January Transfer Window: 8 Teams That Improved the Most

With the January transfer window shut and the first wave of fixtures nearly through, we can begin to assess which deals were best, and which teams stand to benefit the most from their winter dealings.

While some teams like Arsenal stayed away from the market, others, like Newcastle and QPR, were very active and will look to make a push up the table during the late stages of the season.

Some deals will most definitely be flops and won't benefit the buying club, but others will invigorate their teams down the stretch in the crucial race for Champions League qualification, the effort to stay up or even a late surge for the title.

Here are eight teams that will be happy they were active in the January transfer market.

QPR

Queens Park Rangers were among the most active teams in the transfer window, making deals to sign Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cisse and Nedum Onuoha.

While QPR did not win their first match after making these signings, losing 2-1 to Wolves, Zamora did net a goal, and the new players will certainly help the Rangers improve and avoid relegation in the long term.

Chelsea

Chelsea continued their youth movement by making two signings on deadline day, and both of the players the Blues acquired are of or under the age of 20.

Patrick Bamford arrived from Nottingham Forest, but the high-profile acquisition was that of highly rated Racing Genk winger Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne has been tearing up the Belgian first division with his pace and creativity, and will lead a growing contingent of young players at Stamford Bridge that have boundless potential.

Sevilla

Sevilla brought in several reinforcements to help move the team out of the mid-table obscurity in which the team currently resides.

In addition to Baba Diawara and Javier Hervas, the Spaniards purchased Jose Antonio Reyes, reuniting the forward with his hometown club after years away.

Sevilla will hope that the former Arsenal flop will finally rediscover the form that made him one of the most hyped talents in world football when he was initially sold to the Gunners in 2004.

Fiorentina

The Italians made a slew of acquisitions during January, bringing in a total of four players from around the world.

Headlining this glut of signings was Juventus striker Amauri, who leaves after years at the Old Lady and will look to fire Fiorentina up the table. While he may not be in his prime any longer, Amauri can still contribute to a team that already boasts a quality attack.

Tottenham

One of the most active teams on the last day of the transfer window was Tottenham Hotspur.

While they offloaded a ton of players, including Steven Pienaar, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Sebastien Bassong, Spurs did get stronger as well.

They added former Everton and Manchester United striker Louis Saha to give their attack more depth and dynamism, and the Frenchman can provide support to Emmanuel Adebayor if he can stay healthy.

Manchester City

Even though City only made one signing during the transfer window, it was a very good one and it filled a need, so the Sky Blues can be happy with their business.

The half of Manchester that is currently leading the Premier League acquired Chile and Roma midfielder David Pizarro on loan, adding stability and depth to their midfield until the end of the season.

Pizarro might not be the most spectacular player in the world, but his experience is invaluable, and he is certainly more reliable than Owen Hargreaves.

Everton

Going into January, it was clear that Everton lacked a bit of dynamism and needed some fresh blood.

Even though some of these needs were only taken care of on a temporary basis, the Toffees deserve credit for improving themselves.

They brought in Darron Gibson from Manchester United, and he promptly scored the winner versus Manchester City.

Everton also brought in Nikica Jelavic to add some goals, and American demigod Landon Donovan, who has shown himself to be one of their best players during his loan spell.

Newcastle United

It's funny that during the summer, Newcastle's fans were deriding owner Mike Ashley (of SportsDirect infamy) for not having the enthusiasm to invest in sufficient funds in the team.

Now, the Magpies are sitting pretty in fifth place— astoundingly only one point away from Champions League qualification, and have just purchased striker Papiss Cisse to reinforce their attack.

Cisse will provide much-needed assistance to star striker Demba Ba down the stretch, and his purchase will more than pay for itself if Cisse scores the goal that incredibly puts the Tynesiders into the 2012 Champions League.

And the Senegalese has already begun to repay his new club by scoring the winner against Aston Villa at the weekend.