January transfer HITS and MISSES: Scholes, Henry, Cisse, Jelavic and more
Two months after the January window slammed shut it's time to assess the Premier League's best and worst acqusitions of 2012...
HITS
Thierry Henry
Arsenal's loan move for Henry smacked of desperation but the 34-year-old repaid Arsene Wenger by securing victory against Leeds in an FA Cup tie and grabbing a crucial late winner at Sunderland which could yet prove vital in Arsenal's quest for Champions League football. Unfortunately, Henry bowed out with a late substitute appearance in the thumping 4-0 European defeat against AC Milan, but he helped steady a sinking ship.
Papiss Demba Cisse
Newcastle's new striker arrived from Freiburg, curling home a beauty to wrap up victory on his debut against Aston Villa. A recent brace at West Brom capped another superb display for Cisse, whose international team-mate Demba Ba had been hugging the limelight before his arrival. Five goals in six Premier League appearances suggest the Magpies latest signing is worthy of the famous number nine jersey.
Paul Scholes
Like Henry, the return of retired playmaker Paul Scholes was condemned as a backwards step in United's bid to bridge the gap between themselves and league leaders Man City. Two months later, however, the Red Devils lead their local rivals by three points having trailed them by the same deficit when Scholes re-signed. He's started eight Premier League games this year and Man United have won all of them.
Nikica Jelavic
In January, Everton managed to scrape enough pennies together to welcome striker Nikica Jelavic from Glasgow Rangers, whose current financial plight make the Toffees' look more like Man City. The Croatia international replied with a majestic winner against Spurs, another at Swansea and Everton's opener in the FA Cup quarter-final victory at Sunderland. The final piece of David Moyes' FA Cup-winning jigsaw? You wouldn't put it past them.
Pavel Pogrebnyak
Fulham fans that bemoaned the departure of star striker Bobby Zamora to London neighbours QPR were relieved when loan replacement Pogrebnyak bagged five goals in his first three games. That included the winner at QPR and a stunning hat-trick against relegation-threatened Wolves. Not a bad Premier League introduction for the man from Russia.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
Sigurdsson starred for Reading as a youngster in the Championship, earning himself a big money move to Hoffenheim in 2010, where he impressed last season, but had slipped down the pecking order during the current campaign. A loan move to free-flowing Swansea has allowed the Iceland international to express his technical abilities fully, with six goals in nine Premier League outings, including a top corner peach at Wigan.
MISSES
Djibril Cisse
Three goals in five games for QPR looks a pretty impressive record. But then consider the two red cards Cisse has received in those fixtures and you realise the man Mark Hughes was banking on for goals to avoid relegation will miss seven of the 12 games he was bought to make an impact in.
Emmanuel Frimpong
Let's be clear about this - Frimpong was a miss through no fault of his own. The midfielder looked impressive for Wolves in the four games after arriving on loan from Arsenal, but an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained at Loftus Road ruled him out until next season. Wolves suffered badly as a result, getting trounced 5-1 in their next fixture against West Brom which ultimately cost Mick McCarthy his job. Not Dench.
Samba Diakite
QPR's combative box-to-box loan arrival from Nancy, 23-year-old Diakite was dismissed 33 minutes into his debut against Fulham for two bookable offences. Although he's provided flashes of brilliance, the Mali midfielder was fortunate to escape another red card on his return from suspension against Bolton, and again lunged dangerously into challenges at Sunderland last weekend. On current form, he'll receive his marching orders again before the season's out.
Which player has been your club's biggest hit and miss from the January 2012 transfer window?