Where are they now? Every major January deadline day signing from 2018

January deadline day is often the preserve of the desperate, and deals signed in the mid-season period tend to less thought-out than summer additions.

But that’s not to say gems can’t be found, and great buys don’t happen.

So with the hallowed day back around again, we’ve had a look at all of last year’s Premier League deadline day dealings in senior football, to run the rule over them.

Alexander Sorloth

From: FC Midtjylland

To: Crystal Palace

Fee: £9m

Success Rating: 3/10

Currently: Trolling Palace fans by actually scoring

Sorloth, 23, played four times before the end of the 2018-19 season for Roy Hodgson’s Palace.

The Norway international played a further 16 times this season, scoring once in the EFL Cup in August, before attracting the interest of Gent who signed the striker on loan. He’s already scored after having played one game in Belgium, much to the chagrin of Eagles fans, who saw him score just once in 20 outings.

Jordan Hugill

From: Preston

To: West Ham

Fee: £10m

Success Rating: 4/10

Currently: On loan at Middlesbrough.

Signed by then boss David Moyes, Hugil made just three appearances for the Irons after making his move from Preston, without registering a goal. He’s since been loaned out to Middlesbrough and has scored seven in 25 games in all competitions.

The consensus seems to be one of confusion among the West Ham fanbase as to why he was signed by the Premier League club at all, and Middlesbrough fans aren’t exactly convinced either.

Eliaquim Mangala

From: Man City

To: Everton

Fee: Loan

Success Rating: 0/10

Currently: Recently back from injury but not playing for City – possibly on the move.

Mangala joined up with Everton last year after being unable to impress Guardiola in any meaningful way, but Everton were awful defensive last year (58 goals against), and the Frenchman only played twice before seriously injuring his knee.

He is well and truly fifth-choice at City since coming back, and can probably go should the right opportunity present itself, with Inter and Galatasaray reported to be interested in loan deals.

Islam Slimani

From: Leicester

To: Newcastle

Fee: Loan

Success Rating: 4/10

Currently: At Fenerbahce after sealing a loan switch to the Turkish top flight.

Islam Slimani was signed by Newcastle on loan with a view to adding attacking depth to a goal-shy team, but he only made four appearances, without scoring.

He has since moved to the Turkish game and this season’s it’s been a similar hit-rate, four in 22 in all competitions – a far cry from his most productive years in Portugal.

Andy King

From: Leicester

To: Swansea

Fee: Loan

Success Rating: 6/10

Currently: Back at Leicester, but destined for a departure as he’s not in Puel’s plans.

Andy King was loaned off to Swansea last January as the Welsh side tried desperately to add a bit of ballast to their already sinking ship, but King didn’t add much: just 11 appearances in all, mind you featuring two goals.

He’s now back at Leicester, and while he featured recently in the FA Cup defeat to League Two side Newport County, he doesn’t seem to be anywhere near starting regularly for the Foxes.

Badou Ndiaye

From: Galatasaray

To: Stoke

Fee: £14m

Success Rating: 6/10

Currently: Playing decently well for the Turkish outfit

This season the Senegalese has featured 18 times in all competitions for Galatasaray, scoring once and assisting four times, helping his side to their current second-place position.

Andre Ayew

From: West Ham

To: Swansea

Fee: £18m

Success Rating: 5/10

Currently: At Fenerbahce doing better than anything he could muster in Wales.

Andre Ayew joined Swansea and made 13 appearances for the Swans, never scoring despite being signed with a goal threat in mind. The Swans subsequently went down to the Championship.

He’s since moved to Fenerbahce for two seasons on loan – this term he’s hit four goals and assisted twice in 24 games.

Lucas Moura

From: PSG

To: Tottenham

Fee: £23m

Success Rating: 7/10

Currently: Not typically in the first-choice XI, instead behind Spurs’ more established attackers in the pecking order

Lucas Moura at £25m was a good deal whichever way you swing it in the current market, and he’s shown some flashes of real ability for Spurs, notably playing a vital part in Tottenham’s dismantling of Man United earlier in the season at Old Trafford, scoring once.

However he’s also been out with injury at times, and he hasn’t been able to maintain the form he showed at the start of the season.

He’s currently a bench player for Pochettino assuming everyone is fit and healthy, which is a hypothetical totally out of step with reality at the moment with both Harry Kane and Dele Alli out until March.

A good singing nonetheless, with Spurs surely going to be the recipient of Lucas’ best years given his age of 26.

Didier Ndong

From: Sunderland

To: Watford

Fee: Loan

Success Rating: 0/10

Currently: At Guingamp, after having moped about for a year.

Ndong has had quite the year. There was a time where he was one of Sunderland’s better performers in a miserable season that saw the Mackems go down a tier, but after an unsuccessful loan to Watford (in which he played once, got sent off and never played again), he refused to return to his parent club after they’d been relegated again, this time to League 1.

A long stand-off ensued, wages were withheld, but the Gabon international eventually got a move to Guingamp, where he finds himself now. He’s made three appearances in all competitions there.

Olivier Giroud

From: Arsenal

To: Chelsea

Fee: £18m

Success Rating: 6/10

Currently: Not exactly smashing it but still probably useful from the bench.

Can’t help but feel a bit sad for the Frenchman considering he left Arsenal in search of game time and yet he’s rarely done it when given the chance for Chelsea, which hasn’t been that often.

Giroud’s started just four Premier League games this season and scored as many in the league since his January deadline day move last season to the Blues.

With the arrival of Higuain, Giroud is definitely second-choice, at least on the face of it – perhaps the Argentinian won’t be able to get to grips with the league like his Spanish predecessor. In any case, Giroud is strictly Plan B material, you feel this would be the case at any top team he may join. He can still do a job as said Plan B, though.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

From: Dortmund

To: Arsenal

Fee: £56m

Success Rating: 9/10

Currently: Boasting a very impressive goal return

The Gabonese striker always looked the part at Dortmund, scoring 141 goals in 213 games in all competitions for the North Rhine-Westphalian club. And since arriving at Arsenal this time last year, he’s already hit 25 in 37 Premier League games, playing sometimes on the wing.

A nice development for Arsenal fans has been the apparent synergy between Auba and Alexandre Lacazette; the two forwards seem close and play well together when Emery sets his side up that way.

The post Where are they now? Every major January deadline day signing from 2018 appeared first on Squawka News.

From Squawka NewsSquawka News http://bit.ly/2SberEH