Virgil Van Dijk, Bruno Fernandes, Nemanja Vidic: Top 5 EPL January Transfers of All Time

• The January transfer window has always provided clubs with the opportunity to replenish their squads
• Chelsea has been the busiest club this season and it remains to be seen whether the new players will live up to the hype
• Virgil Van Dijk and Nemanja Vidic lead the list of the best January transfers of all time

The January transfer window has always been approached with a lot of caution by many clubs. You do not want to sign a new player with no actual preseason to integrate them into your schemes. You only sign them if you must.

Over the years, some January signings have proven to be a masterstroke as they went on to shine for their new clubs and even inspire them to trophies.

The just concluded window saw the arrivals of many prospects with Chelsea leading the bunch with a lot of high-profile players, but who are the greatest January signings of all time?

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1. Nemanja Vidic -Manchester United

Some will opine that Vidic is the greatest defender the Premier League has ever seen and it will be hard to argue with that. But perhaps, no one thought he would rise to those levels when he sealed a move from Spartak Moscow in January 2006.

The Serbian went on to lift five Premier League trophies and one Champions League title. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand is only rivalled by the likes of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.

2. Virgil Van Dijk -Liverpool

Van Dijk has risen to become one of the best defenders in the division. His long-term injury during the 2020/2021 season caused Liverpool big time as they struggled to replace him.

Jurgen Klopp's side made him the world's most expensive defender when they signed him from Southampton. He then inspired the Reds to a sixth Champions League trophy in 2019 before guiding them to their first Premier League title a season later. He also narrowly missed out on the Ballon d'Or in 2019.

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3. Bruno Fernandes - Manchester United

Fernandes might be the only player on this list without a trophy yet but his impact at Manchester United was instant. He was signed in January 2020 from Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese playmaker guided Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team to a top-four finish after bagging eight goals and seven assists in his first 14 Premier League appearances.

4. Luis Suarez - Liverpool

Liverpool reacted to losing Fernando Torres to Chelsea by signing Suarez from Ajax in January 2012. The Uruguayan took Liverpool to within a touching distance of the Premier League trophy in the 2013/2014 season. His consolation was winning the Golden Boot after scoring 31 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.

5. Patrice Evra -Manchester United

It is now possibly becoming apparent that Sir Alex Ferguson was the master of January signings. Evra was snapped up from Monaco in 2006 and quickly established himself as an important member of the Red Devils.

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Like Vidic, he won five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.

Chelsea seal Fernandez deal

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Chelsea have signed World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record 121 million euros ($131 million), the Portuguese club announced early on Wednesday.

The midfielder, 22, was named Best Young Player of the World Cup for his displays during Argentina's successful campaign in Qatar.

The £106.8 million fee eclipses the previous record of £100 million that Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021.