We select an XI with some of the most expensive signings in past January transfer windows, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City featuring prominently.
Shay Given (£7 million reported by The Guardian) ended his 12 year association with Newcastle United to sign with big-spending Manchester City in the winter of 2009. The Republic of Ireland stopper went on to make 69 appearances for the Citizens before moving to Aston Villa in 2011.
David Luiz (£21.3 million reported by BBC), Gabriel Paulista (£11.2 million reported by MailOnline) and Christopher Samba (£12.75 million reported by BBC) make up the back three. Luiz signed a five-and-a-half-year deal to join Andre Villas Boas’ Chelsea in 2011. The Brazilian is now back at Stamford Bridge after a two-year stint in French football with PSG. Fellow Brazilian Paulista is closing in on 50 appearances for Arsenal following his move from Villarreal in 2015.
Samba’s initial move to English football with Blackburn Rovers was such a success that Queens Park Rangers were willing to pay an inflated transfer fee and wages to secure the imposing defender’s signature. Harry Redknapp’s gamble to bring in the defender didn’t pay off and Samba would leave just six months later.
Andrei Arshavin (£15 million reported by BBC) and Juan Cuadrado (£23.3 million reported by BBC) are the costly wingers in this XI. Arshavin sealed his move from Zenit to Arsenal with just seconds to spare in the 2009 January transfer window. Cuadrado was also a last minute capture for Chelsea in 2015. The Columbian winger didn’t enjoy the best of times at Chelsea and was loaned out to Juventus just six months later.
Juan Mata (£37.1 million reported by BBC) and Nemanja Matic (£21 million reported by BBC) are another two players with Chelsea links to make this XI. Mata left the Blues for Manchester United after failing out-of-favour under Jose Mourinho. The ex-Valencia man has since racked up over 100 appearances for United and is now playing under Mourinho again.
Benfica would make a tidy profit on Matic after selling him back to Chelsea in 2014 for more than five times the price they bought him for. Matic would help Chelsea win the Premier League title the following season.
Edin Dzeko (£27 million reported by BBC), Andy Carroll (£35 million reported by BBC) and Fernando Torres (£50 million reported by BBC) round up this big-money XI. After bringing in Mario Balotelli, David Silva, James Milner, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng in the summer of 2011, Manchester City went on to bolster their side with the signing of Dzeko in January. However, Dzeko would take time to settle in and only managed two league goals in the second half of the season.
In 2011, Carroll and Torres were part of a transfer merry-go-round which saw both men fail to live up to their gigantic transfer fees. Torres didn’t make his desired impact at Stamford Bridge following his British transfer-record move from Liverpool. Carroll was his replacement at Anfield, but the ex-Newcastle United man struggled to fit into Liverpool’s side.
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