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Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez looks up to the stands

Revisiting the 10 most expensive January signings of 2023 one year on

Ben Stewart •

The January window can be a bit of a mixed bag for transfers as clubs will often have to pay over the odds to get their main targets over the line.

That was certainly the case in January 2023 as several Premier League clubs in particular dished out huge sums of money to land their targets.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle were among the biggest spenders in January 2023 and we’ve checked in on the 10 most expensive transfers from that window one year on.

10. Kamaldeen Sulemana – £22million

Southampton prized Sulemana away from Rennes in January last year, but the Ghanian winger was unable to prevent their relegation from the Premier League.

The 21-year-old has looked like a live wire in the Championship, completing an average of 3.1 successful dribbles per game.

However, he has missed a chunk of the campaign with a hamstring injury and there is still a feeling that Southampton fans are yet to see the best from their £22million signing.

9. Georginio Rutter – £24.8million

Rutter was thrust into a tough situation when he joined Leeds in January and the 21-year-old has already had four different managers during his short spell at Elland Road.

The French forward joined for a base fee of around £24.8million which could rise to £36million with add-ons. While he struggled to find his feet in the Premier League, Rutter has been ripping up the competition in the Championship.

He already has 13 goal contributions this season and he’s managed to pass the eye test with flying colours. If Leeds aren’t promoted at the first time of asking, they will find it tough to keep hold of the 21-year-old for much longer.

8. Malo Gusto – £26.3million

The French full-back joined Chelsea last January, before being loaned back to Lyon for the second half of the 2022-23 season.

Since joining up with the Chelsea squad in the summer, Gusto has been handed plenty of opportunities. As Reece James’ injury troubles have continued, Gusto has stepped into his shoes on the right-hand side.

The 20-year-old has racked up three assists in 13 Premier League games for Chelsea and he seems to be enjoying life at Stamford Bridge right now.

“I try to do my best every time I am on the pitch. I want to be fit for every game and to stay focused,” Gusto told the club website.

7. Vitinha – £28.3million

Vitinha penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with Marseille in January after a £28.3million fee was accepted by Braga.

The best is yet to come from the Portuguese forward in France as he only has six goals to show for his 41 appearances so far. Fingers crossed he manages to have a more prolific time in 2024.

6. Noni Madueke – £30.7million

Chelsea fans will be keen to see more from Madueke in the coming months as the winger has only started in three league games since his arrival from PSV last January.

The winger clearly has a lot of potential and he played a starring role in Chelsea’s latest Premier League triumph against Luton.

“The manager is not so much on me about scoring goals, but being as connected with the team as possible and working hard,” Madueke told the club website following his goal against Luton.

“I try to make that my foundation to build on at the start of the game. I know that if I do that then my individual quality will shine through a lot of time. I’m chuffed with the goal for sure.”

5. Benoit Badiashile – £33million

Another youngster Chelsea snapped up in January and handed a long-term contract. The French defender has shown flashes of quality, although injuries have hampered his start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Since his arrival from Monaco, Badiashile has already missed 18 matches through injury and Chelsea fans are yet to see the very best of him yet.

4. Cody Gakpo – £37.2million

Liverpool didn’t waste any time in getting this deal over the line as the Reds struck a deal with PSV prior to the January window opening.

The 24-year-old has been in and out of the starting XI since his arrival as Jurgen Klopp will often rotate him with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Gakpo isn’t your typical Klopp forward and Jamie Carragher still has some reservations over the £37.2million signing. “Gakpo has been here for nearly 12 months and he’s had flashes but nowhere near enough,” Carragher told Sky Sports last month.

3. Anthony Gordon – £40million

A few people raised an eyebrow at Newcastle splashing £40million on Gordon, but the former Everton man has since silenced the doubters.

The rapid winger had a terrific tournament with the England U21s over the summer and he’s continued to go from strength to strength at club level too.

Gordon is enjoying his most productive season yet with 11 goal contributions in the first half of the season. If he manages to maintain this sort of form, he could be an outside shout for the England squad in the summer.

2. Mykhaylo Mudryk – £62million

Chelsea could pay as much as £89million for Mudryk if all of the add-ons are met within his contract. While the Ukrainian winger has improved in recent weeks, Chelsea fans are yet to see the best of him.

Mauricio Pochettino clearly sees the potential in the young winger and he has been pleased with Mudryk’s progression during this season so far.

“He’s a fantastic guy and he’s such a nice person,” Pochettino told the club website. “He’s very authentic and genuine. One thing I can tell you, he’s very honest and very trustworthy and a very genuine and spontaneous guy. I trust in him as a person, of course.

“And then as a player he knows he needs to keep improving. He’s still young and he is going to improve, because he has the quality. He’s a player that in his evolution is doing really well and we are so happy.”

1. Enzo Fernandez – £106.8million

Following an eye-catching World Cup campaign with Argentina, Chelsea splashed the big bucks on Fernandez. While the 22-year-old has looked tidy on the ball, living up to a £106.8million price tag was always going to be difficult.

The World Cup winner penned an eight-and-a-half-year deal with Chelsea upon his arrival last January so there’s still plenty of time for him to prove his worth at Stamford Bridge.

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