Best of the business in January

The January transfer window has slammed shut for another year and amongst the movers and shakers, which clubs did the best bits of business?

AC Milan
A club lacking real financial fire power due to debt, the red side of Milan have been restricted in transfer windows. No longer able to compete with the European super powers, AC Milan often have to make do with short term quick fixes that don't force the likes of Berlusconi to dip too deep into his pockets.The Rossoneri however have acted in savvy business fashion and tied up some very clever loan deals.

The club secured Fernando Torres on a permanent deal for nothing from Chelsea following his "flop" status at Stamford Bridge and immediately loaned him out to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid. In return, manager Filipo Inzaghi got ex-Torino attacker Alessandro Cerci. The Italian had been out of favour in Madrid following his big money move in the summer despite his creative exploits last year.

AC Milan then brought in Mattia Destro on loan from Roma, a move that surprised a few considering the Rome club were willing to let a player of his calibre leave the side. While Destro does not offer to much to the team in his play, the Italian striker does score goals and can be a real predator in the box. An out and out striker is something Inzaghi's side has really lacked this season and have had to rely on the creativity of Jeremy Menez as an unorthodox number 9 for goals.

Regarded as a bright talent at Anfield, Liverpool let their Spanish attacking midfielder Suso leave the club for a undisclosed fee. While Diego Lopez has been in great form for AC Milan, the Spaniard can only do so much as his defence so often lets him down, creating needless pressure for the goalkeeper. Inzaghi felt it was necessary to sure up his defence, bringing in  4 defenders in the form of Gabriel Paletta from Parma, Luca Antonelli from Genoa, Krisztian Tamas of AS Varese and Salvatore Bocchetti from Spartak Moscow.

Inter Milan
Whereas in the blue side of Milan, cross town rivals Internazionale have followed suit and pulled off some of the finest coups in Europe. Arsenal's left sided forward Lukas Podolski arrives on loan with a view to permanent deal to provide some creativity in the final third. The German international joins in search of first team football and could be a real success at the San Siro, suiting manager Roberto Mancini's narrow style of play.

Roberto Mancini also welcomes one of Europe's most exciting talents in Xherdan Shaqiri, whose development has stalled since his arrival at Bayern Munich after struggling to get game time. Bayern's Pep Guardiola is happy to let him leave with Inter Milan managing to install a view to permanent deal once the loan finishes. The Swiss star is a signing fans can be delighted about and may be one of the few highlights of what is set to be a disappointing season.

AC Milan have swapped and chopped their side around

Davide Santon returns to the San Siro on loan from Newcastle, with the side lacking in full backs as Mancini looks to stamp his style of play into the side, moving away from previous manager Walter Mazzari's preferred trio of centre backs in defence. Defensive midfielder and one time Arsenal target, Marcelo Brozovic arrives from Dinamo Zagreb. Big things are expected from the 22 year old and his development is something Inter Milan fans will be watching with anticipation.



Chelsea
Unlike both Milan clubs, Chelsea have the financial muscles to flex in the transfer market. However, the Blues cannot go spending outrageous amounts of money due to Financial Fair Play Regulations. Manager Jose Mourinho has seemingly abolished the Chelsea of old who were willing to spend big and not recuperate their losses. The sales of fringe players like David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata has generated over £100m over the last year.

Keeping with this trend, the "Special One" saw fit to sell Andre Schurrle for £22m in an effort to capture Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado in a deal totalling to £27m on top of letting Mohammad Salah go the other way on loan. While the club have had to let go of Schurrle, a player many regarded as a player with a future at the club and a dangerous option coming off the bench, Mourinho saw it a necessary sacrifice.

Cuadrado has been one of the expensive purchases of the window, however there are question marks of what role the winger will fulfil at Chelsea . His pace and flair will make him the player to watch and will no doubt be a handful for defenders. Ryan Bertrand, a champions league winner with the club, left on a permanent deal to Southampton following his initial loan for an excessive £10m. Bertrand has impressed in his short stay at St Marys and has been a welcome remedy following the departure of Luke Shaw.

Inter Milan have bolstered their attack in January

Roma
The third Italian club to make clever business transactions this January, Roma are playing catch up to league leader Juventus and saw it necessary to add reinforcements. As Mattia Destro left the side to join AC Milan on loan, manager Rudi Garcia added Seydou Doumbia to the ranks to replace the Italian. The pacey forward will join up with the side once his African Cup of Nations duties are over with the Ivory Coast.

Caligari's Victor Ibarbo is also welcomed to Roma, although initially on loan with a view to a long term deal. Ibarbo will add even more speed to Roma's attacking front three however, is most likely to act as cover to first choice Juan Iturbe and Gervinho. Garcia holds the Columbian in high regard too, saying: "For me, Ibarbo can become a champion, but I have to consider whether he's ready, I won't take risks with him."

Roma have also built for the future, securing 18 year old Jonatan Lucca from Internacional. Lucca was a player catching the eye of many European clubs and was brought in for a fee just under £1m. 17 year old Perth Glory midfielder Daniel De Silva also was signed but, will remain in the Australian league for the season. Newcastle's Mapou Yanga-Mbwia has been signed permanently after impressing for Garcia's side in the early days of his loan.

The January window has slammed shut and there seems to a common misconception that this window was a dud. Across Europe it is clear clubs have acted in a direct business fashion, working in a conservative manner during what can only be regarded as a difficult and frantic time to purchase players. January was not a boring window, business has been flowing!