5 Most Exciting Transfers Of The Jan Window: Featuring Manchester United And West Ham Transfers

The January transfer window this season was certainly an interesting period in recent times but some clubs around Europe failed to get their hands on top transfer targets, midway through the season. The clubs in the Premier League were busy, planning moves for some of the best players around but they did not manage to make any big money signings this January.

Clubs from around the points table in England, however, managed to make a couple of decent signing, while also letting a few star players leave before the deadline day. Though there were a number of exciting deals throughout the month, here are 5 of the best deals involving Premier League clubs that took place in January that can turn out to be season defining ones for the rest of the campaign.

Branislav Ivanovic; Chelsea to Zenit St Petersburg (free):

The Serbian defender was superb for Chelsea in the previous seasons, but Antonio Conte has settled with Cahill, Luiz and Azpilicueta at the back, leaving Ivanovic with no place in the side. He was finding it hard to get into the first team in the league and was linked with an impending exit last month. A few Premier League clubs were interested in his signature but Ivanovic was ready to quit the Premier League and completed a permanent switch to Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg right before the deadline day. Surely, at 32, he has plenty to offer in Russia.

Memphis Depay; Manchester United to Lyon (£21.7m):

The Manchester United winger was touted as the next best player at the Old Trafford but his lack of form, for more than a year now, has seen Jose Mourinho stick him out of the first team. Depay has just not been able to impress the manager at the club this season and was looking to quit in January. Though Everton were interested in his signature, Mourinho was not ready to sell him to the Toffees, as they failed to meet the asking price and hence, he was shipped out to the French outfit Lyon, where he has made a less than a decent start.

Jose Fonte; Southampton to West Ham United (£8m):

The Portuguese international was not happy with his position at the St Marys at the start of the year and he put in a transfer request, declining to play for Claude Puel’s side this year. The manager had no option but to put him up for sale but Manchester United and Liverpool, two clubs that were earlier linked with a move for him, were not ready to spend in January. Instead, Fonte had to settle for a move to the Olympic Stadium on a two-and-a-half year deal early in the window, to try and help them to a pale in Europe.

Dimitri Payet; West Ham United to Marseille (£25m):

In one of the stories of the window, West Ham United playmaker, Dimitri Payet, joined French outfit Marseille, the club that sold him to West Ham, a couple of years ago. The French international refused to play for Bilic’s side this season and wanted to be sold in January. However, none of the Premier League clubs showed an interest in his signature and he had opted to move back to his former club in Marseille. He has already made a decent start to his second stint at the club.

Morgan Schneiderlin; Manchester United to Everton (£24m):

One of the many players that were frozen out of the first-team at the Old Trafford, Schneiderlin was looking for an exit in January and Ronald Koeman, his former boss, obliged gleefully. In a transfer that was completed early in the month, Jose Mourinho was desperate to offload the midfielder and decided to cash in on the £24m that Everton were ready to pay for his services. Though Schneiderlin had a forgettable time in Manchester, he has made a decent start to his career at the Merseyside.