With some days to the end of the winter window, FutballNews makes a quick survey of some players who have impacted the January transfer windows with their big-ticket prices in the time past while going to the domain of their suitors across the European top-flight leagues.
1. Philippe Coutinho (€145m)
The Rio de Janeiro born player made it to the Italian giants, Inter Milan at the wee days of of his career, before going on a loan spells to Espanyol in 2012. Coutinho made it back to Inter before securing a permanent deal with the Merseyside giants, Liverpool under the then club manager Brendan Rodgers in January 2013 at a fee of 13 million euros.
He could have won the UEFA Champions League and make history with the Reds, if he had stay back for one more season at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp.
He broke a world record fee as the third most expensive player of all time(145 million euros), when Spanish giants, Barcelona snatched the 28-year-old Brazilian from Liverpool- that was a biggest-ticket for the Barca and him- but the former Inter Milan winger failed to deliver at Nou Camp which led him to Bayern Munich where he got celebrated, winning his first-ever treble under Hansi Flick in the 2019/20 campaign.
On his way to Barcelona for the 2020/21 season, he could just manage three goals with two assists in fourteen appearances.
2. Virgil Van Dijk (€84m)
The 29-year old Holland defender made an earth-shattering record of the most expensive defender after David Luis- who was bought by Paris Saint Germien (PSG) from Chelsea- after Liverpool bought in the 2017/18 season under Jurgen Klopp. The Dutch player was known as one of the best defenders in the world- with great leadership qualities on the field of play.
Within two years in Anfield, Van Dijk has bagged the UEFA Champions League in 2019, the 2019/2020 Premier League, and the FIFA World Club Cup. The former Southampton center-back made it to the 2020 FIFAPro11 in the 2020 Ballon D’or awards.
3. Aymeric Laporte (€65m)
The French defender’s services were needed in Manchester City under manager Josep Guardiola- to sort out some defensive deficiencies in the formidable squad at Ethiad. The former Athletic Bilbao joined the club in January 2018, clinching two Premier league titles back to back with two EFL Cups.
4. Christian Pulisic (€64m)
Following the glorious exit of the then Chelsea talisman, Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Chelsea bought a potential replacement- Pulisic- for the Belgian under Maurizio Sarri from Borussia Dortmund in the 2018/19 season. Though the American right-winger has been not being living to full expectation due to injury spells, within his arrival to this moment of filing this report, he has in some way able to fill the void left by Hazard. He could just manage 1 goal with two assists in the 2020/21 season.
5. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (€63m)
Having spent most of his careers on loan spells in Italy, being with AC Milan, the Gabonese player was admired by German giants Borussia Dortmund in 2013. Aubameyang went to Arsenal in January 2018 and within two years he had been at Emirates, he could only secure one FA Cup title under Mikel Arteta. In the 2020/21 season, the 31-year striker managed to find the net eight times in all competition
6. Oscar (60 million euros)
Having played the early days of his career in the Brazilian league- Corinthians and the likes- Oscar had a transit to the English topflight, coming on for Chelsea under Roberto Di Matteo in 2012/13- a season after the club clinched her first UEFA Champions League. The 31-year-old midfielder came in with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne among others that season.
However, his services were no longer needed at Stamford Bridge under Antonio Conte- who was the manager of the club, but he had won some accolades, which the UEFA Europa League was among before securing a move to China in a big-ticket transfer saga with Shangai Sipg in 2017.
7. Diego Costa (60 million euros)
The Spaniard spent most of his days in Atletico Madrid where he majorly starts his football career. Costa is one of the greatest players the Spanish club has nurtured with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres, Radameal Falcao among others. He was a part of the army that got to the 2013/14 UEFA finals- at which Atletico lost to Real Madrid.
In 2015, Chelsea need his service upfront but left the club bagging silverwares including two Premier League titles. His former club again seeks his skills which led to securing the 32-year-old with a big-ticket amount, but he has parted way with the Deigo Simeone led-side.
8. Fernando Torres (58 million euros)
The former Spain International secured a big-ticket move from Liverpool to Chelsea under Carlo Ancelloti in 2008. The 2010 World Cup winner played under different managers with the Blues, despite his dwindling form at the club he was able to secure a UEFA Champion league trophy with a FA Cup under Di Matteo before he left for his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid on a permanent move- Chelsea loaned him to AC Milan- in 2015.
9. Bruno Fernandes (55 million euros)
The Portuguese was admired by Manchester United for his skills in the middle of the park, the Red Devils bought him from Sporting Lisbon last year and he was able to prove to his owners why he was bought. In the 2020/21 season, he has helped the Manchester club to secure a top spot in the Premier League table. The midfielder- who played most of his career in the Portuguese and Italian leagues- has bagged sixteen goals in twenty-nine appearances this season.
10. Alex Teixeira (50 million euros)
The 31 years old Brazilian moved to China- JS Suning- big-ticket transfer saga following his five-year spell with Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk
