Transfer Activity January 2013

Liverpool are bound to be busy during the January transfer window. Discover who has arrived at Anfield and who Brendan Rodgers has moved on by visiting this page regularly.

In: The highly-anticipated signing of Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has been completed following the formal opening of the January transfer window. From a footballing family, Sturridge made his first team breakthrough at Manchester City, where he scored five goals in 21 appearances.

He was at his most prolific on loan at Bolton from Chelsea, bagging eight goals in 12 games, which raised his profile and prompted a return to Stamford Bridge. Last season Sturridge helped Chelsea to clinch the FA Cup and the Champions League, however, during the current campaign he has been frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities, appearing only 12 times.

Accomplished both out wide and through the middle, 23-year old Sturridge has said he sees himself staying at Anfield for the foreseeable future. In the short-term, though, the excellent form of Luis Suarez may prevent him playing in his preferred central role.

At £12 million, £3 million less than Chelsea reportedly offered to sell him for in the summer, Rodgers appears to have completed some wise business. However, the goals foregone during the first half of the campaign represent a hidden cost. Considering how much Liverpool have relied on Luis Suarez, an extra £3 million would have been a small price to pay for some support and extra goals from August to January.

Young, British and with Premier League experience Sturridge fits the profile of players the Reds have been seeking to sign. His additional experience at the top level of football is a plus and should enable him to settle into life at Liverpool quickly. He may be a poor man's Theo Walcott, but the signing of Sturridge is surely good news.

Liverpool must continue to strengthen their strike force throughout January, nonetheless. (2nd January)

Sign here- Ayre oversees Sturridge signing his contract

With the transfer window deadline rapidly approaching, Liverpool have confirmed the widely anticipated signing of 20-year old Brazilian international Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan for a fee believed to be in the region of £8.5 million. The Merseysiders fought off competition from Premier League rivals Southampton to complete their second signing of the month, following the arrival of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea early on in the New Year.

The diminutive attacking midfielder had previously played for Brazilian outfit Vasco da Gama before joining Rafael Benitez's Inter Milan for €4 million in 2010. He fell out of favour at the San Siro, though, joining Espanyol on loan in 2012. He hit form in Spain, netting five times in 16 appearances and attracting the interest of many potential suitors, including Liverpool, in the process. At international level, Coutinho has featured once for the Brazilian national side. More impressively, he netted three times in seven appearances as he helped Brazil win the Under-20s World Cup two years ago.

Coutinho in action for Brazil

Although unlikely to be the goalscoring machine many Kopites wanted to see Rodgers sign, Coutinho appears to be a useful utility player who could add some flair to our attack. In the short run, it is likely that he'll take time to settle into a new country, League and playing style and he may particularly struggle with the physical side of the British game.

In the long term, though, he could be another vital piece of the attacking puzzle that Rodgers is trying to put together. With Lucas available to help him during the initial transitional phase, there's every chance Coutinho could grow to have a similarly significant role at Anfield in the future. (30th January)

Out: Liverpool fans will be universally delighted to hear that Joe Cole has finally left the club after two and a half disappointing years at Anfield. The 31-year old has returned to former club West Ham United, ironically the team that he scored his fifth and final goal for the Reds against.

Built up as one of the signings of the summer when he joined from Chelsea in July 2010, Cole failed to live up to expectations. Moreover, for a free transfer, he was awfully expensive, costing Liverpool over £90,000 a week despite only making 42 appearances and spending a year out on loan at French club Lille.

In fact, FSG were so desperate to get him off their wage bill that they gave him a £3 million pay-off. They must have written the cheque grudgingly but, in the long run, it may well save the Merseysiders' £4 million by removing him from the wage bill.

Apart from the odd performance and occasional goal, Cole was a spectacular failure at Anfield and Roy Hodgson's decision to sign him was an expensive error in hindsight. He promised so much but delivered so little.

We may be glad to see the back of him, but we wish Cole all the best at Upton Park. (4th January)

Will Big Sam be as pleased to welcome Cole as Kopites are to see him leave?

Liverpool have prematurely brought Nuri Sahin's loan spell at Anfield to a close. The Real Madrid midfielder has now rejoined Borussia Dortmund, the team with whom he won the 2011 German Championship, on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

The decision by Brendan Rodgers to cut short his loan spell is a confusing one as, when he signed in the summer, many were excited that Liverpool had captured a real talent who the Reds may wish to sign on a permanent basis. 

However, he was only given a total of 12 appearances, in which he impressively netted three times. With Lucas Leiva out injured and Joe Allen not firing on all cylinders, I can't escape the conclusion that the only reason Sahin wasn't given more game time was a personal bust-up with the manager behind the scenes. 

It's a shame, as he's a real talent who could have made an impact on Merseyside.

We wish him all the best for the rest of his career. (11th January)

Sahin leaves to rejoin the club he loves

Out of favour Spanish forward Daniel Pacheco has been sent out on loan by Liverpool once again. Having previously been loaned to Norwich City and Atletico Madrid- who immediately loaned him on to Rayo Vallecano themselves- Pacheco has now joined the exotically named Sociedad Deportiva Huesca until the end of the season.

The 22-year old has managed a meager 17 appearances for the Reds since signing from Barcelona in 2007 and, after failing to become a part of Brendan Rodgers' plans, it appears unlikely that we will be seeing him at Anfield again any time soon. 

Nonetheless, we wish him all the best. (31st January)

Pacheco in a Red shirt has become a rare sight

The curiously ostracised Alexander Doni has finally left Liverpool. The Brazilian shot-stopper, who was last seen on the final day of last season in goal at Swansea, has been seemingly AWOL during the current campaign, with fans and the media both left in the dark as to his whereabouts. There have been rumours of family problems and injuries, but nobody was quite sure what happened to Doni.

Thankfully, Liverpool haven't missed him as, in the absence of Reina, Brad Jones has stood up to the plate and performed adequately, with one or two exceptions, notably his shambolic performance versus Oldham Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Doni has now joined Botafogo SP, bringing to an end but not explaining his mysterious circumstances. (31st January)

(Update: Doni has since explained that he suffered a heart attack during the summer of 2011. We express our relief that he has recovered and wish him good health and every success for his future career. YNWA Doni.)

Doni was an ever rarer sight at Anfield