5 clubs which had the best January transfer window

#3 Aston Villa

Everton v Aston Villa - Premier League

Aston Villa chiefs Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens chose to make no secret of their fierce ambition as they splurged in January to bolster their side. They landed their most high-profile signing of perhaps all time by bringing Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona.

The Brazilian turned in a wonderful performance on his return to the Premier League. He scored and assisted as Aston Villa came back from 2-0 down to draw the game against Manchester United inside the last 15 minutes.

Villa also signed Lucas Digne, who had a falling out with former Everton boss Rafa Benitez. The deal cost them €30 million but Digne is one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and it's money well spent.

Goalkeeper Robin Olsen has joined from AS Roma on loan until the end of the season. Aston Villa have also signed Calum Chambers on a free transfer and have roped in young centre-back Kerr Smith from Dundee United for €1 million.

The only disappointment for Villa after this January's transfer window would be that they couldn't bring in a replacement for the injured Marvelous Nakamba. Villa also offloaded several players. Anwar El Ghazi has joined Everton on a loan deal. Axel Tuanzebe's loan spell was cut short and he has moved to Napoli.

Full-back Matt Targett has joined Newcastle United on loan until the end of the season.

#2 Juventus

SSC Napoli v ACF Fiorentina - Coppa Italia

Juventus knew heading into January that they were going to have a hectic month. The Bianconeri have done a commendable job and have had their best transfer window in years. Massimiliano Allegri had been looking forward to decluttering the midfield department since he returned to the club last summer.

Juventus have successfully offloaded Rodrigo Bentancur and Aaron Ramsey. While Bentancur has joined Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal, Ramsey has joined Rangers on loan until the end of the season. They've also sent Dejan Kulusevski on loan to Spurs for the remainder of the season.

Getting Ramsey's exorbitant wages off their books helped Juventus sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina on a deal worth €75 million. The Serbian international is one of the best young strikers on the planet and the Old Lady did a great job of sealing a deal in January.

They also signed midfielder Denis Zakaria from Borussia Dortmund for just €5 million. They've been in desperate need of a combative midfielder who can win battles in the center of the park. Zakaria is still just 25 years old and is a long-term signing for the club.

#1 Newcastle United

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Given that they are very much embroiled in the relegation battle and that they now have one of the richest owners in world football, Newcastle United were expected to invest heavily in January. That's exactly what they did. The Magpies broke the bank and then some.

They spent close to €110 million last month and that's only a little less than the €112 million they've spent in 14 January transfer windows during the Mike Ashley era. They have nearly revamped their backline by bringing in Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett and Dan Burn.

The Magpies signed Chris Wood from Burnley for €30 million. The New Zealand international has scored more than 10 goals in each of the past four seasons. Newcastle United desperately needed a striker after losing Callum Wilson to injury and Wood's marksmanship could be a great boost for them.

But their best acquisition of the winter is Bruno Guimaraes. The Magpies shelled out as much as €42.1 million to sign the Brazilian from Olympique Lyon. He is a classy midfielder who will add some much-needed bite to Newcastle United.

Guimares ability to dictate play from deep could prove to be crucial to Newcastle United's chances of surviving the drop this term.