The January transfer window didn't offer up too many surprises, with just under £570 million spent in total from Europe's top five leagues compared to more than £800 last year. Chelsea pulled off the most expensive deal of the window with a £58 million deal for Borussia Dortmund and USA starlet Christian Pulisic, who will have to wait until the end of the season to link up with the Blues.
There were just four transfers of over £30 million completed and only one came from a Premier League club, a stark contrast to 2018 where there were four transfers of over £50 million and all involved Premier League sides, including the £75 million Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moving to Arsenal for £56 million.
LiveScore takes a look back at some of the biggest deals over the winter transfer window and who has made the best and worst deals.
Best transfers:
Leandro Paredes - £34.7 million to PSG
PSG identified central midfield as the biggest position of need as the French champions chase the only trophy that continues to allude them despite their record-breaking spending - the Champions League trophy. They have acquired a gem in Leandro Paredes. The Argentine is a traditional central midfielder blessed with a wonderfully-rounded game, characteristics that seem to have vanished from the modern game as players have become more and more specialised to particular skills.
Paredes has the capabilities of sitting back and building from the back with exquisitely accurate passing but also the confidence and talent to get forward and create. As adept on the ball as he is off it, Paredes will offer the ideal compliment to Marco Verratti, who has been isolated at the centre of PSG's midfield for years as they attempted to fill the void of Thiago Motta. With comparisons to Xabi Alonso, Paredes promises to be a stalwart in both Paris and Argentina's midfield over the coming years.
Denis Suarez - Loan to Arsenal
Cut very much from the cloth Arsenal seek for its midfielders, Denis Suarez heads to north London in a loan deal that could become permanent depending on his ability to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. Suarez was signed by Barcelona from Manchester City in 2013, and eventually returned after loan spells in 2016 where he was handed Xavi's iconic no.6 jersey, a sign of the club's confidence in the young midfielder.
Despite the kit number, Suarez plays more like Xavi's former partner-in-crime, Iniesta, showing grace and flair on the ball while still possessing the necessary creative tools. His first season in the senior team for the Spanish giants was hugely impressive, but he has since fallen out of favour and it was clear he was not a part of manager Ernesto Valverde's plans. The move to Arsenal could be a stroke of genius by Gunners manager Unai Emery, who coached Suarez at Sevilla during his final loan spell before returning to the Camp Nou.
His exact role in the current Arsenal setup is not yet clear. Given his versatility we could see Suarez start on the flank in the place of Alex Iwobi, who has had a hugely frustrating season, or could replace the departing Aaron Ramsey in the no.10 role for the club. Regardless of where he plays, Suarez will be an astute signing by an opportunistic Arsenal should he be able to cope with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Youri Tielemans - Loan to Leicester City
Once touted as Europe's finest young midfielder, Youri Tielemans' career has stalled after an unsuccessful time at Monaco, up until recently the region's top football farm. Tielemans will look to reignite his career in the Premier League, and should he do it at Leicester the top clubs will be knocking at his door once again.
At just 21-years-of-age, Tielemans has a game with the maturity of a seasoned veteran. Blessed with breathtaking calmness and control in possession, Tielemans quickly showed he was beyond the Belgian league during his teenage years at Anderlecht. He joins Leicester during an interesting time of bridging between their miraculous Premier League success in the 2015/16 season and their future ambitions as remaining a pernennial top-half side pushing for European football. He joins a promising midfield where he will play alongside the defensive-minded Wilfred Ndidi and behind the wonderfully talented James Maddison.
Tielemans is not known for his physicality, given his small frame and lack of pace, but his composure and footballing IQ should see him in good stead in a team that has the parts in place to take advantage of his unique ability.
Worst transfers
Gonzalo Higuain - Loan to Chelsea
Maurizio Sarri's loudest criticism has been his inability to avert from the comfortable and implement alternative tactics and philosophies upon his teams - and the transfer of Gonzalo Higuain will only increase the volume of his critics. The failure of Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata to produce goals from the striker position forced Sarri into the market, and he has looked to an old friend of whom he turned into a household name during their time together at Napoli.
This is not that Higuain. The Argentine has seen his league goals drop from 36 with Napoli in 2015/16 to 24 in 2016/17 and 16 in 2017/18 with Juventus, before knocking in just 6 for AC Milan this season before his move to Stamford Bridge. He looks physically slower and less mobile, which does not pose well given the speed and physicality of the league he is about to join. His first two games for Chelsea, both starts in a FA Cup win against Sheffield Wednesday and a Premier League defeat away to Bournemouth, have only compounded the lack of confidence in his signing.
This appears to be another classic Sarri move, turning to a familiar face who is confident in his particular style of play, but this one appears doomed from the start.
Mousa Dembele - £11 million to Guangzhou R&F
The reason this makes our list is not the fee itself, but the message Tottenham is sending its fans with a transfer of this nature. Mousa Dembele has inarguably been Spurs' best central midfielder over the past few seasons. He has a reputation around the Premier League as being one of the most underrated players in the competition, as composed and confident on the ball as any. Tottenham have gone over a year without signing a player, with the central midfield position a significant area of concern, yet Dembele was the one constant and arguably their most consistent.
As Spurs await the green light to open their new stadium they must continually combat speculation of Europe's biggest clubs circling for both their star players and manager. The easiest way to do so is to ensure Champions League football, something very much within their grasp, but shipping out Dembele halfway through a crucial season screams greed on the part of the board and owner. Dembele had made it clear he wanted a wage that the conservative club could not offer, but rather than keep hold of the Belgian and use his exception skills to help them make another run at the top four, Tottenham took the £11 million, an amount of money surely insignificant to a billion pound club.
Tottenham have now hamstrung their manager by reducing his options in a crucial position and informed their fans they care more about a minor sum of money than increasing their chances of Champions League football. Had the club brought in a new signing in the position it would have made more sense, but this screams greed. Arsenal could have demanded a significantly higher fee for Aaron Ramsey, who is in the same situation as Dembele, but instead they valued the final six months of his contract and what he could help them achieve. Tottenham have done the opposite and it could be costly.
Wait and see transfers
Christian Pulisic - £58 million to Chelsea
There is no doubting the talent of Christian Pulisic, but you wonder whether this particular transfer is for the right reasons. The darling of the American media desperate for a face for the growing popularity of football within the world's biggest sporting market, Pulisic joins Chelsea with the weight of a huge fee and a nation on his shoulders. After a breakout 2017/18 season with Borussia Dortmund, the 20-year-old has fallen out of favour at the Bundesliga leaders and will look to kick start his career at a club infamous for its lack of trust in youth.
The move could prove to be a safeguard for the potential departure of Eden Hazard, who continues to flirt with Real Madrid who appear unconvinced about the Belgian as their next Galactico. However, should that move not materialise, the opportunities for Pulisic will be limited with the American having to fight it out with Willian and Pedro for the other starting wing role, with Higuain and the aforementioned Hazard locked into the other two forward roles.
The move will no doubt be a prosperous one for the club off the field, with Chelsea securing their place as America's team and the commercial benefits that brings, but you can't help but fear for Pulisic that he may experience some of the frustration Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and others have felt before him.
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