The Best January Transfer Window Signings So Far

The January transfer window is open and despite the speculation which always surrounds any window, there have been some interesting signings made too. The biggest transfer has to be of Cody Gakpo, who signed for Liverpool FC from PSV Eindhoven. Let’s look at some signings made so far.

Cody Gakpo (Liverpool FC)

Liverpool FC managed to win the race to sign Cody Gakpo on a region estimated to be £35m – £45 million from PSV Eindhoven. The 23-year-old winger was on the wanted list of many European big clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona to name a few. This comes after the Dutch international had a wonderful World Cup campaign in Qatar scoring three goals to guide his nation to the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Argentina. In the welcoming press conference, Gakpo stated “I want to help this team achieve more beautiful moments.” These words send a strong message that he wants to impress and leave a mark at Anfield.

David Datro Fofana (Chelsea FC)

The 20-year-old Ivorian striker arrived at Stamford Bridge from Norwegian side Molde for a fee estimated to be £8m – £10m. The highly-rated youngster has bagged 19 goals in 34 appearances this season in all competitions. The man, who made an international debut at the age of 17 is set to provide solutions for Graham Potter as he has injuries woes. Fofana is expected to fill the space left by Armando Broja who will be out for the rest of the season due to a ligament injury. Despite that, the pressure mounting on manager Potter, who is not getting favourable results of late, it remains to be seen if Fofana can be able to drive the Blues to winning ways and challenge for a top-four finish.

Daley Blind (Bayern Munich)

Daley Blind secured a move to Bayern Munich as a free agent after his contract was terminated by Ajax Amsterdam late in December. The 32-year-old Dutch international is expected to cover for the injured Lucas Hernandez in the left-back position. Hernandez is expected to miss several months after tearing a knee ligament in France’s opening 4-1 win over Australia at the World Cup in Qatar. It is not the first time, Blind has played in a European top-five league as he was with Manchester United between 2014 to 2018, where he won FA Cup and UEFA Europa League title. In his two spells with Ajax, the left-back has won a total of seven Dutch titles. He has represented the country 99 times and was part of the squad that lost the quarter-final clash against Argentina in the Qatar World Cup. 

Benoit Badiashile (Chelsea FC)

Since the start of the season, Chelsea has managed to keep only three clean sheets and have conceded 19 goals in 17 games in the league. These are the reasons that forced Graham Potter to look for another defender to strengthen the defence. Chelsea managed to secure the services of Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco for around £33 million. The 21-year-old signed a seven and the half year deal at the club and is expected to challenge for the place in the starting eleven. Badiashile is a good investment looking at his age as he got many years to offer at Stamford Bridge.

Mislav Orsic (Southampton)

Can Mislav Orsic change the fortunes of Southampton? Orsic completed a £6 million move to Southampton from Dinamo Zagreb. Nathan Jones in an attempt to steer the club from the relegation zone has handed the 29-year-old winger a 2- the-half years contract and he expects Orsic to bring much-needed attacking depth. During four and a half years with Dinamo Zagreb, he made 216 appearances scoring a total of 91 goals. On the international stage, Orsic has won 27 caps for Croatia and was part of their squad for the World Cup, helping them finish third in Qatar with the winner in the third-place match against Morocco.