10 most expensive Premier League signings from 2023 January window ranked | OneFootball

Highlights

The new year is here, which for football fans means one thing. The January transfer window is open once again. While most of the major business is conducted in the summer, there have been plenty of big hitters who have joined clubs for large sums in the winter period.

Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United in 2020. A couple of years earlier, Barcelona spent in excess of £140m to secure the services of Philippe Coutinho. Last year was no different, with a record £1.27 billion being spent on new players across the world. With that type of spending comes a lot of pressure to succeed. Some are able to rise to the occasion, while others crumble.

Here at GIVEMESPORT, we are going to be taking a look at the most expensive Premier League signings from January 2023 and ranking how they have performed from worst to best. Immediately below is a graph of them in order of transfer fee, but further down we will be ranking them based on key statistics, how they have performed in relation to their price tag and the overall impact they have had on their new team since arriving.

10 Benoit Badiashile

Chelsea (€38m)

Bad luck is as much to blame for Benoit Badiashile's low positioning on this list. However, given the fact that he was the fifth most expensive January signing in 2023, it was hard to argue about placing him any higher on this list.

According to Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old has missed 257 days through injury since becoming a Chelsea player. This has seen him be unavailable for 19 games, which is as many as he has actually featured in thus far.

The Frenchman is still young and has the potential to be a top defender. His ranking on this list is by no means a statement of failure on his behalf. However, his injuries have prevented him from making an immediate impact on his Chelsea career.

9 Kamaldeen Sulemana

Southampton (€25m)

Much like Rutter, Kamaldeen Sulemana was brought in to help a struggling Southampton side who were fighting to stay in the Premier League. Whilst he was able to produce two goals and a further assist, Southampton ultimately finished rock bottom, a whopping 11 points from safety.

Unlike the Leeds United forward, Sulemana has not adapted to the Championship anywhere near as well. With no goals and 3 assists, the Ghanian has struggled to have an impact on his team's promotion bid. Having featured in just half of the Saints' games in the division, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that he will justify the £22m spent on him.

8 Jakub Kiwior

Arsenal (€25m)

One man that Arsenal were able to bring in as part of their 2022/23 title charge was Polish international Jakub Kiwior. The young defender was always going to have a tough time unseating the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhāes. Even then, he really has done very little of note since moving to The Emirates.

Averaging just 47 minutes in his total 15 Premier League games so far, the Pole wasn't even Mikel Arteta's most important signing last summer – with Leandro Trossard joining for less money and having a far more important role in the squad. This term, he's looked uncomfortable whenever called upon, although he has perhaps not been helped by playing out of position at left-back for the most part.

7 Mykhaylo Mudryk

Chelsea (€70m)

For the longest time, it seemed like the Ukranian speedster was destined for the red side of London. After managing 18 goal contributions in as many games for Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2022/23 campaign, it seemed as though Arsenal were the likely destination for Mykhaylo Mudryk as they looked to bolster their squad for a title charge.

As they always seem to do, Chelsea swooped in and took the 22-year-old from under The Gunners' nose. In hindsight, they may wish they hadn't done. Averaging a goal every 430 minutes, the forward has not justified the eight-and-a-half-year contract he was entrusted with upon his arrival.

6 Georginio Rutter

Leeds United (€28m)

Georginio Rutter was Leeds' headline signing in January 2023, brought in to score the goals that would help secure his side's Premier League safety. Perhaps this was too much pressure on the then 20-year-old, as he failed to score a single goal as Leeds found themselves relegated to the Championship.

In the lower division, the Frenchman has fared much better. With four goals and 9 assists, he ranks as Leeds' second-best-performing player according to WhoScored. Whether or not this will ever be able to translate to success in top-flight football remains a question mark given how ineffective he was when he first joined. However, it may be a case of better late than ever for the forward.

5 Noni Madueke

Chelsea (€35m)

Noni Madueke seemed to have suffered a similar fate during the early stages of his Chelsea tenure as Anthony Gordon did further up north. Whilst he showed glimpses of what he was capable of, he wasn't doing enough to secure his spot in his manager's starting XI every week.

Pochettino suggested that the winger needed to do more to earn his way into his team, stating:

Since then, the former PSV man has responded well, scoring in each of his last two Premier League games. Whilst a higher standard is required for him to succeed at Chelsea long-term, he has shown enough to retain confidence that he will reach that level.

4 Malo Gusto

Chelsea (€30m)

Todd Boehly parted with £26.3m to bring the French full-back to Stamford Bridge last January. However, Malo Gusto was immediately loaned back to Lyon as part of the deal. As a result, the defender wasn't able to feature for the London outfit until August.

Whilst he was mainly brought in to act as an understudy for captain Reece James, injuries have meant that Gusto has been called upon more times than perhaps many would've expected him to. To his credit, he has done an admirable job, chipping in with four assists, as well as showing tidy defensive capabilities.

Although he seems destined for the bench whenever James is available, he has added strength to the squad and can put those playing on both flanks under pressure for a starting spot should they begin to drop off.

The first Chelsea player on this list but by no means the last. The Argentinian became a world star with his impressive performances at the 2022 World Cup. So much so that the Blues felt he was worth smashing their transfer record for in 2023. Unfortunately for Enzo Fernández, his arrival came at a time of a lot of change at the football club. He was put under an immediate microscope as Chelsea continuously underperformed with Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.

Despite that, the 22-year-old has most certainly been among the best of a bad bunch. With the most dribbles completed and long balls of any outfield player at the club in league competition, Enzo has shown at the very least a level of consistency needed to be part of a midfield that can challenge for top honours in the future.

2 Cody Gakpo

Liverpool (€42m)

The Dutchman was a highly sought-after commodity at this time in 2023. It seemed as though Manchester United were the favourites to pick him up due to the players' links to the Eredivisie, something Erik ten Hag knows about all too well. However, it was Liverpool who won the race for the attacker.

Although not always a regular starter, with nine of his 18 Premier League appearances coming off the bench this season, Cody Gakpo has still been productive. In fact, his stats are very comparable to some of his other teammates who have been at the club for longer. There may still be higher heights for the 24-year-old to hit, but he has still made an impressive start to his career in English football.

1 Anthony Gordon

Newcastle United (€45.6m)

It wasn't an easy start to life at Newcastle United for Anthony Gordon. The attacker admitted he wasn't in the right shape when he joined the club, claiming:

"I would actually use the word “unfit” when I first came in. I hadn’t trained for a week or so. I just felt the previous games before the move, I didn’t feel up to speed at all.”

Since then, the Englishman has turned into an integral figure this season. With 13 goal contributions, he sits in the top 10 of all Premier League players this season. He is also the second-best performing player at the Magpies this term according to WhoScored. His 7.2 rating in the Premier League is only surpassed by Kieran Trippier.

The fact he has been ever-present has also been incredibly important. Given Newcastle's struggles with injuries in the 2023/2024 season, having a key player available throughout has turned into a blessing rather than a guarantee. Should Gordon continue his form, he may find himself earning a Euro 2024 call-up.