Grading Every Big-Name January Transfer's Early Play at His New Club

Bleacher Report is taking a look at how big-name January transfers have settled in at their new club.

The January transfer window was a bit tame in terms of big-name transfers, though there were certainly some star players moving from one big club to another.

The most memorable move was Mario Balotelli's transfer from Manchester City to AC Milan.

Other interesting moves included Alexandre Pato going back to Brazil and Wesley Sneijder going to Turkey.

The likes of Giuseppe Rossi, Yann M'Vila, Wilfried Zaha and Jack Butland aren't on this list as they have yet to turn out for their new teams.

Playing time and impact are the major factors considered in the players grade.

Here's how the big-name transfers have played since joining their new clubs in January.

Unless otherwise stated all statistics courtesy of ESPN Soccernet and WhoScored.com.

23. Nicolas Anelka

Moved from Shanghai Shenhua to Juventus

Games Played: 2

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: F

Nicolas Anelka has had very little playing time at Juventus and has done even less during that time.

He's still very much in the process of re-adjusting to playing among Europe's elite but needs to improve quickly.

Substitute appearances against Celtic and Roma amount to around 25 minutes playing time for "Le Sulk."

22. Nuri Sahin

Moved from Liverpool (loan) to Dortmund (loan) via Real Madrid

Games Played: 7

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: D

Nuri Sahin returned to the club where he made his name in the hopes that it will inject some new life into his career.

That's not been the case so far.

Sahin has seen a full 90 minutes only once and that was in Borussia Dortmund's shocking 4-1 loss to Hamburg.

21. Wesley Sneijder

Moved from Inter to Galatasaray

Games Played: 7

Goals Scored: 1

Assists: 0

Grade: D-

Wesley Sneijder is Galatasaray's other big-name signing and his lack of form for Inter still shows.

The Dutch playmaker does have one goal to his name, but his being substituted at half-time against Schalke is a definite negative.

Judging by his early play for Galatasaray, it may still take Sneijder some time to get back to his best.

20. Didier Drogba

Moved from Shanghai Shenhua to Galatasaray

Games Played: 4

Goals Scored: 1

Assists: 0

Grade: D

Didier Drogba's return to European football hasn't been as good as he probably hoped.

A debut Super Lig goal against Akhisar was certainly a highlight for Drogba when he arrived. 

He also had a part to play in the game-winner as it was his blocked shot which led to Burak Yilmaz's goal.

Drogba showed great work-rate against Schalke in his Champions League return but has not been particularly effective otherwise.

19. Taison

Moved from Metalist Kharkiv to Shakhtar Donetsk

Games Played: 2

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: D

A two-legged Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund certainly isn't the easiest way to start with a new club.

Taison will want to put his two first performances for Shakhtar Donetsk in the back of his mind as quickly as possible.

His first game in Ukraine was a decent enough debut but he was replaced by the more effective Douglas Costa.

He was abysmal in Germany, but then again, so was the entire Shakhtar Donetsk side.

18. Mateo Kovacic

Moved from Dinamo Zagreb to Inter

Games Played: 4 

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 1

Grade: C

The long-term replacement to Wesley Sneijder has had a decent start to life in Milan.

That he was left out in recent games against AC Milan and Catania means he still has some adjusting to do.

His sub-par performance against Fiorentina had a lot to do with that as the youngster was subbed at half-time in the eventual loss.

His bright moment did come in a Europa League first leg tie against CFR Cluj as he showed plenty of invention and bagged an assist from a deep-lying midfield role.

17. Willian

Moved from Shakhtar Donetsk to Anzhi Makhachkala

Games Played: 2

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 1

Grade: C

Willian has proved in two games where he will be of the most use for his new club Anzhi.

He provided an assist playing from the left wing in his Europa League debut against Hannover 96 but couldn't influence the return game as a central attacking midfielder.

Anzhi may would still have won that first game without Willian's contribution and didn't need him at his best to tie the return either.

16. Alexandre Pato

Moved from AC Milan to Corinthians

Games Played: 9

Goals Scored: 3

Assists: 1

Grade: C+

Pato is trying to ensure his spot in Brazil's 2014 World Cup squad with this move.

He hasn't gotten off to a bad start but more will be expected as time progresses.

A C+ grade shows that he's been productive in early on, but he hasn't been particularly effective especially when coming off the bench.

15. Demba Ba

Moved from Newcastle to Chelsea

Games Played: 12

Goals Scored: 4

Assists: 1

Grade: C

Injuries and having to share playing time with Fernando Torres are the reasons why Demba Ba's grade is what it is.

The Senegalese forward has proved a match-winner and saved a match for Chelsea, but has played the full 90 minutes twice.

14. David Beckham

Signed as a Free Agent

Games Played: 3

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: B-

David Beckham has played twice in Ligue 1 and once in the French cup since arriving in Paris. 

In his first game he played a part in the build-up to PSG's second goal.

The 37-year-old then put in a great performance in the cup game against Marseille in a deep-lying midfield role.

Beckham has had little time to influence things on the pitch but he's had an immediate positive impact in his three games.

13. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa

Moved from Montpellier to Newcastle

Games Played: 6

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: B-

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa came on to provide defensive cover in his first two games with Newcastle.

He got his first full start against Metalist Kharkiv in the Europa League knockout rounds and put in a solid performance.

His play so far has been okay.

12. Mathieu Debuchy

Moved from Lille to Newcastle

Games Played: 7

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: B-

Mathieu Debuchy was always going to be a solid buy and he's played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League game since Newcastle.

There have been a few slips such as giving away a penalty versus Aston Villa.

Despite Newcastle's inability to keep teams from scoring Debuchy's individual performances have been okay.

11. Christopher Samba

Moved from Anzhi Makhachkala to Queens Park Rangers

Games Played: 4

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: B

Christopher Samba returned to the Premier League to help relegation-threatened side QPR.

He and the entire QPR defense struggled against Swansea but that has been his only wholly negative performance thus far.

Samba's previous experience with the Premier League has made it an easy transition.

10. Nacho Monreal

Moved from Malaga to Arsenal

Games Played: 4

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 1

Grade: B+

Nacho Monreal was thrown into the deep end with a debut game against Stoke but showed well.

He has been a solid performer since then on both ends notwithstanding the poor performance against Tottenham.

He's generally looked like Arsenal's best defender since joining.

09. Yoan Gouffran

Moved from Bordeaux to Newcastle

Games Played: 5

Goals Scored: 1

Assists: 0

Grade: B

Yoan Gouffran has been a major part of Newcastle's recent resurgence.

The former Bordeaux man has used his pace and direct attacking to unsettle opponents.

His time at the new club hasn't been without it's blips though as he failed to make much an impact against Aston Villa and Swansea.

08. Loic Remy

Moved from Marseille to Queens Park Rangers

Games Played: 4

Goals Scored: 2

Assists: 0

Grade: B+

A debut goal against West Ham was a fine way for Loic Remy to start his QPR career.

The Frenchman could do little to help his side against both Manchester clubs and that drops his grade a little.

He was back at it against Southampton with the opener in an very important victory for the Hoops.

07. Philippe Coutinho

Moved from Inter to Liverpool

Games Played: 3

Goals Scored: 1

Assists: 2

Grade: B+

Philippe Coutinho has improved in each performance since joining Liverpool.

He came on as a substitute against West Bromwich but was unable to turn things in his side's favour playing from the left wing.

He played a major role in the 5-0 drubbing of Swansea whilst scoring a goal and showed his creativity with two assists against Wigan.

It's been a bright start for the young Brazilian and he has yet to play the full 90 minutes.

06. Diego Lopez

Moved from Sevilla to Real Madrid

Games Played: 9

Clean Sheets: 1

Grade: A-

Real Madrid were leaking goals before Diego Lopez's arrival so the fact that he has only one clean sheet is not entirely his fault.

He's already played in some massive games for Madrid and done a good enough job throughout.

05. Lewis Holtby

Moved from Schalke to Tottenham

Games Played: 6

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 0

Grade: A-

Lewis Holtby is a player who can make an impact on both ends of the pitch and statistically speaking he's helped Tottenham on one end so far.

He has 1.5 tackles per game and 0.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League as well as two tackles per game and 2.5 interceptions per game in the Europa League

His overall contribution speaks volumes more though as he has been a bright spark for Tottenham's attack whenever on the field.

04. Lucas Moura

Moved from Sao Paulo to Paris Saint-Germain

Games Played: 9

Goals Scored: 0

Assists: 4

Grade: A

Lucas has been very much worth the wait and the outlay given his start in Paris.

The young Brazilian has started every game but one since the new year and has provided an attacking spark to a side full of creative talent.

Moura starred in his Champions League debut against Valencia and has used his pace and dribbling to great effect.

The only thing missing is a goal.

03. Daniel Sturridge

Moved from Chelsea to Liverpool

Games Played: 7

Goals Scored: 5

Assists: 1

Grade: A

Daniel Sturridge has finally been given the consistent playing time he craves and has reveled in it.

His production speaks for itself and his overall impact has helped liven up Liverpool's attack.

He's a major reason why the club is now withing three points of a European spot.

02. Mario Balotelli

Moved From Manchester City to AC Milan

Games Played: 4

Goals Scored: 4

Assists: 0

Grade: A

Mario Balotelli started his Milan career in great form as he inspired his side to a 2-1 victory over Udinese.

He didn't let up there and has scored four goals in four games. He's also mustered 1.3 key passes per game in that time.

Balotelli is the leader of a young Milan front-line and has taken to the task extremely well so far.

The only disappointment came in a mouthwatering return to face his old club Inter Milan.

01. Moussa Sissoko

Moved from Toulouse to Newcastle

Games Played: 8

Goals Scored: 3

Assists: 2

Grade: A+

Moussa Sissoko has been magnificent since joining Newcastle.

He's used his energy and physical tools to power the Newcastle attack in the games he's played thus far.

The win against Chelsea stands out for his two-goal performance but Sissoko has rarely put a foot wrong since joining Newcastle.