Legends
The Winter Window's Biggest Deals!
Often considered a time for adjustments, the winter transfer window which opened last Wednesday can also be an opportunity to make great moves mid-season.
Last winter was particularly lively for Olympique Lyonnais, keen to move up the table (14th at mid-season and 6th at the end of the season). Les Gones notably brought in Malick Fofana, Nemanja Matic, Saïd Benrahma, Lucas Perri, Gift Orban and Orel Mangala.
Other clubs were also active: Quentin Merlin joined OM, Thilo Kehrer headed to Monaco, Mohamed-Ali Cho signed for Les Aiglons, Lucas Berlado joined PSG, Mohamed Bamba went to FC Lorient, while Georges Mikautadze became a Grenat again.
In January 2023, Ligue 1 McDonald's witnessed Terem Moffi's move from Les Merlus to OGC Nice, Romain Faivre found his form again with Lorient, Kenny Lala and Bradley Locko stood out with SB29, Benjamin Lecomte returned to France with Montpellier and Adrien Thomasson signed for Lens.
The stars: Beckham, Thiago Motta, Berbatov, Depay...
In previous seasons, the arrival of Cesc Fabregas to AS Monaco from Chelsea in January 2019 caused a stir. But the Spanish world champion was not the first star to join Ligue 1 during a winter transfer window.
During the QSI era, Paris Saint-Germain made some great moves at the start of the calendar year. The most emblematic of these was undoubtedly the arrival of David Beckham in the winter of 2013. Despite his 37 years, the Englishman was still a global star when he settled in the capital. In six months and 10 games played, the former Real Madrid man recorded 2 assists and participated in PSG's first league title since 1994. He hung up his boots at the end of this season.
Bought a year earlier from Inter Milan, Thiago Motta left a more lasting mark on the capital club with his tactical sense and quality of passing. The true brains of the PSG midfield for six and a half years, the Italian-Brazilian played 166 matches (8 goals and 8 assists) and completed an already very rich list of achievements with 5 Ligue 1 titles, 5 wins in the Coupe de la Ligue, 4 Coupe de France and 5 Trophee des Champions.
During the same winter transfer window, Leonardo, already Parisian sporting director, made two other great catches with Maxwell and Alex. Recruited by FC Barcelona at the age of 30, the full-back occupied the left flank of the Parisian defense for five and a half years, before moving to a front office role with PSG. In 145 Ligue 1 matches (12 goals and 16 assists), he showed all his class and technical finesse. The "Tank" Alex (1.88m for 92kg) remained two and a half seasons in the capital (70 matches, 6 goals) and formed a solid central defense with Thiago Silva, until the arrival of David Luiz.
Further south, AS Monaco can also boast of having attracted a renowned player in January with Dimitar Berbatov. In 2014, the Principality club signed the 33-year-old striker, who had notably played for Tottenham and Manchester United. In a year and a half, the Bulgarian striker scored 13 goals in 38 league matches and allowed ASM to finish on the podium twice. Then, Olympique Lyonnais invested heavily in 2017 to bring in Memphis Depay, from Manchester United. "Memphis Depay is a player I have set a priority on. (...) He is number 1 on our list of 5," said coach Bruno Genesio at his presentation. The Dutch international then became the captain and offensive leader of OL.
Unknowns who made their name in Ligue 1 MCDonald's
A month of good resolutions, January can also be the month of finds for Ligue 1 clubs. Stade Rennais knows something about this In the first half of the 2000s, the Breton club took advantage of the winter transfer window to make three of its greatest transfer deals. In January 2003, the team made a good deal by signing a young 23-year-old Swiss striker, who had been particularly effective with Servette… Alexander Frei would bring his clinical finishing to Ille-et-Vilaine, scoring 48 goals in 100 Ligue 1 matches. He would even finish as the league's top scorer – the last one by a Rennes player – by scoring 20 goals in 2004/2005.
A year after Frei's arrival, Rennes unearthed a new gem at the start of the year. Kim Källström, 21, arrived from the Swedish club Djurgardens and immediately showed the full extent of his talent. In his first six months, the midfielder scored 7 goals in 18 games. In total, the Scandinavian played 83 league games with the Rouge et Noir (20 goals), before joining OL. Another Rennes player to have played for the Lyon club, John Mensah also joined Brittany in January (2005/06 season). Then aged 23, the Ghanaian "rock" immediately established himself in Laszlo Bölöni's defence (12 starts in the last 13 games). Two and a half years after his arrival, he signed with OL.
Recruited during the same month by EA Guingamp to take his first steps in the top flight, Didier Drogba is without a doubt the most top signing made by the Côtes-d'Armor club. Six months after his arrival, the Ivorian exploded during the 2002/2003 season, scoring 17 goals in the league. Alongside Florent Malouda, Drogba allowed EAG to finish in 7th place in the league, which remains today its best finish in the top flight. The Ivorian striker then joined OM, before having the rich career that we know abroad.
Be sure to follow us here at Ligue1.com for all of the latest this month -- who knows which deals completed this January could become a part of history?
Read more:
