Top 10 South America 2022 January Transfers

Football was born in Britain but was rebuilt by the South Americans, and the world forever would be thankful for their gift. The British game has gained quite a special place in the hearts and the culture of South American countries as generations of children aspire to become the next Pelle, Maradona, or even Neymar. Throughout football history, no continent has produced talent in quite the same quantity and quality as South America. Great players like Ronaldo Nazario, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Radamel Falcao, Ronaldinho, and many others have played in European football since their youth and have also won many honors. Despite the glory in Europe, the South American clubs had always been offering high-quality football from the very beginning as well.

South American clubs have been making huge progress and the quality of the recent Copa American was evidence for that. Most of the South American clubs claim they have one of the best in their history, being made up of players who are not only the best in their clubs, but they are even among the best players of the league they play in as well their national team. During the 2022 January transfer window, clubs were also eager to add quality to their squad ahead of an eventful season that has a major continental competition, Copa Libertadores. Upcoming players tend to thrive in such setups and thereby induce elements to their skillset that further assist in improving the level at which the sport is played in the league, and here, in the top 10 South America 2022 January transfers, we gather you some of the best-underrated players that could make a list for the top 10 January transfer window.

Everything You Should Know About Top 10 South America 2022 January Transfers

Reviewing South American club’s January transfer window in this article, we introduce you to the top 10 South America 2022 January transfers who stood out from other football transfer news during the last January, to even be considered among the Best January transfers 2022, some come as a bargain in a transfer window that some would later remember among the top 10 January transfer window.

10. Iago Falque

• Club:

  America de Cali

• Age:

  32

• Post:

  Right Winger

• Transfer Fee:

  Free

• Nationality:

  Spain

The first entry in our list of the top 10 South America 2022 January transfers once had to become the next big thing as Real Madrid Academy and Barcelona’s La Macia tried to snatch him from each other and he ended up starting his senior career strangely in Italy. However, he ended up joining Colombia's first-tier club America de Cali this January as a free agent.

Falque, once on the academy books of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, signed by Juventus and Tottenham among others during his career, it represents the lowest point so far in the fall of a former wonderkid. He has had a more than respectable and, at times, very succesful career at the top level of European football, yet through poor moves, bad luck and over-inflated expectations, he has not hit the heights which at one time seemed to be his trajectory.

After joining Real Madrid aged 10, he transferred to Barcelona a year later and learned his football craft at La Masia. He did not crack the professional squads, however, and was instead signed by Juve from Barca in 2008. In August 2011, Falque was instead sent on loan to Spurs, whose manager Harry Redknapp made the move permanent for a €1m fee in January.  To learn the English game, Falque was sent on loan to Southampton in the Championship immediately, but after the Saints suffered a 0-2 home defeat to Leicester on his debut, he never played for them again.

Moving to England perhaps was the worst decision of his career as Falque was the stereotype of a young European player who was not suited to English football, a skilled technician with excellent close control, confidence in his dribbling, and first touch to make you gasp. Often deployed on the right-wing but keen to cut inside on his favored left foot to create shooting chances, comparisons to Lionel Messi are more apt than the usual lazy Barcelona-based pairings. Yet, his flaw was vital, a regular habit of dribbling down blind alleys and failing to pick the right pass, guaranteeing that he would frustrate impatient fans and managers. However, he did impress when trusted by coaches – such as later on loan at Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and in his one year with Genoa – however, often managers working under constant pressure would not indulge such a mercurial talent.

Falque returned to Tottenham, where he made his only Premier League appearance in December 2012 – a five-minute substitute showing in a 2-1 loss to Everton. He was sent back to Spain on loans to Almeria and Rayo over 18 months, before a permanent return to Italy with Genoa in 2014, where, at 25, he finally found form and regular football. He netted 13 goals in 32 Serie A matches, helping Genoa to sixth place, although a UEFA license issue prevented them from qualifying for Europe. Spurs at first appeared to have got a good deal by flogging him for €5m, Genoa soon looked to have snatched a bargain. Finally showing his potential, he had another shot at the top with Roma as he moved on in search of European competition, but after one underwhelming season was loaned to Torino for the 2016-17 campaign, making the deal permanent at the end of the campaign. Falque initially found form again at Torino, but gradually faded from the first-team picture and after loan spells at Genoa and Benevento, he was released when his contract expired and joined the

side after being a free agent for half a season.

