There have been plenty of high-profile deadline day deals over the years and with this month’s window now coming to an end, we look back at some of the best January deadline day signings from over the years…
Jermain Defoe – Tottenham to Portsmouth (2008)
Making the switch from London to the south coast on the final day of the 2007/08 January transfer window, Jermain Defoe would make a sizeable impact in his one and only year at Portsmouth. The prolific Premier League goalscorer was unavailable to play in the FA Cup for Pompey due to being cup-tied, but that would become a blessing in disguise for that season’s eventual winners. 15 goals in the league including strikes in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup ensured heroes status for the mercurial number nine, who returned to Spurs in January 2009.
Luis Suarez – Ajax to Liverpool (2011)
A true legend of modern football, Luis Suarez arrived on Merseyside on deadline day in January 2011 in a deal worth £22.8 million. Unlike fellow deadline day signing Andy Carroll, Suarez was an instant hit for Liverpool, despite only scoring 15 goals in his first season and a half. The Uruguayan’s time at the Reds was marred by separate racist and biting incidents, but he’d score 54 goals in his final two seasons at the club despite serving a ten game ban from May to September 2013. Suarez left for Barcelona in the summer of 2014 after agonisingly missing out on the Premier League title.
Andrey Arshavin – Zenit to Arsenal (2009)
It was a short but sweet spell in north London for Arshavin, who arrived in January 2009 for £15 million from Russian club Zenit. The winger spent a fruitful four and a half years at the Gunners, scoring 31 goals and assisting a further 41 times. However, his time at Arsenal was defined by his first two years at the club, with the Russian falling out of favour under Arsene Wenger, resulting in a loan back to Zenit in February 2012. Arshavin left in June 2013 to return permanently to Zenit, where he is now part of the club’s executive board.
Bruno Fernandes – Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United (2020)
Having made the move from Lisbon to Manchester prior to the COVID pandemic in January 2020, Fernandes has arguably had the biggest impact on the teams mentioned thus far. The Portuguese international arrived at Old Trafford for a hefty reported fee of £55 million, and since then has become captain of the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag and undroppable for the Portugal national team. The now 29-year-old has featured 214 times for United, scoring 71 goals and assisting a further 59 times. Having claimed the Carabao Cup in 2022/23, as well as reaching an FA Cup final and Europa League final back in 2021, Fernandes’ time in Manchester has so far been a resounding success.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal (2018)
Ignoring the vicarious circumstances in which he left the club, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still had a big impact on an Arsenal team that was going down a dark route. The Gabon forward arrived from Borussia Dortmund on the final day of the 2017/18 winter window, and instantly became a Gunners fan favourite. 92 goals and 21 assists in 163 games saw Aubameyang guide the Gunners to a Europa League final under Unai Emery, before securing the FA Cup and Community Shield with Mikel Arteta. He left for Barcelona in the January of 2022 after being exiled from the Arsenal team for disciplinary issues.
