Report: How Bruno Fernandes is statistically the most impactful January signing in PL history

With the January Transfer Window now in full flow, BettingOdds.com have conducted a study into which mid-season Premier League signing has been the most effective over the past 20 years.

For every player included in the study, we have looked at their Premier League stats for their first half a season with their new club to determine which players had the best instant impact. This means that some of the considered best January window signings ever, such as Luis Suarez, Nemanja Vidic and Virgil Van Dijk, haven’t made the list.

You can see how each player has been scored in the key below along with the list of the 20 most effective Premier League January Window signings in the past two decades below.

To determine which Premier League January signings have made the biggest impact in their first half a season with their new club, we’ve scored each signing by the following points structure:

• League Position - If the club’s league position in the table at the end of the season was higher or lower than when the January signing made their debut, then 1 or -1 point was awarded per positional increase or decrease.
• Goal - Each goal scored by a new signing resulted in 3 points being awarded.
• Assist - Each goal assist provided by a new signing resulted in 2 points being awarded.
• Clean Sheet - Each clean sheet received by a new signing resulted in 3 points being awarded. Only Goalkeepers or defenders have been awarded points for this criteria. 
• Win - 2 points were awarded for every win the new signing was involved in.
• Loss - -1 point was awarded for every loss the new signing was involved in.
• Draw - 1 point was awarded for every draw the new signing was involved in.

The top 20 Premier League January signings that have made the best instant impact (last 20 years)

1. Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United (19/20) - 63 Points 

(+2 League Position Increase, 9 Wins, 0 Losses, 5 Draws, 8 Goals, 7 Assists)

2. Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool (12/13) - 57 Points 

(+1 League Position Increase, 6 Wins, 2 Losses, 6 Draws, 10 Goals, 5 Assists)

=2 Papiss Demba Cissé to Newcastle United (11/12) - 57 Points 

(+2 League Position Increase, 8 Wins, 4 Losses, 2 Draws, 13 Goals, 2 Assists)

4. Andrey Arshavin to Arsenal (08/09) - 55 Points

(+2 League Position Increase, 8 Wins, 0 Losses, 4 Draws, 6 Goals, 8 Assists)

5. Darren Bent to Aston Villa (10/11) - 49 Points

(+5 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 4 Losses, 5 Draws, 9 Goals, 1 Assists)

6. Gabriel Jesus to Manchester City (16/17) - 48 Points

(+2 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 0 Losses, 3 Draws, 7 Goals, 4 Assists)

7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal (17/18) - 46 Points

(0 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 6 Losses, 0 Draws, 10 Goals, 4 Assists)

8. Nikica Jelavic to Everton (11/12) - 45 Points 

(+4 League Position Increase, 5 Wins, 2 Losses, 6 Draws, 9 Goals, 0 Assists)

=9 Andy Cole to Blackburn Rovers (01/02) - 44 Points

(+6 League Position Increase, 6 Wins, 6 Losses, 3 Draws, 9 Goals, 1 Assists)

=9 Nacho Monreal to Arsenal (12/13) - 44 Points

(+2 League Position Increase, 7 Clean Sheets, 8 Wins, 1 Losses, 1 Draws, 1 Goals, 1 Assists)

11. Martin Skrtel to Liverpool (07/08) - 42 Points

(0 League Position Increase, 7 Clean Sheets, 9 Wins, 1 Losses, 4 Draws, 0 Goals, 0 Assists)

=12 Juan Mata to Manchester United (13/14) - 40 Points

(0 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 5 Losses, 3 Draws, 6 Goals, 5 Assists)

=12 Robert Huth to Leicester City (14/15) - 40 Points

(+6 League Position Increase, 6 Clean Sheets, 7 Wins, 4 Losses, 3 Draws, 1 Goals, 0 Assists)

=14 Gylfi Sigurdsson to Swansea (11/12) - 39 Points

(-1 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 8 Losses, 3 Draws, 7 Goals, 5 Assists)

=14 Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea (07/08) - 39 Points

(+1 League Position Increase, 11 Wins, 0 Losses, 3 Draws, 1 Goals, 5 Assists)

=14 Philippe Coutinho to Liverpool (12/13) - 39 Points

(0 League Position Increase, 7 Wins, 2 Losses, 4 Draws, 3 Goals, 7 Assists)

=17 Louis Saha to Manchester United (03/04) - 38 Points

(-1 League Position Increase, 6 Wins, 3 Losses, 3 Draws, 7 Goals, 3 Assists)

=17 Ryan Nelsen to Blackburn Rovers (04/05) - 38 Points

(+1 League Position Increase, 9 Clean Sheets, 5 Wins, 5 Losses, 5 Draws, 0 Goals, 0 Assists)

=19 David Luiz to Chelsea (10/11) - 37 Points

(+3 League Position Increase, 4 Clean Sheets, 8 Wins, 2 Losses, 2 Draws, 2 Goals, 0 Assists)

=19 Robbie Fowler to Liverpool (05/06) - 37 Points

(0 League Position Increase, 10 Wins, 2 Losses, 2 Draws, 5 Goals, 1 Assists)