Transfer deadline day: the five key deals

The final day of the January transfer window saw a late flurry of activity on both sides of the border as clubs recruited in an effort to achieve their goals for the remainder of the season.

Stuart Armstrong. Pic: SNS

For some, that means the chance of glory on both the domestic and European fronts, for others, longer-term planning and for the desperate, the fight against relegation.

BIG MONEY BUY (ENGLAND) - JUAN CUADRADO

Colombia international Cuadrado’s £26.8 million move from Fiorentina to Chelsea might just prove the difference between success and failure as Jose Mourinho attempts to renew his acquaintance with the Premier League trophy. The Blues invested the proceeds from Andre Schurrle’s return to Germany in the pacy attacking midfielder and will hope the 26-year-old can bring a new dimension to an already star-studded line-up.

BIG MONEY BUY (SCOTLAND) - STUART ARMSTRONG

Celtic are thought to have paid £1.6 million plus add-ons to persuade Dundee United to sell Armstrong. A clever, attacking midfielder, Armstrong has already got 150 first-team appearances for United under his belt despite being only 22. He is a former Young Player of the Year and on the fringe of the full Scotland squad. The added bonus for Celtic is that by signing Armstrong and his United team-mate Gary Mackay-Steven, the Parkhead side have significantly weakend their League Cup final opponents.

OLD HEAD - DARREN FLETCHER

West Bromwich Albion opted for experience and know-how when they persuaded 31-year-old Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Fletcher his future lay in the midlands. The former United trainee, who joined on a free transfer, has spent much of his career competing for trophies, but his influence could prove key as manager Tony Pulis attempts to prevent the Baggies from being sucked into the depths of a survival fight.

ONE FOR THE FUTURE - DELE ALLI

Midfielder Alli found himself a man in demand as the transfer window drew to a close with Newcastle having done much of the groundwork in a bid to land the talented MK Dons teenager. However, it was Tottenham who eventually handed over a reported £5 million to secure the 18-year-old’s future as Mauricio Pochettino provided him with a platform on which to fulfil his rich potential once he has completed his loan spell back at Stadium MK.

GET OUT OF JAIL GOALS - DAME N’DOYE

Senegal international striker N’Doye has been handed the challenge of firing Hull out of trouble after completing his move from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee. The 29-year-old is the latest in a long line of frontmen, following in the wake of Nikica Jelavic, Shane Long, Abel Hernandez and Yannick Sagbo, to whom manager Steve Bruce has turned in recent times, but rarely in greater need.