January Transfer Window: 10 Clubs with the Most to Gain over the Last 3 Days

On Thursday afternoon, the January transfer window will come to a close.

In a period where players like Demba Ba, Loic Remy, Wesley Sneijder and Wilfried Zaha all joined new clubs, this winter window saw plenty of important moves emerge that will have a tremendous long-term impact.

Over the next three days, there will be many late deals which will take place. The final days of last January's window saw players like Alex, Bobby Zamora, Louis Saha, Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar all join new clubs.

These last few days will feature some unexpected transfers. Most moves will benefit clubs either fighting relegation or on the verge of reaching a European berth.

On average, approximately one half of all signings are made during the final day of the winter transfer window.

Here are 10 clubs who look to benefit the most from these last several days.

Arsenal

During every transfer window, Arsenal are commonly linked to a multitude of players, many of whom will never play at the Emirates.

Considering the Gunners are sitting four points off Tottenham for the final Champions League spot, it is likely they will buy a new player to improve their chances.

The most two popular transfer targets linked to Arsenal have been David Villa and Mohamed Diame.

Although Villa has lost his regular starting spot at Barcelona following his horrific leg injury in 2011, Diame appears to be more likely to complete a move to the Emirates.

Diame is not cup-tied, much younger than Villa (25 years of age to Villa's 31) and he will be a good defensive midfield option for the club over the remainder of the season.

The Senegalese ball-winner has been involved in controversy with West Ham United, and will not be expensive with his £3.5million buy-out clause.

Adding Diame would be beneficial for Arsenal in their quest to remain in the Champions League when they face a powerful Bayern Munich side. It also could allow them to once again finish in the top four.

Newcastle United

Despite having a poor campaign to date, along with the departure of Demba Ba, Newcastle United will leave this transfer window in a position which should allow them to finish somewhere in the top half of the table.

Signings like Massadio Haidara, Mathieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko and Yoann Gouffran will all play major dividends for the Toon over the second half of this campaign.

Newcastle could be enhanced further in this window by purchasing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Magpies already had a bid rejected for the Gabon striker, though they are still interested in acquiring his services.

Acquiring Aubameyang's services will seal a spot in the top half of the league for Newcastle.

Everton

Although they have traditionally been a strong second half side, Everton started the season as one of the top sides in the Premier League and have remained in contention to claim a Champions League spot.

Even with limited transfer funds, the Toffees secured the signature of Holland international Leroy Fer for a reported price of £8.5 million.

The signing of Fer gives Everton a suitable replacement should Marouane Fellaini decide to leave either in the final days of the window or the summer.

Either way, the Toffees are now in better position to finish in the top four.

Tottenham Hotspur

After remaining quiet at the outset of the transfer window, Tottenham made one of the top transfers of the winter with the addition of Lewis Holtby from Schalke 04 for a bargain price of £1.25 million.

Already with three caps for the German national team at the young age of 22, along with some convincing performances with Schalke 04.

With Sandro out for the remainder of the season, Tottenham might add one more midfielder to platoon with Holtby to further reinforce their squad at the ending of deadline day.

AC Milan

AC Milan have been disappointing this season, though that was a direct result of not finding adequate replacements for Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic after their move to PSG this past summer.

Following the departure of Pato to Brazil, the Rossoneri have been linked to both Kaka and Mario Balotelli in the weeks leading up the conclusion of the window.

Talks with Kaka have come to a halt in recent days, though a late loan to the San Siro is not impossible. A move back to the place where he was named FIFA Player of the Year for his 2007 heroics could help him return to his prior self.

The rumors concerning Balotelli have sprung up in the last several days. Since leaving Milan in 2010, the striker has been an endless sideshow, delighting admirers along with being a trouble maker for Roberto Mancini.

Milan would feel the benefits of these two players moving to the San Siro. If one of them were to join, they should move up several slots in the table.

Chelsea

After becoming European champions last season, this season has been a major disappointment for Chelsea.

Already out of the Champions League, they are also likely out of the Premier League race with an 11-point gap separating the Blues from Manchester United. The Blues were also knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Swansea City.

At the start of the transfer window, Rafa Benitez insisted that new players would be bought to help the club. However, they have failed to take any legitimate actions tom improve their squad since adding Demba Ba.

With Chelsea's famous recent history of bringing in players in the waning moments of the transfer deadline (David Luiz and Fernando Torres), along with a disappointing season to date, do not be surprised to see Chelsea active.

Galatasaray

No one could have foreseen Galatasaray acquiring both Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder at the start of 2013.

But two stars who recently won the Champions League will play for the Turkish giants over the remainder of the 2013 year.

With the inclusion of Drogba occurring within the last 24 hours, the Turkish giants will be intriguing to watch in Europe, especially with a winnable matchup looming against Schalke 04.

Manchester City

Manchester City have fallen off their league-leading pace from last season, which is why they remain in second place in the table.

Further disappointment in finishing last in their Champions League group has caused Roberto Mancini's job to be put into question, along with many of the players.

It is for this reason why it is logical to expect the Citizens to make a move to attempt a run at their neighbors to retain their crown.

Liverpool

After several months of adapting, Liverpool finally appeared to be at the level which was expected from them.

They had won three of their last four Premier League fixtures in convincing fashion, and were nearing Arsenal for the sixth spot in the table.

However, a loss to Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup derailed that hope, causing the Reds to focus on finishing strong in the Premier League.

Already with Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool are close to securing a move for Inter Milan's Philippe Coutinho.

Adding the Brazilian would pay long-term dividends not only this season but for years to come.

Queens Park Rangers

After starting the year with a record-tying worst start in league play, QPR have used the transfer market to improve their fledgling squad.

This includes adding new players like Loic Remy to a squad filled with veteran talent.

However, QPR are not close to being finished in their dealings this winter.

Links with West Browwich Albion's Peter Odemwingie and Stoke City's Peter Crouch have continued, and it is unlikely they will disappear anytime soon.

Considering they made late moves for Bobby Zamora and Djibril Cissé during last winter's window, QPR will certainly act again to once again wriggle away from the Championship.

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