January Transfer Window: 11 Clubs That Won the Most in January

It's almost been a week since the closure of the January transfer window. 

Which club achieved its transfer objectives? 

The point of the January transfer window is to either cover for injuries or to make a transfer that would change the club's fortunes. 

This article will rank the 11 clubs that were winners during the January transfer window. 

Everton

When Leighton Baines is your top scorer in the league, you know you need to sign a forward. 

Everton managed to beat out Liverpool when they signed Nikica Jelavić.

Toffee supporters will see it as a moral victory, when in fact, Liverpool don't believe Jelavić is capable of scoring 20-plus Premier League goals per season.  

Signing Steven Pienaar on loan will inject some creativity into what has been a stagnant Everton midfield.

With regards to Darron Gibson, I thought it was so ironic that Manchester United supporters were giving him some love on Twitter for scoring a winner against Manchester City. 

Those were the same fans that abused him to the extent that he quit the social networking site. 

Cesena

Eder has not produced enough goals for Cesena and he deserves a lot of the blame for the club's abysmal 13 goals in 31 games.

Antonio Di Natale has outscored Cesena by three goals. 

By moving to sign Vincenzo Iaquinta on loan from Juventus, Daniele Arrigoni is banking on the Italian forward to find the back of the net. 

If he does, he may save the club from relegation. 

Wolfsburg

I always thought Felix Magath was a bit left-field, but buying a new squad of players in the January transfer window is madness. 

This is the same manager that dished out €1,000 fines to players who dared to make a back pass. 

He transferred in eight new players and kicked out six others.

The new signings are all no-namers, but remember José Mourinho signed a bunch of no-namers at União de Leiria and took them to fifth place. 

Magath may be crazy, but he certainly achieved his transfer objectives by cleaning out the squad. 

It remains to be seen if this will lead to success or failure. 

Porto

When you think about it, Lucho González was the underperforming midfielder at Marseille. 

He wasn't playing as well as André Ayew, let alone Mathieu Valbuena, who has been playing like a world-class midfielder. 

So it doesn't surprise me that Marseille allowed González to run down his contract. 

It's a steal for Porto because González doesn't need any time to adapt, considering he won four consecutive Portuguese Primeira Liga titles with the club. 

Watch out for Marc Janko because if he is given an extended run in the team, he will score goals for fun. 

Sevilla

People forget how electric José Antonio Reyes was as a youngster for Sevilla. 

That ill-fated move to Arsenal ruined what could have been a much better career. 

Aside from a purple patch during his second season, he should have made the transition from prodigious talent to world-class footballer. 

He didn't like life in London; he was caught in the middle of that unfortunate Thierry Henry racism incident and he confessed to wanting a move away from Arsenal. 

In hindsight, he would have reconsidered the big move and stayed with Sevilla.

This move could reinvigorate his career.  

The more productive signing is Baba Diawara, who is the successor for an over-the-hill Frédéric Kanouté. 

With limited teammates, Diawara managed to score 15 goals in 22 games for Marítimo. 

A.C. Milan

Massimiliano Allegri has strengthened his squad with the return of Alexander Merkel, the loan signing of Maxi López and Sulley Muntari. 

Merkel showed glimpses of promise and creativity with Genoa. 

López could slot straight into the Milan starting lineup after another brain snap from Zlatan Ibrahimović. 

Muntari adds grit and determination. 

Genoa

Andrea Caracciolo is not getting the job done, so in comes Alberto Gilardino, easily a better player. 

Fernando Belluschi coming on loan from Porto, has the ability to beat out Juraj Kucka or Davide Biondini for a starting position. 

The signing of Andy Polo is what raised my eyes. 

He's still a kid, but he could be Peru's best player since Teófilo Cubillas. 

Polo is a long-term project but if he lives up to the hype, Genoa will be selling him for €40 million-plus in five to seven years time. 

Swansea City

Gylfi Sigurdsson is a set piece specialist, a threat from long range and a lovely passer. 

So you might wonder why he can't get into the Hoffenheim lineup. 

Hoffenheim have Roberto Firmino, a future world class footballer, playing in Sigurdsson's position. 

What a smart piece of dealing from Brendan Rodgers to bring in Sigurdsson, who is a classy operator. 

Sigurdsson had an outstanding game against West Bromwich Albion, where he was a class above the rest. 

The loan signing of Josh McEachran from Chelsea is another a good deal. 

He won't be playing in an attacking position because Sigurdsson is a superior player right now. 

McEachran's best chance of starting would be to beat out Leon Britton for a position. 

Newcastle United

Papiss Cissé's £10 million transfer fee proves how overrated and overpriced English forwards are. 

A tip of the hat to Mike Ashley, who has run a fiscally-balanced transfer policy by signing the likes of Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye during the summer transfer window. 

Now Ashley has pulled off a coup by signing Ba's Senegalese teammate Cissé. 

Newcastle's new number nine is as composed in front of goal as any forward in world football. 

Ba and Cissé's partnership could be as lethal as Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley. 

Paris Saint-Germain

Thankfully for Paris Saint-Germain, they didn't sign Carlos Tévez. 

Instead, PSG have reinforced their squad with notable signings like Alex, Maxwell and Thiago Motta.

Diego Lugano has been a disappointment and I'm not sold on Zoumana Camara. 

This allows Alex a legitimate chance to be Mamadou Sakho's partner. 

With Federico Balzaretti set to join PSG in the summer, it proves how little management values Siaka Tiéné. 

So Maxwell could end up usurping Tiéné. 

Motta is an upgrade from Blaise Matuidi.

These signings marks the beginning of the Carlo Ancelotti era. 

Queens Park Rangers

Mark Hughes has forward options in Heidar Helguson, Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cissé and 
Federico Macheda. 

The latter three were signed during the January transfer window. 

Zamora will do a good enough job, Cissé is proven quality and Macheda is a good finisher. 

Problem with the Italian is he hasn't progressed since his meteoric introduction to professional football. 

Hughes has also ensured left-back will not be a weak link in QPR's defence, by signing Taye Taiwo on loan from A.C. Milan. 

With regards to the red card Cissé received, Roger Johnson, who has been one of the worst centre-backs in the league, should have been sent off for a shocking tackle on the Frenchman. 

Please read 10 Cheap Summer Signings for the Gunners. 

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