avoid relegation.
With a strong scoring record in his career, and already finding the net on his debut for the Canaries, Scottish international Naismith could be the difference as to whether Norwich are a top-flight club or not next season.
ST: Charlie Austin
Undoubtably the bargain of the January transfer window, Southampton paid just £4m to bring Charlie Austin back to the Premier League from QPR. He was a star for the relegated West London side last season, so many were surprised it took him this long to get his move.
Austin is already a hero on the South Coast after scoring a debut goal to give the Saints victory at Old Trafford in the last round of Premier League fixtures and the hope is that he can spark life into what’s been a largely underwhelming season so far for Ronald Koeman’s side.
ST: Alexandre Pato
Chelsea’s venture into the January transfer market was certainly an intriguing one, with the Blues making the decision to hand Alexandre Pato a second-chance in Europe by landing the Brazilian on-loan from Corinthians.
Formerly of AC Milan, and once heralded as the next big star for Brazil’s international side, Pato hasn’t quite lived up to the hype and injury problems have paid their part. He faces a big challenge at Chelsea, where there’s competition from Diego Costa, Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao.
