Revealed: Where Fernandes and Van Dijk rank among best impact January signings

While it was always likely to be a quieter month than usual, and rumours tend to ramp up towards the end of the month, it’s fair to say the current January transfer window has been underwhelming. With that in mind, we’ve taken a walk down memory lane to pick out some of the best signings made in the Premier League during the winter window.

Having chosen ten arrivals over the last decade to have made an instant impact, we’ve ranked them using our WhoScored.com ratings from the date they signed to the end of the season in which they signed. Some big names have failed to make the cut entirely, but the following players all made a huge impression in a short space of time, with some continuing to do so…

10. Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Signed: 2018 / Rating: 7.09

After a string of expensive and ultimately underwhelming defensive recruits, when City spent big on Laporte it’s a signing they needed to work. They may have been coasting to the title at the time but the Frenchman made a strong impact at the back. While he made just nine appearances, Laporte ended on the winning side on all nine, conceding just five goals across said games. A mainstay in the side for the next two seasons, a slight wobble at the start of the current campaign has seen him unexpectedly lose his place to John Stones.

9. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester)
Signed: 2017 / Rating: 7.26

Having sold star man N’Golo Kante the previous summer, Leicester’s unlikely title defence was unsurprisingly hampered. The Foxes ultimately fell apart but the signing of Ndidi proved to be something of a turning point, with the Nigerian instantly adding the bite back to the midfield that they had lacked. In 17 appearances, Ndidi’s win rate was 41.2 per cent, which may not sound like much but was a massive improvement on the 23.8 per cent without him that season. He would go on to make the most tackles in the entire league in each of the following two seasons.

8. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Signed: 2013 / Rating: 7.30

Having failed to really make the grade at Inter, it was a loan spell under Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol that perhaps most convinced Liverpool that they should take a punt on Coutinho. Arriving for just under £12m, the fact that the Reds turned over £120m in profit proves just what a success he was at Anfield, arriving as a 20-year-old with bundles of talent but limited tactical discipline. He proved the former almost instantaneously, however, with three goals and five assists in 13 league appearances, adding a further 38 and 30 respectively before leaving for Barcelona after five years at the club.

7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Signed: 2018 / Rating: 7.33

Gunners fans were salivating at the prospect of seeing Aubameyang in red and certainly weren’t disappointed when the Gabon international followed up 13 goals in 16 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund with 10 in 13 in the Premier League upon his arrival. That season remains his strongest in an Arsenal shirt to date according to our ratings, despite the striker winning a share of the Golden Boot the following season and matching his 22-goal haul last time out. It’s been a different story in the current campaign, however, with just three goals in 16 outings as things stand having agreed a lucrative new contract.

6. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Signed: 2018 / Rating: 7.35

Having finally agreed a deal to join the club from Southampton, who had understandably dug their heels as Liverpool looked to woo their prized asset, Van Dijk was more than worth the wait for the Reds. It was a transfer ultimately made possible by the aforementioned sale of Coutinho and one that has paid off remarkably well for the Merseysiders. Nevertheless, that first half of a season at Anfield wasn’t a complete success, with Liverpool’s win rate actually dropping after Van Dijk’s arrival to just 50 per cent, but tellingly so too did their goals conceded, from 1.17 to 0.71 per game. That defensive improvement was the basis from which Jurgen Klopp could build a realistic title challenge and the Dutchman’s rating improved further the following season, before playing a pivotal role in the Reds first ever Premier League title last season.

5. Papiss Demba Cisse (Newcastle)
Signed: 2012 / Rating: 7.37

After an excellent 18 months in the Bundesliga with Freiburg prior to his arrival at St. James’ Park, as with most new arrivals to the Premier League, Newcastle fans were probably expecting Cisse to need some time to adapt. Well, he didn’t, scoring a match-winning goal as an early substitute on his debut against Aston Villa and ending the 2011/12 campaign with 13 goals. It was enough to rank among the top ten scorers in the league that season despite coming from just 14 appearances. It would prove to be the Senegalese striker’s most productive season in the Premier League, however, leaving for China in 2016 before moving to Turkey where, at 35, he ended the previous campaign as the second top scorer in the league, with 22 goals.

4. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Signed: 2014 | Rating: 7.63

Returning to Chelsea having left the club three years earlier for Benfica as part of a deal that saw the Blues sign David Luiz, Matic ended the 2013/14 campaign just behind Eden Hazard as Chelsea’s top rated player. His impact on the defensive resolve was clear to see, with the team conceding just seven goals in the Serbian’s 15 starts, with Matic averaging 3.3 tackles but also 1.4 key passes per game, heralding four assists. His arrival would ultimately lay the groundwork for Chelsea’s title the following season as the Blues boasted the best defensive record, with Matic averaging 5.6 tackles and interceptions per game combined.

3. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)
Signed: 2012 / Rating: 7.63

Things were already going pretty swimmingly in what was the Swans’ first season in the Premier League but Sigurdsson’s arrival on loan almost ensured a top half finish, with the Icelandic international making an instant impact. In 18 appearances the then 22-year-old scored seven goals and registered a further three assists, ranking fifth and third respectively for shots (3.9) and key passes (2.8) per game in the division. His adaptation to the Premier League convinced Tottenham to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the season and he has remained in England’s top-flight ever since.

2. Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Signed: 2011 / Rating: 7.63

He may not have been his prolific best early on in his Liverpool career but Suarez made the step up from the Eredivisie to the Premier League where many others had failed with consummate ease. He often operated from wide or in support of a striker upon his arrival but chipped in with four goals and three assists in 13 league appearances. He ranked second in the league for both shots (4.2) and dribbles (3.2) per game in that first season but his end product was questioned until the 2012/13 season, scoring 23 times before notching a remarkable 33 the following season.

1. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Signed: 2020 / Rating: 7.72

Top of the pile, just like his club now find themselves ahead of a huge clash with Liverpool, Fernandes arrival has transformed Manchester United from a side at risk of finishing outside the top six to a title contender. The Red Devils picked up more points than any other team from the date of the Portugal international’s arrival and have stretched their lead in that regard this season, with the 26-year-old playing the most pivotal role in that progression. In his first half season in England the playmaker scored eight goals and registered seven assists, earning the second highest rating in the division behind Kevin De Bruyne. He has already improved on his output this season, scoring 11 times, and of seven possible Premier League Player of the Month awards, Fernandes has now won four.