Potential January Transfer Window Bargains

The January transfer window might still be almost a full two months away, but don't think that managers, scouts and finance men within clubs aren't already considering their options with regards to new signings.

With just one month to get all the details of deals done, January is often a frantic, frustrating and difficult time for those with interests in a club, both fans and staff. While some opt out of the midseason madness, there's no denying that some clubs feel they have to splash out when the chance rolls around.

But, does it have to be so difficult? Is there not value to be had, even with a condensed amount of time and in a market with more perceived to be at stake than in the summer window?

Why Improve in January?

So, why even bother?

Simply put, teams often feel they have to push on in January to help achieve their seasonal objectives. That can vary hugely from club to club, of course, but if a new striker can help a side score the goals to avoid relegation or a new centre-back can provide cover for a championship push, clubs are going to look to spend that extra few million in the hope of even greater rewards.

"

Madrid can't afford to buy Suarez in January. Chelsea won't due to previous incident and Bayern have Lewandowski. Need to pounce next window

— Club Level Gooner (@ClubLevelGooner) November 4, 2013"

Other possibilities are of course that teams might be aware that their targets are being monitored by other clubs, and they hope a January bid might snare them early before others are ready to make a move—or because the player is available for another reason entirely.

"Players Cost More in January"

Nonsense. Some do, sure, but then, many players cost a lot in summer, too.

The point is, when there is a high demand for a player, the price inevitably rises. In terms of not overspending, teams have to simply seek out the value in the market in winter just as in summer.

There have been countless examples of teams buying smart in January, landing themselves a quality player and not overdoing it on the expenditure column.

Ivan Rakitic signed for Sevilla in January 2011 for just £2 million. A year later, Bayer Leverkusen landed their now-first-choice keeper Bernd Leno. Stuttgart used part of that money to sign Vedad Ibisevic, the Bundesliga's joint-third highest scorer this season.

In the Premier League, Liverpool signed Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge last season in January and, in 2011, brought in Luis Suarez. The latter was a big-money deal, true—but the value has been evident in the performances by the player and the fact that he'd command a resale fee now of more than double his initial signing cost.

La Liga players Carlos Kameni, Jonas, Kalu Uche and Ignacio Camacho were all signed during the winter window for a combined transfer outlay of around £2 million—while current Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez also signed last winter for just £3 million.

Where Can the Bargains Be Found?

There are three good places to start the search: players out of favour with their current clubs, players whose contracts are coming to an end in the summer and, when scouting is done well and teams are willing to take a bit of a risk, players who fly somewhat under the radar either as a youth prospect or very functional players who perform their role well without being stars.

Those with contracts expiring in the summer can often go for a fraction of their true market value in January as clubs seek to get at least some return from them rather than letting them leave for free five or six months down the line.

Of course, the selling club might not want to recoup £3 million when the loss of the player's talents could cost them a Champions League spot, but by and large, this is an interesting avenue for teams to pursue.

Last season saw Lewis Holtby swap Schalke for Spurs under such an agreement. Zdravko Kuzmanovic was in a similar position before leaving Stuttgart for Inter Milan.

Examples of the Best

A player having five or six months left on his contract is no guarantee of being available; it's important to remember.

But, for those clubs looking right at the top end, take Manchester United as an example; an entire back line and a midfielder to sit in front of them are technically open to offers come January.

Defenders Patrice Evra, Fabio da Silva, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are all out of contract in the summer, as is central midfielder Michael Carrick. Of course, the odds are on United handing new deals to the lot of them—but with low transfer fees and potentially big wages, it's possible that at least one of those full-backs might opt to head out of Old Trafford.

Elsewhere, international defenders Joleon Lescott and Ashley Cole have a year left, Dimitar Berbatov's Fulham contract is almost up and Spurs' injury-prone centre-back Younes Kaboul faces the same scenario.

Moving outside the Premier League, contract-ending situations are found in the Bundesliga (Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Rode, Rafinha and Sebastian Kehl amongst them), Ligue 1 (Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi, Bafetimbi Gomis) and Serie A (Andrea Pirlo, Esteban Cambiasso, Ignazio Abate), but it is in Spain's La Liga where perhaps the most interesting bargains might lie.

Xabi Alonso, the World Cup-winning Spain midfielder, faces big competition for a place this season at Real Madrid. Barcelona defensive duo Marc Bartra and Martin Montoya have had few opportunities to impress, while Victor Valdes has already said he will leave this summer.

Raul Garcia, Andoni Iraola and Mateo Musacchio are all interesting possibilities, too, along with Ibai and Cani as attacking midfield options from around the league.

In Portugal, FC Porto's Fernando might yet turn out to be the biggest low-cost signing of all.

Potential Gambles with Huge Returns?

It's not always the biggest names, though, who provide the greatest signings—though few would turn their nose up at Xabi Alonso signing for £3 or £4 million, of course.

Patrick Ebert of Valladolid is a proven creator of goalscoring chances from the flank and might just be an inspired signing for a team in January at little cost. Alex Kacaniklic provides a similarly exciting, if less-proven, opportunity from the opposite side—if Fulham don't offer him a new deal, that is.

Filip Djordjevic has hit the goal trail for Nantes, scoring 20 times in Ligue 2 last season and six in 11 following promotion so far this term. Would a bigger side opt to take a chance on him? Or, could he carry his form to another league and provide the goals to boost a club from a top-half team into a European spot?

Moving further east, Shakhtar Donestk forward Eduardo is coming to the end of his contract, while Russian international goalkeeper and CSKA Moscow captain Igor Akinfeev might decide the time is right to finally move on.

Right there, there is a goalkeeper who, at his best, is worth easily more than £10 million. Could a top-five league team snare him for half of that?

Jucilei, Roman Shirokov and Vladimir Bystrov all provide quality, experienced midfield options, while Aiden McGeady might end his spell in Russia and move back to the UK.

Aaron Hunt, Shane Long, Alex Tettey, Daniel Opare, Eliseu, Guillermo Ochoa, Jimmy Briand, Jorge Fucile.

The names might not always be stand-out, but the quality and potential is certainly there to those who can recognise it and believe that the player has what it takes to add something of value to the team.

Can the boss and his coaching staff get that quality out of the player on a regular basis? Can they take him from a regular squad player to important starter? Can they see his qualities coming to the fore by way of a slight tactical switch, which can see a player signed for a few million have the impact of a £15 million signing?

There's always value in the market. Always. Sometimes, teams just have to box slightly more clever to get their money's worth and perhaps take the odd gamble in the hope of gaining a return far bigger than the initial outlay.

Of course, for the manager who, this winter, really feels like taking a gamble...Nicklas Bendtner is also coming to the end of his contract.

Player, financial and contract data from transfermarkt.co.uk

Follow @karlmatchett