Friday 29 January 2016 20:05, UK
Newcastle have spent more than all the clubs in the Bundesliga combined this January, but what have been the biggest Premier League deals of the transfer window?
The relegation-threatened Magpies have splashed the cash in an effort to preserve their Premier League status, with Andros Townsend, Jonjo Shelvey and Henri Saivet arriving at a combined cost of £29m.
The total spent by Bundesliga clubs so far is just £25.8m, with Jonas Hofmann's £8m move from Borussia Dortmund to Borussia Monchengladbach the biggest deal of the German window at this point.
Newcastle's £29m outlay is only marginally higher than the £25m Chinese club Jiangsu Suning paid for Chelsea's Ramires, and the wheeling and dealing is set to continue before Monday's deadline. Here, we round up the 10 most expensive deals so far...
1. Ramires (Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning, £25m)
Ramires joined former Premier League stars Paulinho, Gervinho and Demba Ba in the cash-rich Chinese Super League as Chelsea agreed a whopping £25m deal to sell the midfielder to Jiangsu Suning. Ramires was one of the Blues' longest-serving players having joined the club in 2010, but he had fallen down the pecking order under Guus Hiddink and the offer was too good to turn down.
2. Andros Townsend (Tottenham to Newcastle, £12m)
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy drove a typically hard bargain on Townsend but after weeks of negotiations, Newcastle finally got their man for £12m. The winger is hoping to kick-start his career at St James' Park having lost his place at Spurs, and with Euro 2016 just around the corner, he's aiming to catch Roy Hodgson's eye, too.
3. Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea to Newcastle, £12m)
Newcastle's deal for Townsend came two weeks after the arrival of Shelvey from Swansea for the same price. The former Charlton and Liverpool midfielder was forced to defend his reputation after leaving the Welsh club in difficult circumstances, but he impressed on his debut for Newcastle in a 2-1 win over West Ham. Like Townsend, Shelvey is aiming to put himself back in the England frame.
4. Benik Afobe (Wolves to Bournemouth, £10m)
Only four players scored more goals than Afobe in 2015 and his tally of 22 was enough to convince Bournemouth to make him their club-record signing. The Arsenal youth product has already begun repaying Eddie Howe's faith, with two goals in his first three games helping the Cherries move away from the relegation zone. If he continues in the same vein, the £10m fee will look like a snip.
5. Steven Naismith (Everton to Norwich, £8m)
Bournemouth's relegation rivals Norwich have also splashed the cash, with Naismith snapped up from Everton to boost their survival chances. The experienced 29-year-old scored 25 goals in 123 appearances during his time at Goodison Park, and made an instant impact at Carrow Road with a man-of-the-match performance in the Canaries' dramatic 5-4 defeat to Liverpool.
6. Timm Klose (Wolfsburg to Norwich, £7.6m)
Norwich have strengthened in defence, too, with Switzerland international centre-back Klose arriving from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg. "As a player, he's got good technical ability and he's solid in the air," said Norwich boss Alex Neil. "It was always a dream to play in the Premier League and Norwich have given me a big chance," Klose said. "Now I want to give everything I can to be a good player in this league."
7. Lewis Grabban (Norwich to Bournemouth, £7m)
Norwich's new signings have been partly funded by the sale of Grabban, who returned to Bournemouth just 18 months after he was sold to the Canaries. The 28-year-old scored 35 goals in two seasons during his first stint with the Cherries. He is now aiming to strike up an understanding with Afobe.
8. Nordin Amrabat (Malaga to Watford, £6.1m)
Watford have also been busy in the transfer market, with Morocco international Amrabat arriving from Malaga for £6.1m. The 28-year-old, who can play out wide or at No 10, counts PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray among his former clubs, and was handed his Hornets debut as a late substitute in their 2-1 win over Newcastle.
9. Marko Grujic (Red Star Belgrade to Liverpool, £5.1m)
Jurgen Klopp's first signing as Liverpool manager was highly-rated Red Star Belgrade midfielder Grujic. The 19-year-old represents Serbia at U21 level and was also part of their World Cup-winning U20 squad in 2015. After signing a four-year contract with the Reds, Grujic returned to Red Star on loan for the rest of the season.
10. Four players at £5m
To round off the top 10, there have been four deals worth £5m, including Arsenal's signing of Mohamed Elneny from Basel. Leicester paid the same price for Daniel Amartey from FC Copenhagen, while Newcastle signed Henri Saivet from Bordeaux and Sunderland clinched a £5m deal for Lorient's Lamine Kone.
