Rough Guide to Real Madrid's January Transfer History Under Florentino Perez

It's cold, it's getting dark and Christmas is almost here: In the world of football, that means the opening of another transfer window looms. 

As ever, Real Madrid will be among the clubs most heavily mentioned in January, given the fascination and speculation that always surrounds Los Blancos and their transfer activity.

However, the January transfer window is typically very different from the summer version, so below we've provided a rough guide to Real Madrid's winter-transfer history under the presidency of Florentino Perez to give you an idea of how the club could possibly approach the upcoming window. 

Note: A full player-by-player, year-by-year breakdown can be found at Transfermarkt. 

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Though Real Madrid have undoubtedly developed a reputation for extravagant transfer activity during Perez's two-part reign as president, the club has done the bulk of its deals in the summer months and has tended to remain comparatively quiet in the January window. 

Indeed, rarely has a major deal been struck in the winter under Perez, with the following high-profile players all signed in the summers of Perez's presidency: Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Isco, Asier Illarramendi, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Angel Di Maria, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Claude Makelele. 

Instead, Real Madrid's winter transfer activity under Perez has tended to involve loan deals for peripheral players, selling those who've rarely featured and low-profile signings to provide additional squad depth.  

Such a trend, of course, is consistent for most European clubs. Typically, making major moves in January is extremely difficult given that clubs are less prepared to negotiate mid-season and that players moving from one major outfit to another are often cup-tied. Additionally, buyers are aware that integrating new faces midway through a campaign can be problematic in terms of cohesion. 

Notable Signings...In a Way

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In addition to the reasons outlined above, perhaps one of the major factors that has deterred Perez from making splashes in the January window is that it hasn't always worked out that well when he and the club have done so. 

In January 2006, just prior to Perez's resignation, Madrid signed Antonio Cassano from AS Roma in a deal that is now remembered for all the wrong reasons. Despite Cassano's obvious talent, his time in the Spanish capital was defined by weight problems, conflicts with manager Fabio Capello and his off-field behaviour that was revisited by Glenn Moore for the Independent. 

Twelve months earlier, of course, Madrid—who then had a sporting director in the form of Arrigo Sacchi driving transfer activity—had also completed the winter signing of Thomas Gravesen, whose Real Madrid career was hardly a success either, and the Dane is now considered to be among the club's worst signings. 

Since, Real Madrid's record in the January window has improved a little (we'll get to that shortly), but interestingly, two of the club's most successful winter signings in Marcelo and Gonzalo Higuain were bought during Perez's three-year absence at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Notable Departures

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Though major names have rarely arrived at Real Madrid in January during Perez's presidency, on a couple of occasions, they have departed. 

In the winter window of 2005, Madrid sent Fernando Morientes—a winner of two league titles and three UEFA Champions League titles at the Bernabeu—to Liverpool, having brought in the likes of Ronaldo and Michael Owen in the preceding years. 

Five years later, Ruud van Nistelrooy also departed Madrid in winter, when the Dutchman left for Hamburg in January 2010 after injury had plagued his short but successful time in the Spanish capital. 

(Note: The highest-profile player ever to depart Real Madrid in the January transfer window is Ronaldo, who went to AC Milan in early 2007. However, that transfer took place during the presidency of Ramon Calderon.)

Most Recent Deals

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In the most recent January transfer window, Real Madrid, led by Perez, signed midfielder Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro and teenage sensation Martin Odegaard from Stromsgodset. While the Norwegian is expected to have a big future ahead of him, Silva's future is less than clear, given that he's already out on loan at Marseille. 

However, one recent January signing who has become a success story is Casemiro. Brought to the club from Sao Paulo in the middle of the 2012-13 season, the Brazilian has risen to prominence this term under Rafa Benitez after enjoying a strong loan stint at Porto.

Strong, combative and disciplined, Casemiro has given Real Madrid's midfield a different edge in 2015-16, and in what has been a difficult campaign on a collective level so far, the 23-year-old has been one of the few obvious positives for the club this season. 

Could Perez and Madrid sign a similar success story this winter?