Benzema’s Saudi switch third – the biggest January transfers that took place on deadline day

Top 10 ranked 

This year’s January transfer window didn’t conclude like any other before it. While deadline day is often dominated by huge clubs making rash and remarkably expensive decisions in the dying moments of the winter transfer period, this year’s festivities were instead a sea of calm in comparison. Football fans across the world were left somewhat disappointed by the lack of drama and surprise, as Europe’s top five leagues spent just €272 million on new players – a paltry sum in comparison to the €6.9 billion that clubs in Europe’s top five leagues spent over the course of the summer transfer window. But that’s not to say that there weren’t some interesting deals that got over the line on Monday.

The 10 biggest transfers on deadline day

Coming in at No.10 on our list of the biggest transfers on deadline day was Yassir Zabiri’s €10m move from Portuguese minnows Famalicão to Stade Rennes. Although very little is known about the 20-year-old Moroccan talent, it seems almost certain that he’ll quickly gain an impressive reputation at the Ligue 1 side, who are known for developing young players into stars. In ninth place is a player departing the French top flight in Ismaël Koné, who was one of two major departures from Marseille on Monday, with the central midfielder moving on to Sassuolo in Serie A for €10m. In eighth place is another young player to keep an eye on in the form of Adrian Lahdo, who departed Swedish club Hammarby after impressing last season and was duly swooped up by Como for just under €12m despite only being 18 years of age.

Another teenage sensation that swapped clubs on Monday was Rudy Matondo, who swapped Auxerre for Ligue 1 newcomers and notable upstarts Paris FC. The capital club have the highest net spend in French football this season and it’s not hard to see why, considering the €15m they spent on Matondo despite only making 21 league appearances to date. In sixth place is Rodrigo Mendoza, who’s impressive debut season in LaLiga with newly-promoted Elche forced Spanish giants Atlético to swoop in and sign the 20-year-old midfielder for €16m – making Mendoza his boyhood club’s most expensive sale of all time.

When we get to the top five we finally see our first mention of a Premier League club. After moving on some forward players before the end of the window, Sunderland then snapped up Ecuador prospect Nilson Angulo from Anderlecht for €17.3m following a first half of the season in Belgium that had seen the winger bag six goals and seven assists in 22 league games. Al-Hilal claimed fourth and third spot on the list, signing Saïmon Bouabré from Neom SC for €23m and Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad for €25m. The Frenchman’s move from one Saudi club to another now makes Benzema the most expensive transfer ever for a player aged 36 or over.

In second place is something of a late transfer saga, with Atalanta want-away star Ademola Lookman ultimately ending up at Atlético for €35m. That doesn’t seem all that peculiar, until we consider the necessary context that the Nigerian star was widely expected to make the move to Süper Lig giants Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, before Atlético swooped in at the last moment. In stark contrast, the most expensive signing of deadline day was anything but a surprise, as Crystal Palace completed the signing of Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen after weeks of reporting and speculation surrounding the 25-year-old talisman’s future. However, it was still a record transfer fee for the London club and the biggest deal that happened across the world on Monday night.