Every Premier League Club's Weirdest or Worst January Signing
Brought in for the New Year in 2003, the January transfer window was established to give clubs the chance to address weaknesses and bolster their squads for the second half of the season.
Since then, the Premier League has seen a number of high-profile and big-money moves as managers look to do all they can to guarantee success—or survival—from the remaining fixtures.
Many such signings have proved to be undoubted successes, but we're not interested in them. Oh no, far more interesting are the moves that just didn't work—from strange deals that shocked fans to big-money purchases that failed emphatically to live up to their price tag.
Naturally, some clubs have fared better than others in the 13 years that have passed since that first January transfer window. Read on to find out the signing your club would prefer to forget...
Arsenal: Kim Kallstrom
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Fans everywhere raised a collective eyebrow when the normally prudent Arsene Wenger signed veteran Sweden international Kim Kallstrom on loan from Spartak Moscow in January 2014.
What made the move stranger still was the revelation that Kallstrom was in fact already injured and would be out for six weeks with a back problem suffered prior to joining the Gunners.
The midfielder went on to make four appearances in a six-month spell at the Emirates. The highlight came when he scored a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout win over Wigan at Wembley Stadium.
Aston Villa: Eric Djemba-Djemba
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Eric Djemba-Djemba had already surprised Premier League followers once when he signed for Manchester United from Nantes in the summer of 2003, but his brief and unsuccessful spell at Old Trafford wasn't enough to deter Aston Villa from signing the Cameroon international in January 2005.
Unsurprisingly, Djemba-Djemba's time at Villa Park was equally unfruitful, as he failed to displace Gavin McCann and Steven Davis in the midfield, making just 11 appearances before being sent on loan to Burnley.
Bournemouth: Lewis Grabban
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Bournemouth fans may not have been complaining when the club re-signed forward Lewis Grabban from Norwich City on January 11—he did, after all, score 35 goals in 93 games during his first spell at Dean Court.
But what made the move surprising was the fact that Bournemouth had already signed two forwards, Benik Afobe and Juan Manuel Iturbe, in this window alone.
Having scored 27 and conceded 38 goals from their 23 Premier League games so far, the stats would suggest that if anything Bournemouth should have been reinforcing their defence.
That being said, if Grabban scores 10 goals and keeps the Cherries in the division, it'll look a savvy move.
Crystal Palace: Shola Ameobi
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It's no secret that Crystal Palace have struggled to find a reliable goalscorer since returning to the Premier League in 2013.
The struggle was so real, in fact, that manager Alan Pardew returned to his former club to poach veteran striker Shola Ameobi from Newcastle United in January 2015.
Having scored just 71 goals in 380 games for Newcastle, Ameobi was never likely to prove the solution to Palace's deficiencies up front. And so it proved, as he left for Bolton Wanderers the following summer with no goals from his four appearances.
Chelsea: Juan Cuadrado
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A lot was expected of Juan Cuadrado when he joined Chelsea from Fiorentina in a £23.3 million deal in early February 2015.
The Colombian wide man had starred for his country in the 2014 World Cup and arrived at Stamford Bridge with a reputation for exciting wing play.
Instead, Cuadrado struggled to force his way into the Chelsea side, and the team sent him back to Italy the following summer after he saw just 337 minutes of Premier League action.
Everton: Darron Gibson
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There was a time when even Manchester United's rejects were seen as reliable gambles.
But that era had well and truly passed by the time Everton agreed to pay a fee of around £500,000 for Darron Gibson in January 2012.
Gibson is still at Goodison Park but has struggled to make an impact, making just 63 appearances in four years at the club.
Leicester City: Andrej Kramaric
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Leicester City had to fend off competition from Chelsea to sign Andrej Kramaric for a club record fee of £9 million in January 2015.
The forward joined from Croatian side Rijeka with a reputation for goalscoring, but he failed to hold down a regular place and scored just four goals in 20 appearances for the Foxes. He later joined German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on loan in January 2016.
Liverpool: Steven Caulker
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Premier League fans everywhere scratched their heads when Jurgen Klopp made Steven Caulker his first signing as Liverpool manager.
Caulker joined from Queens Park Rangers after spending the early part of the season on loan at Southampton, where his final appearance came in a 6-1 Capital One Cup drubbing at the hands of...Liverpool.
Clearly, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender had done something right, as Klopp made the move in a bid to bolster the Reds' creaking defence.
The German manager gave Caulker his Liverpool debut in the Premier League tie with Arsenal, bringing him on as a striker as the Reds chased an equaliser. He then repeated the trick in similar circumstances against Manchester United.
Manchester City: Benjani Mwaruwari
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Then-Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp couldn't believe his luck when Manchester City offered £9.5 million for Benjani Mwaruwari in February 2008.
