{"id":1242744,"date":"2022-01-18T16:30:33","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1242744"},"modified":"2022-01-19T16:38:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T16:38:25","slug":"la-liga-january-signings-best-ever","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/la-liga-january-signings-best-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Hit or miss? The most expensive winter transfer signings in La Liga"},"content":{"rendered":"

January signings can be great successes\u2026 or tremendous failures.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given that Spain\u2019s record signing to date came in the winter transfer window, it would only be fair to consider which of the biggest deals have proven good value and which have crashed and burned.<\/p>\n

1. Philippe Coutinho – \u20ac160m <\/span>from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Few transfers have ever been quite such spectacular failures as Philippe Coutinho\u2019s move from Merseyside to Catalonia. Having only played 90 minutes for the side since 2019, his most memorable moment featuring Barcelona since joining came as the Brazilian scored a brace on loan for Bayern Munich in the historic 8-2 humiliation of his parent club.<\/p>\n

The nightmare may have finally come to an end with his January exit to Aston Villa, but three years on from his landmark arrival, he\u2019s seen as the perfect example of all that\u2019s gone wrong at Camp Nou. 25 goals in 106 appearances later, few figures in Barcelona history rile up such controversy and fury among cul\u00e9s<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

2. Diego Costa – \u20ac<\/span>60m from Chelsea to Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An Atleti icon, Diego Costa\u2019s second spell at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano was a disappointing one. Scoring on his return debut, he ran into the crowd to celebrate and picked up a second yellow card in the process, a moment which more or less defined his fortunes back at the club which made him a star.<\/p>\n

An eight-match suspension for swearing at officials and serious foot and back injuries meant that Costa was clearly not the same talent that had left Madrid four years previously. Looking slow, and with even less discipline, his killer edge was there, but 24 goals in 81 appearances was far from the rate he\u2019d achieved in his first period at the club. In the middle of Atleti\u2019s LaLiga-winning 2020\/21 campaign, Costa abruptly departed, tearing up his contract after a furious row with Diego Simeone and his staff.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

3. Ferran Torres – \u20ac<\/span>55m from Manchester City to Barcelona in 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The latest man to join this select group in the current winter transfer window brings plenty of promise and excitement to Barcelona. Fit to make his debut against Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espa\u00f1a, he lasted only 45 minutes as he continues to build fitness after injury.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> The jury\u2019s out<\/p>\n

4. I\u00f1igo Mart\u00ednez – \u20ac<\/span>32m from Real Sociedad to Athletic Club in 2018<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Athletic Club were not short of defensive talents when they turned to I\u00f1igo Mart\u00ednez from local rivals Real Sociedad, but what they did sign was much more than just the captain of their nemesis. A born leader, Mart\u00ednez has become one of the first names on the team sheet for Athletic under every coach he has worked with.<\/p>\n

The peak of his time at the club came with the Supercopa de Espa\u00f1a win in 2021, with some memorable displays from the defender in cup competitions in particular, but Mart\u00ednez\u2019 consistent displays for both club and country have made him a regular for both.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Hit<\/p>\n

5. Reinier Jes\u00fas – \u20ac<\/span>30m from Flamengo to Real Madrid in 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still early days for Reinier, who remains without a first team appearance for Real Madrid two years after he initially joined the club. Two goals in three appearances for Castilla set expectations high, with some hoping that he\u2019d push onto the first team. A loan move to Borussia Dortmund surprised many given the options that Dortmund already had available, but was seen as a sign of his promise. 18 months into that two-year loan agreement, he has made only one Bundesliga start.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still only 19, and could evolve to make his \u20ac<\/span>30m fee look like peanuts, but the early indications aren\u2019t quite as exciting as some came to expect when such a substantial fee was paid to sign him.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

6. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – \u20ac<\/span>27m from Ajax to Real Madrid in 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eight goals in your first 20 Real Madrid appearances isn\u2019t a bad record at all, but when you only last eight months at the club, it\u2019s harder to justify. Huntelaar went through a purple patch, scoring all eight goals across only five games, but failed to score in the other 15 and left much to be desired.<\/p>\n

