Here are the 10 biggest Premier League transfers of the January transfer window after the deadline passed on Monday:
Gianelli Imbula: Porto to Stoke City, 18.3 million Pounds.
Upwardly mobile Stoke set a new club transfer record for the second window running, having previously broken new ground in August when Xherdan Shaqiri joined from Inter Milan in a £12 million deal. Holding midfielder Imbula, 23, arrived from Porto after failing to settle following a close-season move from Marseille.
Oumar Niasse: Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS) to Everton; £13.5 million
Niasse, a 25-year-old Senegal international, arrived at Goodison Park on a four-and-a-half-year contract to provide competition for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. He was the Russian Premier League’s Player of the Year in 2015 and scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for Lokomotiv this season.
Jonjo Shelvey: Swansea City to Newcastle United; £12 million
After falling out of favour at the Liberty Stadium, 23-year-old former Liverpool midfielder Shelvey swapped one relegation fight for another by pitching up at St James’ Park. The England midfielder made an immediate impact, playing a role in both goals as Newcastle beat West Ham United 2-1 on his debut.
Andros Townsend: Tottenham Hotspur to Newcastle United; £12 million
Another England international seeking to force his way into national coach Roy Hodgson’s plans for Euro 2016. Townsend’s final few months at White Hart Lane proved forgettable, with manager Mauricio Pochettino freezing him out after a row with a fitness coach.
Benik Afobe: Wolverhampton Wanderers to Bournemouth; £10 million
A prolific goal-scorer in England’s lower leagues, Afobe scored 32 goals last season for first Milton Keynes Dons and then Wolves.
Wahbi Khazri: Bordeaux (FRA) to Sunderland; £9 million
Tunisia playmaker Khazri was one of five new players to join struggling Sunderland, who are bidding to haul themselves out of the relegation zone. “Wahbi is a quick, dynamic attacking player,” said Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce.
Steven Naismith: Everton to Norwich City; £8.5 million
Scotland international Naismith scored a hat-trick for Everton in a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in September, but elected to leave Goodison Park after making only 13 appearances this season. He found the net in his first game in a yellow shirt, drilling home a low shot in a madcap 5-4 home defeat by Liverpool.
Alberto Paloschi: Chievo (ITA) to Swansea City; £8 million
Another team seeking an attacking spark in the hope of avoiding relegation, Swansea boosted their options up front by signing 26-year-old Italian striker Paloschi.
Mohamed Elneny: Basel (SUI) to Arsenal; £5 million
Arsenal failed to sign a single outfield player during the close-season transfer window, but injuries to key midfielders promoted manager Arsene Wenger to sanction a move for Egyptian international Elneny. The industrious 23-year-old player had been with Basel since 2013, helping the club to three successive Swiss Super League titles in that time.
Alexandre Pato: Corinthians (BRA) to Chelsea; loan
Once the great hope of Brazilian football, Pato returned to Europe after kickstarting an injury-plagued career in his homeland. The 26-year-old former AC Milan striker, signed to ease the burden on Diego Costa, described the move as “a dream”.
Feature image source: AFP