Ranking the 10 best transfers of the January window

With the January transfer window officially shut, theScore ranks the 10 best moves made across the game's top leagues.

10. Neymar ➡️ Santos

Details: Signed as free agent following release from Al-Hilal

Neymar was one-third of arguably the greatest strike force in club football history at Barcelona, remains the most expensive player of all time, and is the leading scorer of Brazil's men's team. But you probably knew that stuff already. So let's look at this from Santos' perspective: The once proud club isn't the power it once was, suffering a relegation in 2023 that added to the city's gloom following Pele's death the previous year. But now the club has recovered from the misery of its only spell outside the top flight, and Neymar has miraculously returned to provide hope of better times ahead.

9. Cesare Casadei ➡️ Torino

Details: Signed from Chelsea for reported €15M fee

One of the most intriguing deals of the window. Casadei, 22, was a genuine phenom at various youth levels, but his career totally stalled out after moving to Chelsea - not an uncommon sentiment in recent years. For just €15 million, Torino are getting a midfielder who still has enormous potential, and a familiar environment might just be the key to unlocking it. It also represents shrewd planning by sporting director Davide Vagnati, who now has an in-house replacement should budding star Samuele Ricci depart in the summer.

8. Enzo Le Fee ➡️ Sunderland

Details: Loan from Roma until end of season

Le Fee's virtuoso performance in Monday's 3-2 Championship win at Middlesbrough shouldn't be too surprising. He created two goals, glided past players, and conducted play from the left flank in a manner you should expect from a playmaker who cost €23 million only last summer. His connection with Wilson Isidor, a former teammate in France's youth ranks, promises to be extremely fruitful. Well, perhaps there was one surprise about Le Fee's Teesside outing: Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris' ominous claim that the loanee is only 70% fit.

7. Randal Kolo Muani ➡️ Juventus

Details: Loan from Paris Saint-Germain until end of season

January isn't the time for total squad overhauls. The winter window is all about being wise to market opportunities. Juventus' business in recent years has been patchy overall, but plucking Kolo Muani off PSG's bench was a savvy move for a team that struggles to score goals and relies too heavily on streaky striker Dusan Vlahovic. Kolo Muani, who already has three goals in his first two Juve appearances, is an established French international with a proven track record of production when given the opportunity to play.

6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ➡️ Paris Saint-Germain

Details: Signed from Napoli for reported €70M fee

Paris Saint-Germain landed the biggest fish available in the pond, and they did it for a very reasonable fee, especially considering Kvaratskhelia was widely viewed as a €100-million player just six months ago. In a vacuum, this was an excellent deal. The reason it's not higher on the list is simple: PSG are already well-stocked with wide forwards. They didn't really need him. He was a luxury signing, which is what the club seemed to be veering away from.

5. Romain Esse ➡️ Crystal Palace

Details: Signed from Millwall for reported £12M fee

Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton, and Michael Olise proved Crystal Palace are a good next step for players starring in the Championship. Esse, a rare success story for Millwall's academy, is next in line. The 19-year-old is immense in one-on-one situations but needs to work on his decision-making to truly make the Premier League grade. A goal with the first touch on his debut - and just 25 seconds after being introduced off the bench - ensured a strong start to his Palace career.

4. Santiago Gimenez ➡️ AC Milan

Details: Signed from Feyenoord for reported €30M initial fee

A prolific Eredivisie striker doesn't necessarily work out in one of Europe's top leagues. For every Luis Suarez or Ruud van Nistelrooy there's a Vincent Janssen or Afonso Alves. But there's a lot to like about Gimenez's move to Italy, especially the affordable fee and how the Mexican's qualities seem to be a neat fit for Milan's lone striker role. "He's as strong as Ibra, on another level," said club adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic, predictably referring to himself in the third person.

3. Marcus Rashford ➡️ Aston Villa

Details: Loan from Manchester United with reported £40M option

Aston Villa are taking a calculated gamble that Unai Emery can help Rashford rediscover the form that once made him look like a future Manchester United legend. The talent is still there - he scored 17 Premier League goals in 2022-23 - but it needs to be reawakened. Rashford will be supremely motivated to silence his doubters and should fit in well playing together with Ollie Watkins. If it doesn't work out for any reason, Villa can simply send him back to Old Trafford. Low risk, big reward.

2. Stefanos Tzimas ➡️ Brighton & Hove Albion

Details: Signed from Nurnberg for reported €25M fee

Brighton have protected themselves from the potential disappointment of Evan Ferguson never realizing his huge potential with the signing of Tzimas. Like Ferguson, the 19-year-old striker is blessed with strength, deceptive pace, and composure in front of goal. He crammed in 10 goals for a distinctly average Nurnberg before his transfer was confirmed and will stay with the German side, learning under head coach and iconic marksman Miroslav Klose, for the rest of the season.

1. Mathys Tel ➡️ Tottenham Hotspur

Details: Loan from Bayern Munich with reported €55M option

This was an exercise in persistence. Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou persevered, working hard to convince Tel that he should join the club after the teenager rejected their initial advances amid interest from other suitors. The Frenchman, 19, can play multiple positions across the front line, a trait that's particularly valuable for a Spurs side ravaged by injuries all year. The option to make the move permanent puts this signing over the top. Tel, Bayern's youngest-ever scorer, was widely coveted, but Spurs won a fierce race.