Deadline day didn't bring about as many spills and thrills as it usually does but there were some key signings made in the January transfer window. With a reported £125 million spent in the window by Premier League clubs, here's a run down of who the five key signings were.
Lewis Holtby - Tottenham Hotspur - £1.5 million
Holtby is one of the many German playmaking prodigies that is continuously enhancing the growing reputation of the Bundesliga. Born to a Liverpudlian father, Holtby was eligible to play for England until he opted for Germany in 2010. He has previously captained the U21 side and has three full caps to his name. Spurs were engaged in talks with Schalke for weeks and reportedly agreed a pre-contract to sign Holtby on a free in the summer. However Villas-Bolas pushed for the move and landed his man a few months earlier than anticipated. The fact that Spurs were willing to spend the money on the player now rather than waiting a few months and getting him on a free, speaks volumes about how highly they rate this youngster.
Holtby was in the final year of his contract at Schalke and had informed the club of his desire to play in England. Spurs snapped the 22 year-old up for £1.5 million which in today's inflated market is an absolute steal. He already had 4 goal and 7 assists to his name in the Bundesliga this season and was outstanding in Schalke's recent 5-4 victory over Hannover. Holtby can operate on the left flank as well as through the middle. But with a certain Gareth Bale occupying the left side, there is no question that he will play behind the main striker. Villas-Boas has stated that he feels this could be the deal of the century and has already compared him to Rafael van der Vaart. His deft touch in his brief cameo on Wednesday night in the build up to Bale's outstanding goal was a sure sign of the quality in which he will bring to the Premier League.
Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool - £12 million
Sturridge it seems has been around the Premier League for an absolute age but is still only 23 years-old. He began his senior career at Manchester City where his chances were limited. A move to fellow big spenders, Chelsea didn't seem like the right idea at the time and four years on, that has proven to be true. His loan spell at Bolton in 2011, proved that he is a capable goal scorer at the top level in English football. He scored 8 goals in 12 games for Wanderers to ease their relegation worries. A move to Liverpool this month finally seems like the right fit for a player who has undoubted quality.
He has made an excellent start to his Liverpool career with 3 goals in his first 3 appearances. Suarez has been moved to a deeper role to accommodate Sturridge which clearly highlights just how important Brendan Rogers feels he will be to Liverpool in going forward. Liverpool also snapped up Philippe Coutinho who also looks to be an excellent prospect. With a front trio of Sturridge, Suarez and Coutinho, it could be the English man that profits the most.
Mathieu Debuchy - Newcastle - £5.5 million
The French full back arrived from Lille to fuel the 'Nouveau Château' revolution on Tyneside. After ten years at the French club, Alan Pardew eventually got his man after chasing him for a couple of seasons. He has slotted straight into the Newcastle back four and aside from his silly challenge on Agbonlahor midweek, he has looked very comfortable. He is a full French international and was part of their Euro 2012 squad. An attacking full back with plenty of pace, Debuchy can also play as a deep lying midfielder. Newcastle have brought plenty of French players in this season but Debuchy is arguably the pick of the bunch. For £5.5 million, Pardew looks to have gotten very good value for his money.
Loïc Rémy - QPR - £8 million
Remy looked odds on to be linking up with plenty of his compatriots at Newcastle but in a bizarre turn of events, he signed for QPR. When he was signed for £8 million, he became the club record transfer but that has since been smashed by the arrival of Christopher Samba. Harry Redknapp has brought a lot of stability to this QPR side, he will now want to see them scoring more goals and he will obviously be looking to Rémy. He made an excellent start to his QPR career in scoring on his debut against West Ham two weeks ago. Rémy is quick and powerful and comes to England on the back of a big reputation in France. Last season he scored 20 goals for his former club, Marseille. He has also played 17 times for France and has 4 goals. It will be interesting to see how long it takes Rémy to adjust to life in England but the early signs are promising. If QPR are to avoid the drop this season, a lot will depend on the goals of their new striker and for £8 million, he may just be the man to lead Harry's latest 'great escape'.
Wilfried Zaha - Manchester United - £10 million rising to £15 million
Born in Ivory Coast, Wilfried Zaha opted to play for England and at 20 years-old is already a full international. Although Man United have signed the youngster, he won't arrive at Old Trafford until the summer. Zaha was very much one of the most sought after English talents in recent years but United won the battle to sign him. Zaha impressed Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011 when Zaha was an integral part of Crystal Palace's victory over United at Old Trafford, in the league cup quarter finals. Since then he has gone from strength-to-strength and has torn apart many a Championship defence. United will pay £10 million up front but this will likely increase to £15 million, based on Zaha's appearances and success at his new club.
Ferguson has spoken very highly of Zaha and there is genuine excitement around Old Trafford that he could become a future star at the club. Zaha's arrival will almost certainly see Nani leaving the club in the Summer which will mean less competition for the winger. Although he predominantly plays out wide, Zaha can also operate through the middle as a supporting striker. He is not renowned for his goal scoring prowess which is something which Ferguson will feel he can bring to his game.There will be plenty of focus and attention on him during his remaining five months at Palace. His side currently sit inside the play-off places and if they are to win promotion to the Premier League, you can be assured that Zaha will be one of the main reasons that they do so.
Honorable mentions:Demba Ba, Philippe Coutinho & Nacho Monreal.
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