Top 10 Barcelona January Signings in History

didn't last until mid-season and was sacked in October. They were in 9th place after their three losses against Rayo Vallecano, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid. Xavi's entrance brought a lot of hope to the hearts of Barcelona fans. In the past few years, many great forwards have left the club but they haven't replaced any of them. Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Antoine Griezmann are the most notable departed forwards. However, the club isn’t unfamiliar with adding quality in the midseason as they signed Adama Traore, Aubameyang, and Torres last January.

As Barcelona fans believe, respect, effort, ambition, teamwork, and humility are the main principles of the club which have helped them win 91 official titles so far, and be the most decorated European club alongside Real Madrid, their eternal rival. In many experts' opinions, the Barcelona team from 2008 to 2012 is the best team in the history of football by winning 14 trophies in only 14 years.

Through this article, you face the most expensive player in Barcelona 2022 as well as Barcelona most expensive transfers as we count down the top 10 Barcelona January signings in history.

Everything You Should Know About Top 10 Barcelona January Signings in History

Being founded in 1899, the club has been through different 'eras', and has hosted a huge number of legendary football players since then, who have written the history, been a turning point for the club, and gotten their names tangled up with the club's name. For instance, the years between 1969 and 1978 are known as the '

and democracy' years. However, containing the

list of Barcelona new signing

, we face the likes of Coutinho and Edgar Davids as we list the top 10 Barcelona January signings in history.

10. Jose Pinto

• Post:

  Goalkeeper

• Nationality:

  Spain

• Year of the signature:

  2008

The first entry in our list of the

top 10 Barcelona January signings in history

might sound a bit odd as Pinto was signed as a mad head backup goalkeeper signed on loan from Celta Vigo in January 2008. Pinto’s loan move was made permanent at the end of the season and he stayed as an able deputy until 2014. On 20 February 2011, Pinto made his first league appearance for the Catalans in more than two years, due to a knee injury to Víctor Valdés, playing in a 2–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao and performing well, saving a Fernando Llorente header. Again, he started in the domestic cup campaign, including the final against Real Madrid, a 0–1 extra-time loss; the following week, against the same team, in the Champions League semifinals' first leg, he was sent off by referee Wolfgang Stark after a half-time altercation involving himself (he was on the bench), Álvaro Arbeloa and Real Madrid match delegate Chendo, in a 2–0 away win.

Making a total of 31 appearances, Pinto has won three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, and two Champions Leagues with Barca. After retiring, Pinto has been able to focus more on his work as a musician and hip hop producer, releasing music on his own record label under the alter-ego Wahin, with one song used on one of the many dozens of Fast and Furious films.

9. Kevin-Prince Boateng

• Post:

  Midfielder

• Nationality:

  Ghana

• Year of the signature:

  2019

was once one of the hottest prospects of European football. A graduate of Hertha Berlin youth academy, Boateng has played for 14 different clubs during his career. He had the best years of his club career at AC Milan and Las Palmas. Boateng spent less than a season at FC Barcelona.

Boateng joined FC Barcelona on-loan in the winter of 2018 to play as Luis Suarez substitute, but he was rarely used and played only 3 La Liga games without scoring any goals. However, he saw the chance to play alongside Barcelona stars a once in a life time experience. The transfer made him the first Ghanaian ever to represent the club.

“It was a lovely experience in Barcelona, working with the best in the world, but it wasn’t very satisfying. At my age, it was worth it, as at least I can say that I played at Camp Nou alongside Lionel Messi.

Kevin-Prince Boateng is known for his impressive heading abilities as well as his goal scoring instincts. He is fantastic with the head, clever in the box and sharp in front of the goal.

Boateng is a very versatile player. Although his main position is the forward, he has played at 9 different positions during his career, including 115 games as an attacking midfielder, 67 games as a central midfielder and 59 games as a center forward. He has also played as a left and right winger as well as a second striker and defensive midfielder.