9. Lucas Piazon

Club:

Botafogo

Age:

28

Post:

Attacking Midfield

Transfer Fee:

Loan

Nationality:

Brazil

A top candidate to out-shine among the

top 10 January transfer window

transfers is perhaps Lucas Piazon, who was snatched by Chelsea from Sao Paulo and after nine years of being neglected by

joined Braga permanently past season January, and Botafogo on loan this January.  Once a wonderkid youth product of Sao Paulo academy signed for Braga permanently after spending pointless loan-spells at Málaga, Vitesse, Eintracht Frankfurt, Reading, Fulham, Chievo, Rio Ave. However, he is now back at home with Botafogo in the Brazil Serie A on loan for the remainder of the season.

In early 2011, Chelsea secured the services of Piazon through a pre-contract, having to fight off the interest from a number of the world's leading clubs, including Italian team Juventus. On 15 March 2011, São Paulo announced that Piazon could only play for the Chelsea senior team after 20 January 2012 when he became eligible to obtain a work visa, but he would join in the 2011 summer transfer window. Chelsea announced ten days later with Piazon passing a medical in London in early March 2011. It was reported that Chelsea paid a £5 million fee to acquire Piazon, which could rise to £10 million depending on several clauses. However, after several loan spells, he finally expressed his frustration with Chelsea’s loaning system in his last loan spell at Rio Ave.

"My time at Chelsea is over. I'm 25, I've been on loan several times. I've been at Chelsea since 2011, I've been on loan almost all over Europe.  I'd have a good season on loan, but I'd come back and was soon loaned again. There was no point in going out on loan, playing well, coming back, not being used, and being loaned again.”

He finally agreed to a four-year contract with Braga and on 23 May 2021, he scored a goal in a 2–0 win over Benfica in the Taça de Portugal Final. Contributing 6 goals and 5 assists in a total of 42 appearances, he returned to his home country after 11 years, as he was announced at Botafogo on loan until June 2023.

8. Darío Benedetto

• ​Club:

  Boca Juniors

• Age:

  31

• Post:

  Striker

• Transfer Fee:

  €3.00m

• Nationality:

  Argentina

Next in our list of the

top 10 South America 2022 January transfers

is a homecoming, after making a big €14.00m move to Ligue 1 side Marseille in 2018, the former Argentina international returned Boca Juniors on a €3.00m move from Marseille after spending a loan spell at Elche. However, the Argentine never failed to impress as he scored 17 goals over two seasons for Marseille and 2 goals in half a season he had at Elche.

Benedetto is a complete striker praised for his eye for goal, his altruism, his sense of collective, and the athletic qualities that make him a player appreciated by coaches. He is an excellent finisher and enhances his team's attacking game. He can play as a "goal poacher" but also knows to play as a winger or lower on the field to use his technical skills and participate in the construction of the game.

Darío Benedetto began his career playing for Arsenal de Sarandí in 2008 and after loan spells at Defensa y Justicia and Gimnasia, scoring 11 goals in 19 matches, he joined Tijuana in 2013. On 19 July, he scored a hat-trick on his league debut for the club in a 3–3 draw against Atlas at the Estadio Caliente. In the 2014 Apertura, Benedetto scored 9 goals for Tijuana, making him the fourth-best goal scorer of the tournament, behind leaders Mauro Boselli and Camilo Sanvezzo, who scored 12 goals, and Dorlan Pabón, who scored 11 goals. He also had 4 assists. In total, Benedetto scored 21 goals in 43 appearances for Xolos.

He then made a €6.60m continental move to América. Benedetto was named the best player of the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League and also won the Golden Boot with teammate Oribe Peralta, scoring seven goals in three matches. However, Benedetto left for Boca Juniors from America after asking for the transfer the following summer. On 27 August 2017, Benedetto received his first Argentina senior call-up for 2018 World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Venezuela. He made his international debut on 5 September 2017 vs. Venezuela, he came on to replace

as a substitute, the match ended 1–1.

7. Marlos

• Club:

  Athletico Paranaense

• Age:

  33

• Post:

  Right Winger

• Transfer Fee:

  Free

• Nationality:

  Brazil/ Ukraine

Starting his senior career with Coritiba, Marlos had spells at Sao Paulo, Rentistas, and Metalist Kharkiv before being scouted by Ukrainian giants, Shakhtar Donetsk, where he practically become a legend as he changed his allegiance to represent Ukraine in international level as well. Scoring 74 goals and providing 65 assists in 287 appearances, even at age of 33 Marlos has a lot to offer as he contributed 2 goals and 5 assists in the first half of the 2021-22 season before joining the Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense on a free deal after the Russian invasion. So far in Brazil football, he has scored a goal in two appearances for the Paranaense side. Marlos scored one of the goals in the first leg against Palmeiras, in a 2-2 draw, and already wants more for Athletico. After realizing a "child's dream", the 33-year-old hopes to repeat the dose on Wednesday, at Allianz Parque, for the return match of the Recopa Sudamericana.

