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Ranking the 15 best transfers of the January window

theScore Staff / Getty / Reuters

With the January transfer window closed, we look back at the best deals - be it low-risk loan moves or high-priced permanent signings - made over the last month across Europe's top five leagues.

Honourable mentions: Jose Fonte (Southampton to West Ham), Ademola Lookman (Charlton to Everton), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool to Crystal Palace)

15. Dayot Upamecano (RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €10M fee (Read more)

A marriage of convenience, as RB Leipzig used its relationship with Austrian sister club Red Bull Salzburg to snap up in-demand central defender Dayot Upamecano. Built like a battle tank but blessed with impressive pace and control, the Frenchman, 18, was being eyed by Europe's heavy hitters. A superb signing for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side.

14. M'Baye Niang (AC Milan to Watford)

Details: Season-long loan, reported €18M option to buy (Read more)

His career stagnating at the San Siro thanks to his frustrating inconsistency, M'Baye Niang swapped Serie A proper for the Italian league reclamation project that Walter Mazzarri is overseeing at Watford. Niang, still only 22, is undoubtedly talented both physically and technically. If he delivers on his oodles of potential, Watford has a prototypical stud winger. If not, the Hornets send him right back to Italy. Good January business.

13. Wilfred Ndidi (Genk to Leicester City)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported £15M fee (Read more)

Asking anyone to fill the indefatigable boots of midfield colossus N'Golo Kante is completely unfair, but that's the standard to which Wilfred Ndidi will be held following his move to Leicester City. The sense around the King Power is that the 20-year-old Nigerian is up to the task. An impeccable tackler who covers copious amounts of the pitch, Claudio Ranieri needs him to be the rock that steadies what is quickly becoming a relegation-threatened ship.

12. Jese (Paris Saint-Germain to Las Palmas)

Details: Season-long loan (Read more)

Jese failed miserably during his six-month spell Paris Saint-Germain. It happens. After showing flashes of quality at Real Madrid - albeit aided by the absurd attacking talent around him - the 23-year-old Spaniard will look to reignite his career with hometown side Las Palmas. For a small club with modest pockets, capitalizing on these types of deals (signing ostracized but talented players looking for a new start) is superb business.

11. Mattia Caldara (Atalanta to Juventus)

Details: Permanent transfer, initial €15M fee (Read more)

Juventus used the January window to solidify its future, nabbing 22-year-old centre-half Mattia Caldara in a deal that should pay dividends for many years to come. He won't be the star of many highlight packages, but Caldara, tipped to be the future of Italy's backline, is solid as they come. Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci aren't getting any younger, and instead of waiting for them to regress before addressing the position, the Bianconeri made an impressive, proactive move.

10. Riechedly Bazoer (Ajax to Wolfsburg)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €12M fee (Read more)

Riechedly Bazoer desperately needed a chance of scenery, lest he allow a promising career to stall at the Amsterdam ArenA. Wolfsburg provided just that, and the German side, currently playing footsie with the relegation zone, will need the 20-year-old Dutch talent to stabilize the midfield immediately. Exactly which central midfield position is best suited to the promising youngster's talents remains a question, but for a modest €12-million fee, it's certainly one worth trying to answer.

9. Stevan Jovetic (Inter to Sevilla)

Details: Season-long loan with option to buy (Read more)

Languishing on the Inter Milan bench, from which he mustered a meagre 69 Serie A minutes this season, Stevan Jovetic was thrown a lifeline by Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli. The Montenegrin repaid that faith immediately. Since moving to the Sanchez Pizjuan on loan, the versatile 27-year-old attacker has fired home three goals in four matches, including a 91st-minute winner to snap Real Madrid's 40-match unbeaten run. Talk about endearing yourself to new fans and teammates.

8. Morgan Sanson (Montpellier to Marseille)

Details: Permanent transfer, initial €9M fee (Read more)

Fallen Ligue 1 giant Marseille, now flush with newfound riches after Frank McCourt's recent takeover, was out to make a splash in January, and did just that with the £25-million signing of Dimitri Payet, bringing the club hero back from West Ham. But while that deal - which carries some very real concerns, not the least of which is the lack of resale value - will get all the attention, the club's best signing of the window was the comparatively frugal capture of midfielder Morgan Sanson from Montpellier. The 22-year-old immediately slots into a starting midfield role, and his eye for a pass along with his set piece skills make him a prime piece for Rudi Garcia to build around.