8. Arda Turan

• Post:

  Midfielder

• Nationality:

  Turkey

• Year of the signature:

  2016

Born 30 January 1987 in Istanbul, next in our list of the top 10 Barcelona January signings in history is Arda Turan, who joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in 2016. Although Barcelona announced the signing of Turan from Atlético for €34 million, plus €7 million in variables on 6 July 2015, Turan would only be able to debut for the Catalans in January 2016, after Barcelona's transfer ban had been lifted. On 29 December 2015, Turan picked number 7 for his shirt.

Arda has the agility to exploit gaps in the defence. With good technique, vision, precision on the break, and shooting ability, he also has a passing ability that allows him to offer a large number of decisive balls to his teammates. Many football fans and also critics consider Arda Turan to be one of the greatest players in the history of Turkish football and a true legend among Turkish football fans. Being one of the most famous footballers in Turkey, he was on the cover of the FIFA 15 game developed by Electronic Arts alongside Lionel Messi.

Since 2004 when he started his career at Galatasaray, Arda Turan has played a total of 523 matches in all competitions, scoring 90 goals. During his career, the Turkish superstar has managed to win the Super Lig, La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de España and was runner up in the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League. With the Turkish national team, Arda Turan was third-placed in the 2008 European Championship.

7. Aleix Vidal

• Post:

  Right-Back

• Nationality:

  Spain

• Year of the signature:

  2015

Next in our list of the

top 10 Barcelona January signings in history

is

, who signed a five-year deal with FC Barcelona on June 7, 2015, for €18 million-plus four add-ons. On the next day, he had a medical exam and was also formally presented. He was not allowed to play competitive games until January 2016 due to a FIFA embargo imposed on the club for violating restrictions on signing underage foreign players.

Vidal made his official debut for the Blaugrana on January 6, 2016, replacing Dani Alves halfway through the second half of a 4–1 Copa Del Rey home victory over former club Espanyol. Luis Enrique, his boss, then ostracized him absolutely.

Vidal made his league debut for Barcelona on January 14, 2017, in a 5–0 rout of UD Las Palmas at the Camp Nou, taking advantage of the absence of regular starting right-back Sergi Roberto. He dislocated his ankle following a challenge by Theo Hernandez in the final minutes of a 6–0 away victory over Deportivo Alavés on February 11 and was ruled out for the rest of the season. On August 4, 2018, Vidal returned to Sevilla for a fee of €8.5 million-plus €2 million in variables.

Vidal is dynamic and full of vigor in his action, but he can be overly eager to charge forward at times, which he will have to rein in as he finds a better balance between sticking and twisting in a crucial role for Barcelona. His short stature makes him vulnerable in the air, but he is unlikely to surrender a ball without a fight. Vidal is a physical, rugged, versatile, fast, and direct player, as evidenced by his highlights reel from last season.

6. Philippe Coutinho

• Post:

  Attacking Midfielder/ Winger

• Nationality:

  Brazil

• Year of the signature:

  2018

After a long dispute, Barcelona announced the arrival of the Brazilian player on 6 January 2018, signing until 2023. The Brazilian player joined Barcelona in January 2018 for €135 million from Liverpool. Being among the most expensive player in Barcelona 2022, Coutinho had a hard time at Barcelona and didn't adapt to the club while Barcelona was still in its prime. Given the financial situation the Spanish club has, it's inevitable for them to sell some players. It was the highest transfer in the club's history. Coutinho's versatility and technical ability make him the natural successor to Andrés Iniesta as well as becoming one of

Barcelona most expensive transfers

. He made his debut for Barcelona on 25 January 2018, coming on against his former club RCD Espanyol in the Copa del Rey. He scored his first goal on 8 February against Valencia CF in the same competition on a pass from his former Liverpool teammate Luis Suárez.

Coutinho once left Barcelona on a season-long loan to Bayern Munich in 2019-20. The spell at Germany was very successful, and they won the Treble in the end. The most memorable day for Coutinho was the Champions League quarter-final match against Barcelona. He assisted a goal for Lewandowski and scored 2 goals and Bayern won the match 8-2, which was Barca's heaviest defeat in the competition. Bayern had the option to buy Coutinho out but he eventually returned to Barca.

During the 2020-21 season, he missed the majority of the season due to an injury. Coutinho's former teammate at Liverpool, Steven Gerrard is the current manager of Aston Villa. The contract is until the end of the current season and Villa also has the option to buy for €40 million.

