Let’s be fair, so far this hasn’t been the worst January transfer window. It might never match the dizzy heights of the last day madness of 2011, when clubs were buying shoddy striking prospects like the world’s most scant, and evaporating, resource. However, we’ve still had some decent trading between the bigger clubs and haven’t had to bear the interminable dredging for excitement on Sky Sports News as another lower league loan deal is, incredibly, going through, as we speak, we can report. And so on, for an entire month.
So, be thankful we have anything of interest to report at all. Which we do.

There was some more action today with Newcastle spending their Ba cash and Liverpool keeping up their long standing policy of paying average English footballers vast sums of money to not play for them.

There’s also a video of young Brazilian Pato leaving Milan and getting weepy eyed. If you can remember the hype that surrounded Pato at one stage (it was probably on a par with early doors Messi madness) then you will be aware of just how far away this reality is from what was expected of the 17 year old who arrived in Milan from Brazil in 2007.

The main deals of the day are-

• Fulham have confirmed the signing of highly-rated teenager Chris David from Dutch side Twente.
• The midfielder represented Holland at youth levels, and had been close to moving to Craven Cottage in the summer.
• Chelsea have completed the capture of Demba Ba from Newcastle. The Senegal international moves to Stamford Bridge for €9 million and has signed a three and half year deal. Ba had played with Newcastle for 18 months.
• Newcastle have already used some of that transfer fee to sign French international right-back Mathieu Debuchy from Lille for a fee in the region of €7 million and has signed a five and a half year contract. The full back has 12 caps for France.
• Joe Cole has re-signed for West Ham on a free transfer from Liverpool. It is estimated Liverpool had to pay the player somewhere in the region of €3.5 million to terminate his contract. Cole started his career at the London club before moving on to Chelsea, Liverpool and a loan spell at Lille.
• QPR have signed Israeli international, and formerly of  Chelsea, Tal Ben Haim until the end of the season.
• One time football prodigy and great Brazilian hope of Milan (but still only 23 years old, in fairness) Pato has signed for Corinthians in his homeland for a fee of approximately €15 million. The forward endured 5 injury plagued years at the Italian club, suffering a total 16 injuries and never completing a complete season without a long term injury absence.
• The video below is Pato saying his goodbyes to his Milan teammates. There's a serious amount of man hugs going on and then Pato gets a little emotional towards the end. And then wanders off on his own. It's a little odd that nobody walked him out.