Most Expensive All-Time January Transfer Windows XI
The January transfer window is generally regarded as the far slower of the two transfer windows, with teams much less willing to part with their stars and spenders less likely to splurge large amounts midseason.
However, there have been a long list of examples where clubs choose to shirk that trend and dig deep into their pockets, whether it be out of necessity or simply because a player is available at the time.
The Premier League is most guilty of such bold behaviour, where foreign ownership and more lucrative options cause more frequent movement, but Serie A and Ligue 1 also have their share of big winter investments.
We've delved into the history books and assembled a line-up of the most expensive January movers, where an unsurprising prominence of attacking transfers makes up our audacious 3-4-3 formation.
It should be noted that players have been taken into account based on position as well as price, meaning certain expensive attackers have been omitted so that midfielders and defenders can take their spot.
Substitutes
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Costing a little more than a quarter of the £75 million which would take him to Barcelona three-and-a-half years later, Luis Suarez once stormed the Premier League with a £22.8 million switch to Liverpool.
It took the Uruguayan time to acclimatise in England following his 2011 switch from Ajax, but we all know what a prolific figure Suarez came to be once he found his stride .
Yohan Cabaye
Almost a year on from his £19 million switch back to Ligue 1 and both Yohan Cabaye and Paris Saint-Germain may be slightly regretful over the 2014 transfer.
Since moving to the French capital, Cabaye has struggled to compete against a lengthy list of central playmakers at Parc des Princes.
His previous work at Lille and Newcastle United helped build a reputation as being a highly valuable French asset, but if Cabaye were to move again this January, PSG would struggle to recoup their investment.
Christopher Samba
Filling the defensive role on our bench comes a figure who could technically feature twice, Christopher Samba having joined and left Anzhi Makhachkala for very similar fees on both occasions.
The Congolese international left Blackburn Rovers in February 2012 for around £12.5 million, joining Anzhi before leaving for Queens Park Rangers just a year later and for a near-identical sum.
Bernd Leno
£5.75 million, Stuttgart to Bayer Leverkusen (2012)
Bernd Leno was in the middle of a six-month loan at Bayer Leverkusen before the Bundesliga giants realised what a prodigious talent they had on their hands in November 2011.
The Stuttgart academy graduate was picked up by the Factory Squad on permanent terms for a very affordable £5.75 million, which while technically paid before the 2012 January window, still goes down as a winter switch.
Goalkeeper: Shay Given
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Transfer: Newcastle United to Manchester City (2009)
Fee: £6 million
Of all the players that managers tend to keep the tightest hold of midseason, goalkeepers rank as the most prized possessions, unsurprisingly looked upon as not-for-sale figures in most cases.
Ex-Republic of Ireland No.1 Shay Given therefore has the slightly odd honour of being the most expensive goalkeeper ever to have been purchased in a winter window, with Manchester City the engineers of that move.
Then at Newcastle United, Given was the subject of a £6 million bid from the Citizens in 2009, and on February 1 of that year, the Magpies said farewell to their servant of 12 years.
Given spent two-and-a-half seasons at the Etihad Stadium before selling Given on to Aston Villa in 2011, at which point Joe Hart was making waves as the far more promising City star.
Centre-Back: David Luiz
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Transfer: Benfica to Chelsea (2011)
Fee: £25 million
David Luiz has since doubled his price tag with a £50 million switch to PSG this past summer, but in the winter of 2011, he became the latest South American export to leave Benfica's shores for £25 million.
Chelsea ended up making quite the mint off their often unreliable defender, but it doesn't unsettle Luiz's spot as the most expensive defensive January transfer of all time.
Part of the £25 million paid to Benfica came in the shape of a Chelsea player heading to Portugal in part-exchange, whom we'll discuss soon.
The Blues made another substantial investment in Kurt Zouma last January, but his £12 million arrival from Saint-Etienne pales in comparison.
Centre-Back: Kakha Kaladze
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Transfer: Dynamo Kiev to Milan (2001)
Fee: £15 million
Considering it was all of 13 years ago that Kakha Kaladze made his move from Ukraine to Milan, the Georgian might himself be considered one of the most expensive defenders to have moved in a winter window, accounting for inflation.
At the time of his 2001 switch from Dynamo Kiev, Kaladze was among Europe's most revered defensive figures and became the most expensive Georgian in history as a result of his move.
The centre-back-cum-full-back went on to win two Champions League trophies and a Serie A title with the Rossoneri, along with numerous other titles, winning Georgian Footballer of the Year four times during his nine years at the San Siro.
Centre-Back: Javier Mascherano
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Transfer: Corinthians to West Ham United (2007)
Fee: £18 million
Completing our three-man defence is a man who barely featured at centre-back during his spell in England, but the £18 million deal taking Javier Mascherano to West Ham in 2007 nonetheless puts him among the priciest January movers.
Kia Joorabchian was at the heart of the Argentinian's controversial trade from Corinthians eight years ago, arriving alongside compatriot Carlos Tevez in a third-party ownership swap spectacle riddled with intricate details.