5. Adama Traore

• Post:

  Winger/ Wing-Back

• Nationality:

  Spain

• Year of the signature:

  2022

The next entry of this article, as well as one among the List of Barcelona new signing, is

. Traore got back to Barcelona on loan from Wolverhampton in the last January transfer window being among the list of Barcelona new signing. Traore was originally a La Masia player. He joined Barcelona's academy in 2004 and after playing for Barcelona B, he was promoted to the senior squad in 2013. The Spanish winger made his debut in La Liga as the substitute for Neymar in the 4–0 home win over Granada, and in the Champions League as the substitute for Cesc Fabregas against Ajax.

In 2015, Premier League club Aston Villa signed him on a five-year deal for a reported €10 million. Barcelona had a three-year buy-back for Traore but they didn't use it. Adama made 12 appearances for Aston Villa but they ended up with relegation. Adama remained in the Premier League by joining Middlesbrough but after a season they were relegated too.

After a season at the EFL Championship, Wolverhampton signed Traore where they had three and a half successful seasons. Followed by remarkable performances by the 26 years old winger and 154 caps for Wolves, it's time for him to return to Barcelona as a top-level star. It has been reported that the club has the option to make the deal permanent.

When Traore is on the ground, wolves have a secret and unpredictable weapon in indirect blows. The former La Masia player can use his speed to be effective in these moments. Traore is one of the fastest players in Europe's top five leagues, and when defenders can't cope with the 24-year-old winger, they make tackles on him to prevent the Wolves from advancing. Teams seldom risked controlling him with just one player. He knows the spaces well and uses his dribble ability purposefully.

4. Ibrahim Afellay

• Post:

  Winger

• Nationality:

  Netherlands

• Year of the signature:

  2011

Next in our list of the top 10 Barcelona January signings in history is the former Blaugrana Dutch winger, Ibrahim Affelay. Ibrahim Affelay’s amazing talent was evident right from the start. He went through the PSV youth team and made his professional debut soon afterwards in 2004. Despite his enduring youthful appearance, we can recall Afellay as the mercurial light of a PSV Eindhoven side which dominated Dutch football and made an impression in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona reached an agreement with PSV on November 15th. Afellay agreed to a four-and-a-half-year deal. During his last PSV match against Roda JC, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. He signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with FC Barcelona after completing the €3 million move. In a Copa del Rey encounter against Athletic Bilbao on 5 January 2011, he made his Blaugrana debut, replacing David Villa in injury time.

In his debut season, he appeared in 28 Barcelona matches, 18 of which were as a substitute. In the Copa del Rey, Afellay made his debut against Real Betis on January 19, 2011. In February, he scored his first goal in the Copa del Rey against UD Almera. He debuted for Barcelona in the Champions League against Arsenal and went on to play in the quarter-finals against Shakthar and the semi-finals against Real Madrid.

He helped Lionel Messi score the first goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win against Real Madrid on the road. After defeating Manchester United (3–1), Afellay and Barcelona won the Champions League. In the 90th minute of the final, Afellay was introduced. Afellay missed the Supercopa de Espana matches against Real Madrid due to a minor hamstring injury during the 2011–12 preseason. Before sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during training in September, he recovered in time for one Champions League and one La Liga encounter.

In May, Afellay travelled to Spain to assess his issues with the FC Barcelona medical team. To concentrate on his rehabilitation, he chose to start training two weeks ahead of the rest of the team. However, in August, Afellay had to have another surgery in Barcelona for a thigh issue, putting him out for another four months before being loaned out to Olympiacos.

3. Ferran Torres

• Post:

  Winger

• Nationality:

  Spain

• Year of the signature:

  2022

Despite being among the Barcelona most expensive transfers, Torres’ transfer to Barcelona looked like a bargain anyways.  

The club didn’t even wait until January to start making their move.

is set to join Barcelona permanently from Manchester City. Barcelona had a scoring issue that got worse after Sergio Aguero's retirement. The best scorer for the team is Memphis Depay, who has scored 8 goals for Barcelona.

