World Football: The Worst Signings of the January Transfer Window

We are moving further away from the conclusion of the January transfer window and are afforded more time to reflect on the many signings made during the previous month with every passing game.

Some deals look to be gems already, while others appear to be duds. Time will tell for sure, but it is easier to have a more reasonable perspective on recent happenings a week and a few matches after the transfers were made official.

With this more educated outlook, let us examine the worst transfers made during the January transfer window.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos to Sunderland

It is hard to see the value in Sunderland taking on an aging Premier League castoff in the 31-year-old Kyrgiakos. He was seen as deadwood in Liverpool and is already leaving Wolfsburg on loan after not even one full season with the German club that has included a measly seven appearances.

His main contribution in the Bundesliga this season has been breaking several bones in Neven Subotic's face with a stray elbow.

Wayne Bridge to Sunderland

As you can probably tell by now, Sunderland did not do the best transfer business.

Though Martin O'Neill has met with considerable success during his short tenure in charge of the Black Cats, he made the mistake of spending any sum of money in acquiring "footballer" Wayne Bridge on loan.

Bridge is not match fit yet—he had only played one match all season prior to his Stadium of Light move—and cannot defend any better than I can. It is ridiculous that Sunderland would pay this player tens of thousands of pounds per week.

Ravel Morrison to West Ham

Ravel Morrison moved to Championship side West Ham United for peanuts at the end of the transfer window after Sir Alex Ferguson determined that his off-pitch troubles outweighed his considerable footballing talent.

While Morrison does have considerable potential, his transplantation to London with a club that very well may be promoted next season is a recipe for trouble.

Darron Gibson to Everton

Manchester United sold a midfielder when they were so starved for players at the position, and they had to bring 37-year-old Paul Scholes out of retirement.

Gibson was the man offloaded, and he was shipped to Everton for an undisclosed fee. He had finally frustrated Sir Alex Ferguson with his "shoot from literally everywhere on the pitch" approach and was deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

Even though he immediately helped his old club by scoring a lucky winner against Manchester City, there will not be many moments like that for the player if he does not drastically improve at his new club.

Pavel Pogrebnyak to Fulham

Fulham's £3 million acquisition from Wolfsburg has reportedly been told that he will have to "bulk up like a beast" in order to succeed in England.

However, one must wonder how long it will take for the Russian international to assimilate to the English style of play if he has only been signed to a six-month contract.

And at the age of 28, he does not have many of his prime years left in him anyway.

Jose Antonio Reyes to Sevilla

The former Arsenal man's career has veered off the rails a bit recently, and he has never been able to rediscover the form that made him one of the hottest commodities in world football years ago.

After flaming out at Arsenal, he was not much of a success at Atletico Madrid, and Reyes looks to be a very middling player as he enters his prime.

Perhaps a move to the club where he grew up can help Reyes find his best form, but it is reasonable to be quite skeptical until the Spaniard can prove otherwise on a consistent basis.

Louis Saha to Tottenham

After sending Roman Pavlyuchenko on his merry way back to Russia, Spurs brought in 33-year-old Everton striker Louis Saha to add depth and dynamism to their attack.

However, it would seem that the move would have more potential negatives than positives. Saha is past his prime as he begins the twilight of his football career, and he is extremely injury-prone.

Though Tottenham did not spend a great sum for the striker's services, the transfer will be wasted if Saha cannot remain healthy and productive. And the odds would appear to be against the confluence of those two at this moment and moving forward.

Paul Scholes to Manchester United

When Manchester United needed reinforcements in the center of the pitch, they could have turned to Wesley Sneijder. They could have turned to Leandro Damiao. Or Christian Eriksen. Or Nicolas Gaitan. Or even Xherdan Shaqiri.

Instead, Paul Scholes, of all people, was brought out of retirement to headline United's crop of January signings.

The old maestro looked every bit his age toward the end of last season, and his spectacular goal in his testimonial seemed to seal a great career.

But, he is back for one last hurrah, and when you consider the possible alternatives that the Red Devils had, bringing a 37-year-old out of retirement was clearly not the best option in the short- or long-term.