Ranking the 16 Most Ridiculous January Transfer Window Rumours
So that's it. The transfer window has closed and whatever squad your club has now is the one they are stuck with until the end of the season.
Transfer rumours will probably still do the rounds between now and then, but it will be great to actually focus on the football instead of endlessly speculating about which big names will move where, and then seeing the vast majority of those rumours never come to pass.
There were a lot of such stories during the January 2015 window, and here are the top 16.
16. Enner Valencia to Chelsea
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With Diego Costa, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy already on board, Jose Mourinho is pretty well-stocked in the striking department as Chelsea chase glory on three fronts (albeit the former has a stamping tendency).
Why, then, would he make a £20 million move for West Ham United's Ecuadorian forward Enner Valencia, as reported by Simon Osborn in Metro?
15. Raheem Sterling to Real Madrid/Chelsea
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Arguably, we've seen Raheem Sterling flourish even more this season, as he's been asked to perform in a forward role for Liverpool and been seen as their key man in the absence of others.
Sterling's importance to the Reds has also played a part in his ongoing contract negotiations, as perhaps have rather tenuous links to Real Madrid and Chelsea by James Dickenson of the Daily Express. Rather than moving to one of those clubs, the 20-year-old will be better served staying where he is.
14. Wesley Sneijder to Southampton
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This one wasn't strictly in January as the first knockings of the rumour started in the Mirror in December, but however impressive Southampton's season has been so far, it was never likely to be enough to convince former Real Madrid and Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder to join them.
Sure, there's the Ronald Koeman being Dutch factor, but that's about it. The astronomical wages Sneijder would surely ask for were always going to blow the Saints' chances of sealing a deal out of the water.
13. Marco Reus to Real Madrid
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A regular in the transfer gossip columns, Germany international Marco Reus would appear to have his pick of clubs should he decide to leave Borussia Dortmund, if you believe everything you read.
While Real Madrid would probably be the most glamorous option for the winger, a link suggested by The Telegraph, why would he choose to go there and find his route to the first team blocked by some of the finest talents in the world?
12. Marc-Andre ter Stegen to Liverpool
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Given that Barcelona have been imposed with a transfer ban, the likelihood of them selling any of their current stars in January was pretty remote.
However, that didn't stop the Daily Star's Jack Wilson from claiming that the Catalans' German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could leave the club and head to Liverpool in a £17 million deal, which—while good for the Merseysiders—wouldn't really make sense for Luis Enrique's side.
11. Petr Cech to Arsenal
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Sticking with goalkeepers, Metro tried to tell us that Arsenal were "likely" to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech in January, despite Joe Mourinho's well-known antipathy for Arsene Wenger and probable desire to do anything but strengthen his rival.
Cech might be playing second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge this season, but the idea the Blues would let him leave during the campaign was fanciful.
10. Ivan Rakitic to Manchester City/Manchester United
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Ivan Rakitic is in his first season at Barcelona, and neither one of Xavi or Andres Iniesta will be around forever, meaning that he will become a integral part of his club's midfield sooner or later.
He certainly wouldn't be in a rush to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world, but that didn't stop Anthony Chapman linking him with a move to either Manchester City or Manchester United in the Daily Express.
Why would he go there now?
9. Paul Pogba to Manchester United
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Everyone remembers the story of Paul Pogba at Manchester United. Underrated, underused and ultimately underappreciated before he jumped ship for Juventus.
It is in Turin where the Frenchman has developed into one of the finest midfielders in the world, and while it is true to say that he will probably leave Juve in the near future, would he really want a move back to Old Trafford, as suggested in the Daily Express?
8. Luis Suarez to Arsenal
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The summer of 2013 was all about Luis Suarez and Liverpool denying him a move to Arsenal, and so the idea that the Gunners could liberate him from a less than stellar start to his Barcelona career was very much putting two and two together.
The Daily Star were happy to do just that, though, and although they hinted that a potential "move" could happen in the summer, that would still be pretty unlikely.
7. Edin Dzeko to Stoke City
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Occasionally having to be content with a place on the bench has been part and parcel of life at Manchester City for Bosnia and Herzegovina forward Edin Dzeko, and he hasn't shown much to suggest that he is deeply unhappy with such a state of affairs.
It would've taken a huge change of mind, then, for him to leave life at the Etihad Stadium behind and decide to rock up at Stoke City, but that didn't stop Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express claiming that such a move was a possibility.
It never really seemed like one.
6. Marquinhos to Manchester United
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Manchester United's quest for better defenders has been headline news since Louis van Gaal took the job at Old Trafford in the summer, and the rumour mill decided to link them with the Paris Saint-Germain youngster Marquinhos in January—despite the expense involved.
Already one of the costliest defenders in the world, the Daily Mail linked the Brazilian with a money-spinning move to United that never came off—and likely never really got close to doing so.
5. Gareth Bale to Manchester United
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It is the rumour that refused to go away all January, but what many seemed to overlook was that while Manchester United may indeed want to sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, the actual act of them doing so will remain pretty hard to pull off.
Plenty of reports such as this one in the Mirror were seen throughout the month, but while some might already be dreaming of seeing Bale run out at Old Trafford wearing red, the reality is that any move will be nowhere near as easy to pull off as they might think.
4. Karim Benzema to Liverpool
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At Real Madrid, Karim Benzema is part of one of the most feared strike forces in world football and has taken his game to a new level alongside some of the greatest talents on the globe. Would he really want to give that up for a move to Anfield?
The Daily Star reckons he would and linked him with a £40 million switch to Liverpool during January. Where Liverpool would get this £40 million from, though, no one seemed to know.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester City
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Once of Manchester United, the rumour mill suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo could soon make a switch back to the north west of England with City during January.
The Independent claimed that Manchester City could be set to spend big to bring the superstar back to English football without explaining just how they expected to do this and still live within the means of financial fair play.
2. Sergio Ramos to Arsenal/Chelsea/Manchester City/Manchester United
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An idol on terraces at the Bernabeu, a European champion and widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, there aren't really many reasons you could come up with to suggest that Sergio Ramos would want to leave Real Madrid, but the Daily Star's Bruce Archer did.
Archer claimed that because Ramos is unhappy with the standard of refereeing in Spain and praised the Premier League he was definitely heading to one of England's top clubs, linking four of them with the Spain international in the process.
It's all a bit tenuous really.
1. Lionel Messi to Chelsea
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Ultimately, though, January 2015 will always be the month that saw the football world go crazy for the Lionel Messi-to-Chelsea story.
Detailed here in the Daily Mail, the key to whole thing apparently lay on Instagram, on which Messi followed Chelsea, Thibaut Courtois and Felipe Luis in what was construed to be a sign he was heading for Stamford Bridge.
That was enough for many to start dreaming of the Argentinian star in the Premier League, but what they weren't considering was that this was really all about the little maestro exerting his power and authority at Barca.
Everything was soon back to normal; Messi was scoring goals for Barca again and everyone pretty much forgot that this had happened.
