The perceived wisdom is that the January transfer window is not the right place to do your business. There isn’t value in the market, and trying to buy your way out of trouble – or to success – in the midst of the season doesn’t work. One need only take a look at some of the well-renowned January flops to see that there is credence in the argument. Georgios Samaras, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Fernando Morientes and more recently, the double failure of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll are prime examples of why one should stick to the summer market.

Contrary to popular belief however, there have been some excellent pieces of business done in the heart of winter. From Christophe Dugarry’s relegation-sparing appearance at Birmingham, to Emmanuel Adebayor’s arrival at Arsenal, which brought both goals and massive transfer profit three years down the line, there are good deals to be done, if only one looks hard enough. And here are five of the very best.

5. Ashley Young (Watford to Aston Villa, £11.5 million)
Having made his name in the first half of Watford’s Premier League campaign,  Young was sought by many a club. Eventually he turned down a move to West Ham in favour of joining Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa, a move which propelled his career forwards. Having scored on his debut against Newcastle, he grabbed 17 assists and a call up to the England squad in his first full season with the club.

As part of the team that took Villa back into European competition, Young became regarded as one of the better wingers in the league. Nearly 200 games and over 60 assists later, Young finally moved on from Villa, a £16 million bid from Manchester United proving too good to turn down. During his four and a half years in Birmingham, however, he had certainly proved himself as one of the January transfer window’s best buys.

4. James Beattie (Sheffield United to Stoke City, £3.5 million)
Having scored 34 goals in just 18 months at Sheffield United, Beattie had successfully rebuilt his reputation after falling out of favour at Everton. They may have been Championship goals, but they were more than enough for Premier League teams to sit up and take notice. The team that did so the most were Tony Pulis’ Stoke City, then in their first season back in the top flight.

Having reached the turn of the year sitting in 18th place, it was clear that Stoke needed to do something to try and retain their Premier League status and that something was to sign Beattie. His first goal for the club may have come in a defeat at White Hart Lane, but he scored another six in the remaining months of the season, a large reason behind their climb to 12th by the time the summer arrived.

From there it went downhill, a bust-up with Pulis and an unsuccessful move to Rangers, but for that six month spell which helped establish Stoke as a Premier League team, Beattie was a great signing.

3. Javier Mascherano (West Ham to Liverpool, £19.8 million)
After failing to break into the West Ham side, kept out by the footballing genius of Hayden Mullins, Mascherano quickly departed for Liverpool. Although his registration wasn’t confirmed until well into February, the Premier League taking their time to confirm that everything with the transfer satisfied their rules, the Argentinian had an immediate impact on the Liverpool side.

Immediately placed alongside Xabi Alonso at the heart of the Reds’ midfield, he nearly helped the club to a sixth European Cup, keeping Kaká quiet for much of Milan’s 2-1 win in Athens. With the defensive base that Mascherano and Alonso provided, Liverpool came as close as they have to ending their long wait for a league title in 2009, and with their talents allayed to those of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres (when he was still good) and Pepe Reina, they really should have capitalised and won trophies.

Mascherano may never have won the trophies he deserved at Anfield, but he was part of a side that came agonisingly close and is fondly remembered on Merseyside.

2. Patrice Evra (Monaco to Manchester United, £7 million)
A member of the Monaco side that reached the 2004 Champions League final, Evra attracted plenty of interest. Arsenal, Inter and Liverpool all enquired about his services, but Evra had eyes only for Manchester United, and made the move in early January 2006.  Despite not becoming an immediate starter in the United side, Evra kept plugging on and in his first full season with the club was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Once his place in the United side was assured, Evra went on establishing himself as one of the best full backs in the world. With the pace and athleticism required of the modern full back, to get up and down the pitch, Evra was a big part of United’s success. Success which has seen him pick up eight major honours (plus four Community Shields and the FIFA Club World Cup) in his six years at Old Trafford.

1. Nemanja Vidić (Spartak Moscow to Manchester United, £9.2 million)
It seems scarcely believable that a man who has formed one half of perhaps the most dominant defensive partnership in the last decade of the Premier League was captured for such a relatively small fee. There was plenty of interest in Vidić, indeed it seemed at one point that his move to Fiorentina had been agreed, but United stole in to seal his move from Moscow.

Alongside Rio Ferdinand, Vidić truly has been one of, if not the best centre back in the Premier League since his move (the odd Fernando Torres related hiccup aside) and is the perfect riposte to those who say that quality cannot be bought in January. Indeed, while questions are now being asked of Ferdinand’s future in the team, the same is not said of Vidić. If anything, the 30 year old Serb’s knee injury could prove to be the crucial factor in deciding the destination of this season’s Premier League title.

There is undoubtedly quality to be had in the January market. The problem comes when teams resort to panic buys in a desperate attempt to simply get anyone in through the doors. There may be more difficulties associated with joining a team halfway through a season, but if you look in the right places, you might just find yourself a star.

All transfer fee figures in this article are taken from transfermarkt.co.uk. Photos courtesy of ASHISH1987, snappycat, Jim Easton, Liverpool Pics, danny-19.