7. Goncalo Guedes (Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain)

Details: Permanent transfer, initial €30M fee (Read more)

Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester United to the signing of prodigious Portuguese talent Goncalo Guedes, and in the 20-year-old, the capital-based club looks to have a future world-beater on its hands. A versatile attacker who can play both out wide and centrally, the former Benfica standout arrived at the Parc des Prince after lighting up the Portuguese top flight, his speed and trickery making him the latest in a long line of desirable Selecao youngsters.

6. Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United to Everton)

Details: Permanent transfer, initial £20M fee (Read more)

Finally, someone rescued Morgan Schneiderlin. Rotting away on Manchester United's bench after being the latest on a long list of those inexplicably shunned by Jose Mourinho, the defensive midfielder now has the chance to remind everyone of his class at Everton - and stick it to the Portuguese bench boss. A superb reader of the game, the French international should have no problem gelling with Ronald Koeman - with whom he worked at Southampton - and forming a formidable partnership with all-action tackler Idrissa Gueye.

5. Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg to Paris Saint-Germain)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €35M fee (Read more)

Quick, how old is Julian Draxler? Despite the feeling that he's been around forever, the versatile German attacker is still just 23, and after irritating stints at Schalke and Wolfsburg where flashes of brilliance were offset by injury or extended spells stapled to the bench, there's a real sense that he's going to get every chance to succeed in the French capital. Motivation has always been a concern with Draxler - he clearly wanted out of Wolfsburg, and his waning performances proved that - but he's immediately sprung back to life since pulling on a PSG shirt.

4. Leon Bailey (Genk to Bayer Leverkusen)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €15M fee (Read more)

Bayer Leverkusen pipped Europe's elite to the signing of teenage sensation Leon Bailey, the Jamaican winger who, despite still being understandably raw at 19 years old, has the potential to be a dominant attacking force. A wizard with the ball at his feet, Bailey, Belgium's reigning Young Player of the Year, pairs his desire to stupefy defenders with blistering pace; former Ajax youth coach Ronald de Boer has claimed "he's so fast it's not normal." Once he learns the intricacies of Roger Schmidt's pressing system, the back-and-forth nature of the Bundesliga is going to be a frighteningly good fit for Bailey.

3. Memphis Depay (Manchester United to Lyon)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €25M fee (Read more)

Lyon forked over a truckload of cash for Memphis Depay, clearly of mind that the Dutchman is capable of recapturing the form that made him such a devastating winger with PSV. Now free of Jose Mourinho's doghouse, the 22-year-old isn't quite on his last strike, but failure to deliver with Les Gones would be a worrying red flag for someone who was so recently being referred to as the Netherlands' next superstar.

2. Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras to Manchester City)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported initial fee of £27M (Read more)

Alright, so it's not technically a January signing - the terms were agreed last summer - but Gabriel Jesus only arrived in Manchester after the turn of the calendar, so your technicalities are not welcome here. The explosive Brazilian forward, already a protagonist for the Selecao at just 19, has the type of head-turning talent that has led many to proclaim him the heir to one of the most revered thrones in world football: the title of best Brazilian forward on the planet.

1. Alexander Isak (AIK to Borussia Dortmund)

Details: Permanent transfer, reported €10M fee (Read more)

Add one more to the stable. Borussia Dortmund, already boasting the deepest collection of prominent young talent on the continent, added a 17-year-old being compared in his native Sweden to national icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Yes, likening angular teen Alexander Isak to the Manchester United talisman is unfair to the kid, but it's an indication of just how highly regarded the former AIK striker is. And it's not without merit. His body needs to fill out, but he's already shown the pace, skill, and composure in front of goal required to be a top-level forward. At the Westfalenstadion, where he'll work alongside a wonderful manager in Thomas Tuchel, Isak will receive the necessary grooming to blossom into a star - much the way Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic are right now. And all that for €10 million. A clear choice as the best deal of the January window.

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