Marlos still doesn't have the physical conditions to play the full 90 minutes and should start on the bench again. The expectation is that he enters during the second half and can withstand 30 to 45 minutes on the pitch. On such a form Marlos is, there are lots of expectations from him to be among the

best January transfers 2022

in South America, but he’s certainly one of the top 10 South America 2022 January transfers.

Marlos also broke a marvelous record in the 2016–17 season, he was recognized as a player of the month of the Ukrainian Premier League on three occasions, becoming the most-titled by the award. On 30 September 2017, FFU announced that Marlos was called up to play for

in the upcoming games of the World Cup qualification against Kosovo and Croatia.  He is the second Brazilian-born to play for Ukraine after Edmar Halovskyi who represented Ukraine in 2011–2014. He made a total of 27 appearances for the Ukraine national team from 2017 to 2021 but was forced to flee back to Brazil after the Ukraine war.

6. Carlos Palacios

• Club:

  Internacional

• Age:

  21

• Post:

  Right Winger

• Transfer Fee:

  €2.70m

• Nationality:

  Chile

Next in our list of the

top 10 South America 2022 January transfers

is Chile’s wonderkid, Carlos Palacios, who made a €2.70m January move from his homeland club Union Española to January, after spending half a season on loan at the Brazilian club. In half a season he was at Brazilian club, he contributed 3 assists in 20 Serie A appearances. He previously contributed 8 goals and 6 assists in 33 Chilean Primera División appearances last season, convincing everyone that he’ll be the next Chilean star, including Internacional.

In November 2020, he received his first call up to the Chile senior team for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Venezuela, making his international debut in the match against Venezuela. At age of 21, he has already 7 national caps under his belt, and a lot of first-tier experience to offer.

Palacios has been inseparable from a ball since he was two years old. Growing up in the satellite town of Renca, he was first picked up by a professional club at the age of ten by Santiago Morning,  a historic yet small club in the capital. After a couple of years there, he moved across the city to Unión Española, the fifth most successful side in the country.

The

is thought of primarily as a right-winger/wide-forward, but he has the potential to play anywhere across a three behind a striker. He is very good at finding space, this is especially noticeable if you have a wide view of the pitch where his guile and willingness to get on the ball is clear to see. He likes to drift in and influence matches especially when his side is chasing the game and has an eye for a through ball. He’s already pulled off several impressive long as well as difficult passes too, and although his accuracy for these could improve, his willingness and bravery to attempt them is something more worthwhile for now at this stage of his career.

5. Paulinho

• Club: 

  Corinthians

• Age:

   33

• Post: 

  Central Midfield

• Transfer Fee:

   Free

• Nationality:

   Brazil

Having spent two years at the Chinese Super League club Guangzhou FC, Paulinho joined Al Ahli as a free agent in 2021. Once a Tottenham Hotspur and

star terminated his contract with the club on 18 September 2021, citing "inability to provide the desired addition to the team" as the reason. However, after spending months as a free agent, the former Brazil international returned to his homeland with Corinthians ahead of the new Serie A season.

Paulinho first caught the attention of the football world at Corinthians where he joined in 2009, eventually leading the side to win important competitions such as the 2011 Brasileirão and the 2012 Copa Libertadores, cementing himself as a hero for his club. On 16 December, Paulinho and Corinthians won the Club World Cup in Yokohama as Paolo Guerrero scored the winner in the 1–0 victory over European champions Chelsea. His performances convinced Tottenham to spend a hefty €19.75m fee to bring the Brazilian to England, where he managed to contribute 10 goals and 7 assists through 60 appearances across two seasons. However, a €14.00m fee was enough for the London side let their star midfielder join Guangzhou on Jul 1, 2015.

After moving to the Chinese Super League from Tottenham, Paulinho helped Guangzhou in their Asian Champions League triumph in 2015. The former Corinthians star was then moved to Barcelona for a short spell, before returning to Guangzhou to win back-to-back league titles. In his 176 appearances for the Chinese side, Paulinho managed to score 75 goals and provide 29 assists.

Even at the age of 33 Paulinho is still a great midfielder as he scored twice in only 4 Al-Ahli appearances he had this season, and surely will be of great value for his childhood club, Corinthians, and a certain entry in our list of the

top 10 South America 2022 January transfers

.

4. Wesley Moraes

• Club:

  Internacional

• Age:

  25

• Post:

  Centre-Forward

• Transfer Fee:

  Loan

• Nationality:

  Brazil

Born in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, a youngster Moraes played futsal and later switched to football, representing both Associação Esportiva Uberabinha and Sport Club Juiz de Fora for different periods, and after a big €25.00m move from Club Brugge to Aston Villa in 2019, Wesley is heading back to his homeland with Internacional ahead of the new Serie A season.