It wasn't until his move to Barcelona in 2010 that Mascherano began a more permanent transition into defence, the role he accounts for in our line-up in order to make space for a certain Chelsea stalwart.
Holding Midfield: Nemanja Matic
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Transfer: Benfica to Chelsea (2014)
Fee: £21 million
From Stamford Bridge to the Estadio da Luz and back again, Chelsea took a slight bath on re-signing Nemanja Matic from Benfica this year, but it's showing to be a worthy investment.
Matic was the man traded to the Eagles as part of Luiz's move to west London, and after boosting his reputation as a midfield anchor in the Liga Primeira, the Blues saw fit to reinvest in their former prospect.
Jose Mourinho brought the Serbian international back to the Premier League for a fee of £21 million, the same face value for which Luiz arrived three years prior, without Matic's inclusion being accounted for.
Now top of the Premier League and relying largely upon a Matic/Cesc Fabregas midfield tandem as the spine of their squad, the 26-year-old is showing he was perhaps worthy of a chance at the club during his first stint.
Right MIdfield: Willian
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Transfer: Shakhtar Donetsk to Anzhi Makhachkala (2013)
Fee: £30 million
In the space of seven months, Brazilian winger Willian racked up an astronomical £62 million in transfer fees, split between separate 2013 moves to Anzhi Makhachkala and Chelsea.
The first of those came in January of that year, the 26-year-old swapping the orange and black of Shakhtar Donetsk for the yellow and green of Anzhi in a £30 million deal.
The club's worrying financial situation led to a fire sale in the squad's biggest assets, a number among which Willian sat, completing a £32 million trip to Stamford Bridge in August 2013.
Central Midfield: Juan Mata
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Transfer: Chelsea to Manchester United (2013)
Fee: £37.1 million
Chelsea are usually among the club's stumping up to bring in new players during the January transfer window, but in 2013 the west Londoners were happy to be the ones cashing in on Juan Mata.
With Mourinho preferring Oscar in his central attacking midfield hub, Mata was offloaded to Manchester United, although it wasn't for a pittance at a value just over £37 million.
The Red Devils broke their transfer record in order to recruit the Spaniard, glad to once again be recognised as a valued member of an elite outfit, although United fans may like to see Louis van Gaal utilise the maestro even more.
Left Midfield: Lucas Moura
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Transfer: Sao Paulo to Paris Saint-Germain (2013)
Fee: £44.3 million
Officially speaking, Lucas Moura's move from Sao Paulo to Paris Saint-Germain was made official in the summer of 2012, but the Brazilian didn't make the switch to Ligue 1 until January 2013.
At £44.3 million, Lucas is the second-most expensive January transfer subject in the history of the winter window, but like many PSG signings, one might debate if the French club have got valuable bang for their buck.
To accommodate compatriot Willian on the right flank, we see the Selecao star switch to the left side of our midfield line.
Centre Forward: Fernando Torres
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Transfer: Liverpool to Chelsea (2011)
Fee: £50 million
The first member of our three-pronged attack is the figure whom many might consider to be the least valuable transfer of all time: Fernando Torres, the man who who went from £50 million talisman to outcast in just two seasons.
His reputation upon arriving at Liverpool from Atletico Madrid was massive, but the success enjoyed with the Reds merely boosted his renown, so much so that £50 million wasn't initially baulked at by all.
However, a return of just 20 goals in 110 Premier League appearances at Chelsea following his 2011 switch equates to a price of £2.25 million per goal, far from the value the Blues might have expected.
Now on the verge of completing a loan move back to Atletico after Milan purchased his signature outright, the Spanish striker's star has fallen quicker than any in the last four years.
Striker: Andy Carroll
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Transfer: Newcastle United to Liverpool (2011)
Fee: £35 million
The butt of many a Premier League joke in how not to spend January funds, Andy Carroll's 2011 transfer to Liverpool has gone down as one of the biggest winter blunders of all time.
With Torres departing Anfield in the same window, the Reds were in need of a big-name striker, and with the January deadline in sight, a knee-jerk offer was made to acquire Newcastle United's Carroll.
At the time, Carroll was the toast of England, a re-imagining of the old English centre-forward who had enjoyed consistent form at St. James' Park, but he went on to see flagged form on Merseyside.
Since then, the striker has gone some way to rebuilding his reputation during an injury-ravaged couple of seasons with West Ham, but his Liverpool spell will always be looked upon with notable shades of regret.
Striker: Edin Dzeko
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Transfer: Wolfsburg to Manchester City (2011)
Fee: £27 million
Under the ownership of Abu Dhabi, many strikers have come and gone from Manchester City's ranks with major sums attached to their transfers, but Edin Dzeko boasts a prestigious title at the Etihad.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international sits as their most expensive January acquisition altogether.
Dzeko came to England from Wolfsburg in 2011 for a £27 million fee, and despite all the competition he's faced, the 28-year-old remains a key component for the Citizens, winning two Premier League titles in the last four years.
