Forgotten Premier League signings of the January transfer window

Cian Cheesbrough
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Wilfried Zaha's January move to Manchester United did not work out
Wilfried Zaha's January move to Manchester United did not work out

January is a notoriously difficult time to pull off transfers — and it is even trickier for those signings to go on to be a success.

We all remember Fernando Torres' £50million switch to Chelsea or Alexis Sanchez's infamous move to Manchester United but other Premier League arrivals were so poor that few recall them even happening.

We have picked out a selection mid-season moves that you probably forgot about.

Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace to Manchester United, 2013)

Wilfried Zaha has gone on to forge a fine career despite his big move to United ending in failure.

The talented winger was snapped for £10m by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and then immediately loaned back to Crystal Palace to continue leading their promotion campaign.

But by the time Zaha arrived at Old Trafford, the legendary boss had been replaced by David Moyes, who shipped Zaha out on loan the following January before being sacked a few months later.

Afonso Alves (Heerenveen to Middlesbrough, 2008)

Afonso Alves failed to impress at Middlesbrough despite plenty of fanfare
Afonso Alves failed to impress at Middlesbrough despite plenty of fanfare

Middlesbrough fans hoped Afonso Alves would emulate fellow Brazilian Juninho when the prolific striker rocked up at the Riverside in 2008 after scoring 48 goals in 50 games for Heerenveen.

But the reality was less glamourous, scoring 10 times in 18 months before leaving for Qatari side Al-Sadd.

Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina to Chelsea, 2015)

Chelsea's January move for Juan Cuadrado looked astute at the time but it never worked for the Colombian at Stamford Bridge.

Despite picking up a Premier League winner's medal within five months, the pacey winger quickly found himself back in Serie A with Juventus, where he has enjoyed the majority of his success since.

Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiacos to Fulham, 2013)

Fulham were spiralling towards the Championship during the 2012-13 season when they decided to pin all their hopes on £12m striker Kostas Mitroglou to preserve their top-flight status.

It unsurprisingly proved a bad decision as the Cottagers finished 19th, with the hitman playing just three games due to a lack of fitness and perceived attitude issues.

Kostas Mitroglou proved to be the wrong man to keep Fulham up
Kostas Mitroglou proved to be the wrong man to keep Fulham up

Guido Carrilo (Monaco to Southampton, 2018)

On the topic of desperate and ultimately expensive January striker transfers, it is hard to justify the reported £19m Southampton spent on Guido Carrillo in 2018.

For what was a club-record fee at the time, the Saints got a return of just 10 appearances and no goals.

Wilfried Bony (Swansea to Manchester City, 2015)

The same January as Chelsea swooped for Cuadrado, Manchester City signed a flop of their own as Wilfried Bony arrived from fellow Premier League side Swansea.

The Ivorian had been tearing it up for the Welsh outfit but struggled to deal with the step up, with his Etihad career lasting 18 months before Pep Guardiola sold him upon his arrival.

Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach to Aston Villa, 2011)

Michael Bradley salutes Villa Park ahead of making three substitute appearances for Aston Villa
Michael Bradley salutes Villa Park ahead of making three substitute appearances for Aston Villa

American manager Bob Bradley's 11-game spell in charge of the Swans is remembered for all the wrong reasons but you may not recall his son Michael's even briefer Premier League stint.

Bradley, who was United States captain at the time, was brought to Villa Park on loan by Gerard Houllier but played just 28 minutes of English top-flight action across three appearances.

Emmanuel Adebayor (Unattached to Crystal Palace, 2016)

Emmanuel Adebayor played for a wide-ranging number of clubs but his move to Crystal Palace in January 2016 has not gone down in the history books.

The eccentric Togolese striker would later describe the decision to move as the worst of his career after making just 15 appearances and scoring only once.

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Premier LeagueManchester UnitedChelseaManchester CityAston VillaCrystal PalaceMiddlesbroughFulhamSouthampton