Torres was low on Pep Guardiola's pecking order and played only 7 matches scoring 3 goals. After Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres is the second Spanish talent leaving Manchester City for Barcelona this season. Torres' great performance during his spell at Valencia, persuaded Manchester City to sign him. Torres was meant to be David Silva's replacement and he did relatively well in his first season.

Ferran Torres is the first player the club buys for their new manager Xavi. The transfer is complicated due to the financial problems Barca has. The transfer fee is reported to be around €55 million. Among the

most expensive player in Barcelona 2022

, Torres is known for his incredible pace, amazing creativity, and technique. His close control at speed enables him to take on opponents and overload the flanks. Among his other abilities are his height, athleticism, and heading ability which has made him strong in aerial duels. Torres is a versatile player and can be effective in several positions up the pitch. He is good on one-on-one situations and can pass the opposition players easily with his speed and dribbling skills.

Torres is also famous for his ability to make attacking runs and exploit spaces. Although originally a right-winger, Torres has played at four different attacking positions during his career. In total, he has played 97 games as a right-winger, 17 games as a left-winger, and 9 games as a center-forward.  He has also played one game as the second striker.

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

• Post:

  Striker

• Nationality:

  Gabon

• Year of the signature:

  2022

On the last day of the January transfer window of 2022,

officially joins Barcelona on a free transfer. Aubameyang left Arsenal by mutual consent to make the late transfer happen in the 2022 January transfer window. The 32 years old striker had a great spell at Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. He scored 141 goals in 213 appearances for Dortmund. He was Bundesliga's top scorer in 2016-17 with 31 goals in 32 matches.

In January 2018, Aubameyang left Dortmund and Arsenal signed him for a then-club-record fee, reported to be €64 million. He scored 10 goals in 13 Premier League games in the remainder of the season. Winning the Premier League top scorer award in the next season with 22 goals was promising. Aubameyang scored 22 in 2019-20, too, but since 2020-21 his performance has declined.

In 2021 December, Arsenal stripped Aubameyang of captaincy and left him out of the squad, followed by a disciplinary issue. The English club was willing to allow him to leave the club. Aubameyang's contract with Barcelona is valid until 2025. It has been reported that his release clause is €100 million. Starting his career on the wings it wasn’t until his Dortmund days that Aubameyang started playing as a proper forward but he still favors to go outside the box and collect the ball rather than being a static striker.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ability with the ball and his blistering pace is reminiscent of one of his idols Thierry Henry. He even operates on the left wing like Henry. But if there is one thing that Aubameyang does better it’s the fact that he almost always is in the right place when a goal scoring chance is presented. He does this perhaps better than any forward playing today, except maybe Cristiano Ronaldo.

1. Edgar Davids

• Post:

  Midfielder

• Nationality:

  Netherlands

• Year of the signature:

  2004

On top of our list of the

top 10 Barcelona January signings in history

is Barca and Juventus icon,

. Davids joined Barcelona on loan in January 2004 from Juventus. Joining midway through a season where the club was struggling in mid-table and recently appointed manager Frank Rijkaard was under considerable pressure, Davids led Barça's successful resurgence of form which saw them finishing second to Valencia in La Liga. Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for the Catalan club's dominance of Spanish and European football during the mid-to-late 2000s (decade), with Barcelona winning La Liga the following season (after five years without winning the league title) and a La Liga and Champions League double in 2005–06.

Edgar Davids has always been a fighter, a leader who is not afraid of anything or anyone. Scrappy but talented, he takes the ball off his opponent's feet. He is also a footballer with great tactical intelligence and above-average technical ability.

Nicknamed Pitbull by former Ajax coach Louis van Gaal for the aggressiveness he showed on the pitch, he was a tenacious and determined midfielder. A charismatic leader, but with a controversial character, he was gifted with great physical strength and an excellent left foot.

Many football fans and critics consider Edgar Davids as one of the best midfielders of his era and one of the greatest Dutch footballers of all time. Known as a fighting player, Matias Almeyda describes him as such: "He was the opponent I liked best. He would hit me and I would get up without saying anything. I would hit him and he would get up without saying anything. He on the left, I on the right: we were always fighting. A war."

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