January is often described as the grimmest month of the year but it can also be a time of renewal, a moment to make a fresh start. And for football clubs, the opening of the January transfer window is an opportunity for clubs to breathe new life into their disappointing campaigns and invest for the future.
Flailing Premier League champions Manchester City are expected to be active as they try to salvage their disastrous season, while Manchester United should use the window to begin their cultural reset by selling Marcus Rashford. Arsenal, meanwhile, can use the window to bolster their injury-ravaged squad and boost their chances of catching runaway leaders Liverpool.
Managers often complain that the winter window offers little value compared to the summer, when the bulk of business is done. And yet some of the most shrewd transfer moves have been made in the first month of the year. Here, GOAL breaks down the best January transfer window signings in Premier League history...