The Zimbabwe striker had already scored 12 goals in 23 Premier League games in 2007/08, but that wasn't enough to convince Redknapp, who was more than happy to sanction the transfer.
Sure enough, Benjani failed to make a significant impact at the Etihad Stadium, scoring just seven goals in 31 games before joining Sunderland and then Blackburn Rovers.
Manchester United: Victor Valdes
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Manchester United looked to have pulled off a savvy deal when they signed former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes in January 2015.
However, it simply didn't work out for the Spanish stopper at Old Trafford. He fell out with manager Louis van Gaal after the Dutchman accused him of refusing to play for the club's reserves.
Valdes joined Standard Liege in January 2016 after seeing just 106 minutes of Premier League action for Manchester United.
Newcastle United: Shefki Kuqi
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Nope, I can't remember this happening either. I couldn't even find a picture of him in a Newcastle shirt.
But Shefki Kuqi did in fact join Newcastle United in February 2011, making the Magpies his 10th club in English football.
Even Kuqi was surprised by the deal, telling Sky Sports at the time that "it was hard to believe" he was wanted by the Premier League club.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't quite work out for the Finn at Newcastle, as he failed to score in six appearances.
Norwich City: Luciano Becchio
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Luciano Becchio was relatively prolific in his five years with Leeds United, scoring 86 goals in 219 appearances for the West Yorkshire club.
That form convinced Norwich City to fork out £2 million for his services, as they completed the deal in January 2013.
Unfortunately for Becchio and the Canaries' fans, he was unable to reproduce his Leeds form at Carrow Road and left for Club Atletico Belgrano in May 2015, with 16 Norwich appearances and no goals to his name.
Southampton: Olivier Bernard
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French full-back Olivier Bernard was a regular in his five years with Newcastle United, making 130 appearances, including eight in the UEFA Champions League.
Bernard left St. James Park in January 2005 after a dispute over his contract and crossed the country to join Southampton.
The move didn't work out for club or player, as he left the Saints following their relegation from the Premier League, having made 16 appearances.
Stoke City: Russell Hoult
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Veteran goalkeeper Russell Hoult was a key part of the West Bromwich Albion side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2002. He remained at the club until 2007 and made a total of 182 appearances.
However, the Baggies sacked Hoult in January 2007 after allegations regarding his private life appeared in newspapers, which led Stoke City to snap him up shortly after.
He was then sent off on his league debut for his new club in a match against Plymouth Argyle, making just one more appearance before joining Notts County in 2008.
Sunderland: Steve Harper
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Here's one that no one saw coming.
Newcastle United fans loved Steve Harper for his 20 years of service to the club; he made 179 appearances before joining Hull City in 2013.
Only, Harper was to return to the north-east in January 2016...joining Newcastle's archrivals, Sunderland.
Swansea City: David N'Gog
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French striker David N'Gog made little impression during spells with Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers, so it prompted surprise when Swansea City welcomed him back to the Premier League in January 2014.
N'Gog didn't fare much better at the Liberty Stadium, as he failed to find the target in three appearances before returning to France with Reims at the end of the 2013/14 season.
Tottenham Hotspur: Steven Pienaar
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Steven Pienaar resisted the temptations of Chelsea when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Everton in January 2011, but he failed to make an impact at White Hart Lane.
Held back by injuries and an inability to force his way into the side, Pienaar rejoined Everton after making just 18 appearances for Spurs, scoring once.
Watford: Costel Pantilimon
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Watford's history in the January transfer window contains few horror stories, which makes this a difficult and somewhat harsh selection.
Romanian goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon had already made 18 appearances for Sunderland this season alone when he opted to up sticks and move to Watford to provide competition for Heurelho Gomes at Vicarage Road.
The former Manchester City back-up keeper will hope he can reclaim a starting spot once again, this time with the high-flying Hornets.
West Bromwich Albion: Kevin Campbell
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West Bromwich Albion were looking for an experienced goalscorer when they signed Kevin Campbell from Everton in January 2005.
Campbell had an impressive record from spells with Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Everton, and the Baggies hoped his goals could keep them in the Premier League.
They managed just that in 2004/05 but went down the following season. Campbell let for Cardiff City after scoring six goals in 47 appearances for West Brom.
West Ham United: Benni McCarthy
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West Ham United thought they were guaranteed goals when they signed Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers in February 2010.
The South African striker had scored 82 goals in 220 appearances for FC Porto and Blackburn, but he flopped at the Boleyn Ground, failing to find the net in 14 appearances.
He left the club soon after but drew a scathing response from West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady in November 2015 after making sexist comments in the French publication So Foot (via the Telegraph). The comments were believed to be directed at her.
"McCarthy should stick with his area of expertise, which according to many is...eating," Brady wrote in the Sun. Ouch.