An administrative mix-up meant that Real Madrid could only register one of their two January signings in their Champions League squad for the remainder of the campaign, and instead opted for former Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra, which started the breakdown of the Dutchman\u2019s relationship with the club. It led to his eventual sale at a \u20ac<\/span>10m loss to AC Milan before the start of the following campaign.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

7. Enzo P\u00e9rez – \u20ac<\/span>25m from Benfica to Valencia in 2015<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Signed as a statement of intent by Meriton Holdings, he arrived at the club at the worst possible time as their descent from European competition to relegation dogfights began. Between countless injuries and suspensions, the seven LaLiga games in a row that he played after signing was the longest streak he had while at the club.<\/p>\n

Featuring under five different coaches in a two-and-a-half-year spell, he didn\u2019t bring the leadership or control in the middle of the park that was expected. Such a substantial fee for a player close to their 30th birthday was always a risk for Valencia, and this one didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

8. Paco Alc\u00e1cer – \u20ac<\/span>25m from Borussia Dortmund to Villarreal in 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It could be harsh to classify Alc\u00e1cer as a miss, but he\u2019s yet to hit the heights that anyone expected when he arrived at Villarreal. Signed from Borussia Dortmund, he was seen as the striker who would push Villarreal to compete with Europe\u2019s elite. The Yellow Submarine have made that step up, but it\u2019s not quite thanks to the former Valencia man.<\/p>\n

Gerard Moreno has cast a shadow over Alc\u00e1cer\u2019s performances, though he has still registered a goal involvement every 118 minutes for the club. Despite those figures, the arrival of Boulaye Dia and the eruption of Yeremi Pino in attack have seen Alc\u00e1cer slip down the pecking order. While still a valid option for Villarreal, the fee paid to sign him may mean that his performances don\u2019t quite match up to what the club had hoped for.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Miss<\/p>\n

9. Ra\u00fal de Tom\u00e1s – \u20ac<\/span>22.5m from Benfica to Espanyol in 2020<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Signed in 2020 by Espanyol as they were threatened with relegation, RDT failed in his objective to keep the team up, but that was in spite of scoring in his first four games after joining the club.<\/p>\n

Since then, he stayed loyal to Espanyol and fired them back to Primera at the first time of asking, scoring 23 goals in 38 games. This season, he\u2019s already hit double figures by the halfway point and became Espanyol\u2019s second Spanish international to make more than one appearance for his country since 2007. How far he can propel Los Periquitos<\/em> before one of Spain\u2019s top clubs poaches him will define just how much of a hit his stay in Catalonia has been.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Hit<\/p>\n

10. Pablo Aimar – \u20ac<\/span>20m from River Plate to Valencia in 2001<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of Valencia\u2019s all-time greats, Aimar went on to win two LaLiga titles, as well as the UEFA Cup and UEFA European Super Cup during his time at Mestalla. Once top of this list in terms of transfer fee, his achievements far surpass any other name above.<\/p>\n

The Argentine\u2019s technical ability, skill and eye for a pass set him apart, knocking up 55 goal involvements in more than 200 appearances for the club. \u20ac<\/span>20m, or 3,300 million pesetas in the currency at the time, was a substantial fee, but Aimar was one of the few players who proved his value.<\/p>\n

The verdict:<\/strong> Hit<\/p>\n

Article produced by Sam Leveridge<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>in partnership with\u00a0<\/span>La Liga Lowdown<\/a>, your home for Spanish football in English with reporters based in Spain.<\/em>\u00a0Find them on Twitter\u00a0@LaLigaLowdown<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January signings can be great successes\u2026 or tremendous failures. Given that Spain\u2019s record signing to date came in the winter transfer window, it would only be fair to consider which of the biggest deals have proven good value and which have crashed and burned. 1. Philippe Coutinho – \u20ac160m from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":1242784,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"%%title%%","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"January is always a risky time to break the bank and La Liga clubs have been burned more than most, but there have been some success stories.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1242744","cult-corner","type-cult-corner","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"\nHit or miss? 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