Wesley was born with one leg almost three centimeters shorter than the other, which has led to comparisons in his movement to legendary compatriot Garrincha. He was also compared with former Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke by Joseph Chapman from the Birmingham Mail, for his strong aerial threat while being confident with the ball at his feet.

Wesley joined AS Trenčín of the Slovak Super Liga in July 2015, who had become aware of him after his trials in Europe. He represented the club in the Champions League qualification round before attracting the attention of Club Brugge, who invested €4.20m in the young Brazilian striker. Brugges worked to tone down his aggression during games which led to several yellow cards and a sending-off in his first season, he wore tape on his hands in a match against Royal Antwerp as a reminder to not react.

Scoring 38 goals and providing 14 assists through 130 appearances for the Belgian side across 4 seasons, Wesley signed for Aston Villa for a fee of €25.00m in 2019. Wesley made his international debut for

on 15 November 2019, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Argentina. However, injuries and bad lucks didn’t let Wesley’s career at Aston Villa go as he planned, and he’s returning to his homeland on loan with something to prove.

3. Fabricio Bustos

• Club:

  Internacional

• Age:

  25

• Post:

  Right-Back

• Transfer Fee:

  €1.25m

• Nationality:

  Argentina

Internacional snatched

international Fabricio Bustos on a bargain €1.25m from Independiente in January. Bustos joined Independiente academy in 2008 and made his senior debut for the club in 2016. He made his full professional debut on 5 December 2016, in a 1–0 home win over River Plate. He eventually secured a regular spot in the team, ending the 2016–17 season with an overall of 19 appearances.

Making a total of 174 appearances for the Argentine giants the fullback has contributed 4 goals and 18 assists during the course, making him earn a call-up to Argentina's senior national side. On 27 August 2017, Bustos received his first senior call-up by coach Jorge Sampaoli for Argentina's 2018 World Cup qualifying matches against

and Venezuela. He made his debut on 23 March 2018, starting in a friendly against Italy which Argentina won by 2–0, so far, he has capped his country 4 times, and Internacional took most advantage of his contract situation to snatch him for €1.25m.

A starter in the four matches played by Internacional since his arrival in January, the Argentine fullback is adapting well with the Brazil style of the game. “I think it was a very beautiful week. In the adaptation, thank God the group received me very well. The Argentines and Uruguayans who are in the squad helped me to have an easier adaptation. Brazilians also supported me. Then, on the field, I felt really good. I was training during the time I was at Independiente, so I arrived well and already played a few games,” he said during an interview.

2. Helinho

Club:

RB Bragantino

Age:

21

Post:

Right Winger

Transfer Fee:

€4.00m

Nationality:

Brazil

One of the hottest prospects in Brazil football has been scouted by the Redbull team once again, but acquired him to serve their Serie A feeder club RB Bragantino, at least for now. Helinho entered São Paulo FC's youth ranks in 2012. On 4 November 2018, Helinho made his first-team debut, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for Anderson Martins and scoring a goal five minutes later in a 2–2 draw against Flamengo.

Scoring only twice in 24 Sao Paulo appearances, Helinho joined RB Bragantino on loan on November 13, 2020, and the club made his contract permanent on January 19 for a €4.00m fee. The youngster turned everything around at RB Bragantino as he managed to score 13 goals and provide 9 assists across two seasons.

Helinho was already a practically certain sale in the Morumbi avenues. The board of Julio Casares even tried to anticipate the sale, in April this year. At the time, however, Red Bull Bragantino discarded the payment of the amount in cash. In 2021, Helinho played 55 matches for Red Bull Bragantino, with eight goals scored and five assists. He was on the field for 3,409 minutes and certainly will be one to watch in the upcoming seasons.

1. Aníbal Moreno

• Club:

  Racing Club

• Age:

  22

• Post:

  Defensive Midfield

• Transfer Fee:

  €2.47m

• Nationality:

  Argentina

Moreno played the last part of his youth career in Newell's Old Boys' system, signing on 20 January 2013 from Academia Duchini, and started his senior career there as well. Moreno made his bow in professional football on 25 February 2019 as the club faced San Martín at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.

As an inside midfielder on the left, Moreno converted at 26' of the second half. At the Academy it was very difficult for him to feel comfortable as a central midfielder because that is not his position, but he adapted little by little. Since his arrival at the club, in the summer transfer market, he has played 33 games, 25 of them as a starter. Making a total of 71 Argentina Liga Profesional appearances, the defensive midfielder has contributed 3 goals and 2 assists and is already an option to select for his national team as he's continuing his progress.

The former Newell's Old Boys player referred to the shift of his position at Racing Club where he take a more attacking role as a central midfielder:

"I'm getting used to it and establishing myself in the position.”

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