January Transfer 2016: Top Deals Done
REUTERS/Max Rossi
Here are the top deals of the January transfer window:
Giannelli Imbula – Porto to Stoke City – £18.3 million
Stoke set a new club transfer record for the second window running, it trumps the £12m spent by previous record buy Xherdan Shaqiri in August. Holding midfielder Imbula, 23, arrived from Porto after failing to settle following a close-season move from Marseille. Stoke manager Mark Hughes said: “We’ve signed a very, very good young player, who’s still got a lot of potential.”
Oumar Niasse – Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton – £13.5 million
The Senegalese striker arrived at Goodison Park on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Nobody is claiming Niasse will tear up the Premier League like Romelu Lukaku has been doing lately, but the 25-year-old was the Russian Premier League’s Player of the Year in 2015 and will surely boost Everton’s limited attacking options.
Eder – Sampdoria to Inter – Loan
Inter Milan signed striker Eder on a two-year loan deal from Sampdoria on Friday. Inter have been struggling for goals this season and will hope that the Italy international will revive their Scudetto hopes.
Jonjo Shelvey – Swansea City to Newcastle United – £12 million
Having fallen out of favour at Swansea, Newcastle saw a chance to pick-pocket their relegation rivals. Shelvey’s price was steep but he has already won over many Magpies fans. The England midfielder made an immediate impact, playing a role in both goals as Newcastle beat West Ham United 2-1 on his debut.
Cristian Tello – Barcelona to Fiorentina – Loan
Fiorentina have completed the signing of Cristian Tello from Barcelona on loan until the end of the season. Tello could provide a much-needed injection and his pace, skill and direct running will certainly entertain the neutrals.
Benik Afobe – Wolverhampton Wanderers to Bournemouth – £10 million
The former Arsenal youth team star Afobe scored 32 goals last season for Milton Keynes Dons and then Wolves. Afobe was signed to bolster a Bournemouth attacking department that has lost both Callum Wilson and Max Gradel to long-term knee injuries. He has already hit the ground running at Bournemouth by scoring in two of the opening three games for his new club.
Steven Naismith – Everton to Norwich City – £8 million
Naismith is the fifth new arrival at the club this month, following the signings of Matt Jarvis, Ivo Pinto, Timm Klose and Ben Godfrey. He moves for a fee believed to be in the region of £8m. He found the net in his first game in the yellow shirt, drilling home a low shot in a madcap 5-4 home defeat by Liverpool.
Stephan El Shaarawy – Monaco to Roma – Loan
The Italy international had a miserable six-month loan spell at Monaco. But he is an undoubted talent, as he showed in scoring a stunning scorpion-kick goal on his debut for Roma versus Frosinone at the weekend. El Shaarawy joins on a loan deal until 30 June 2016, for a fee of €1.4million.
Alexandre Pato – Corinthians to Chelsea – Loan
Pato returned to Europe after kickstarting an injury-plagued career in his homeland. The deal is believed to include a clause for the Blues to buy the Brazilian for good at the end of the campaign for a sum thought to be around £12m, but for now, the London club will only have to cover the ex-AC Milan striker’s £30,000 a week wages.
Charlie Austin – QPR to Southampton – £4 million
Southampton saw off competition from a string of top clubs to sign the striker for around £4m and is just a fraction of the £15m that QPR wanted for the player during the summer. Austin rewarded them immediately by scoring the winner against Manchester United on his debut.
