The arrivals range from headline-grabbing signings to lesser-known players who went on to become Blues greats. We begin with a midfielder who made the move across London in the winter of 2004…

January 2004

Scott Parker – signed from Charlton Athletic

Parker bolstered our midfield options when he joined from Charlton and finished the 2003/04 season as the PFA Young Player of the Year. He was limited to 28 appearances during his 18 months at Stamford Bridge, scoring once, before moving on to Newcastle United.

January 2005

Jiri Jarosik – CSKA Moscow

The rangy Czech midfielder signed from CSKA Moscow to add depth to Jose Mourinho’s squad midway through our Premier League-winning campaign of 2004/05. He played enough games, 14, to earn a medal, and started the title-sealing win at Bolton.

January 2006

Maniche – Dynamo Moscow (loan)

Signed in a similar vein to Jarosik, albeit on loan, Portuguese midfielder Maniche played 11 games during his half-season spell at Chelsea before returning to parent club Dynamo Moscow.

January 2008

Nicolas Anelka - Bolton

Anelka’s transfer from Bolton proved a huge success. The striker finished as the Premier League’s top goalscorer in his first full season, 2008/09, before playing a pivotal role in our title triumph the following year. He also won two FA Cups, and in all scored 59 goals in 184 games.

Branislav Ivanovic - Lokomotiv Moscow

A relative unknown when he signed, Ivanovic would go on to become a Chelsea legend. The Serbian played 377 times for us over nine years and scored 34 goals, among them that iconic brace at Anfield, the extra-time winner against Napoli, and of course the looping header that won us the 2013 Europa League.

Franco Di Santo - Audax Italiano

Argentinean striker Di Santo made 16 sub appearances during the 2008/09 season having signed from Chilean club Audax Italiano. He moved on to Wigan in 2010.

January 2009

Ricardo Quaresma – Inter Milan (loan)

Quaresma, a tricky winger, played just five games during his brief loan spell at Chelsea, having been brought to the Bridge by his former Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

January 2011

Fernando Torres – Liverpool

One of the most dramatic January transfer window signings of all time, Torres made the switch from Liverpool to Chelsea in the closing minutes of the 2011 window. The striker scored 45 goals in 172 appearances, winning the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.

David Luiz - Benfica

Like Torres, David Luiz arrived from Benfica on deadline day, and immediately made an impression. Over two spells at Chelsea, the Brazilian defender played 248 times for us, winning six pieces of silverware including the Champions League in 2012.

January 2012

Gary Cahill – Bolton

Joining David Luiz in the centre of our defence on that famous night in Munich was Gary Cahill, who had signed a few months earlier. A future Chelsea captain, Cahill was exemplary during his seven-and-a-half years at the club, and will rightly go down as one of our greats.

Lucas Piazon – Sao Paulo

The exciting young attacker arrived from his native Brazil and played three times for the Blues before embarking on a series of loan spells. He left for the final time in 2021.

Kevin De Bruyne – Genk

Another talent for the future, De Bruyne signed from Genk and immediately returned on loan to the Belgium club. He was a member of the Chelsea squad for the first half of 2013/14, playing nine times, before joining Wolfsburg.

January 2013

Demba Ba - Newcastle

Ba arrived early in the window to bolster our striking options during the busiest campaign in our history. The Senegalese left 18 months later having netted 14 goals in 51 games for us.

January 2014

Nemanja Matic - Benfica

The Serbian midfielder had already spent time at the Bridge when he rejoined in 2014, immediately putting in a man-of-the-match performance at title rivals Man City. He went on to play a crucial part in our title triumphs of 2015 and 2017.

Mohamed Salah - Basel

Salah had been a thorn in our side for Basel before we acquired his services. Two goals in 19 appearances followed before he left on loan to Fiorentina and then Roma, where he would sign permanently.

Kurt Zouma - Saint-Etienne

The big French defender signed from Saint-Etienne before immediately returning on loan to his hometown club. He linked up with the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2014, and played over 150 times for us before signing for West Ham seven years later.

January 2015

Juan Cuadrado – Fiorentina

Colombian winger Cuadrado started four games and came off the bench in 11 more during his time at Chelsea, which ended when he joined Juventus in 2017.

January 2016

Matt Miazga – New York Red Bulls

Miazga played a couple of games in April 2016, shortly after joining from New York Red Bulls. He subsequently embarked on several loan spells before the US international left Chelsea in 2022.

January 2018

Ross Barkley - Everton

Barkley made exactly 100 appearances in his four-and-a-half seasons as a Chelsea player, scoring 12 goals and winning the FA Cup, Europa League and Club World Cup.

Emerson Palmieri - Roma

Emerson arrived to provide competition to Marcos Alonso at left-back. He proved a useful squad member for three-and-a-half seasons, and featured in six games in our victorious 2020/21 Champions League campaign.

Olivier Giroud – Arsenal

An astute signing from our north London rivals, Giroud was a reliable force in our attack until his departure in 2021. He brilliantly opened the scoring in the Europa League final against his former club at the conclusion of his first full season as a Blue, one of 39 goals he netted for us.

January 2019

Christian Pulisic – Borussia Dortmund

Pulisic remained on loan at Dortmund until joining up with Frank Lampard’s Blues in the summer of 2019. The American winger moved on to AC Milan in 2023 having scored 26 goals in 145 games, and was part of the Champions League-winning squad in Porto.

January 2023

Benoit Badiashile – Monaco

The French defender joined early in the busy January window of 2023, making his debut in a home victory over Crystal Palace.

David Datro Fofana – Molde

Fofana appeared four times during the 2022/23 campaign following his arrival from Molde in Norway, and has since spent time out on loan at Union Berlin, Burnley and Goztepe.

Andrey Santos - Vasco da Gama

The Brazilian international joined Chelsea in January 2023 before returning to Vasco da Gama on loan. He is currently impressing on loan at Strasbourg in France.

Mykhailo Mudryk - Shakhtar Donetsk

The Ukrainian winger arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk midway through the window, making his debut shortly afterwards in a goalless draw at Anfield.

Joao Felix - Atletico Madrid (loan)

Portuguese international Joao Felix signed from Atletico Madrid for the second half of the 2022/23 season, scoring four goals in 20 appearances. He joined the Blues on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2024.

Noni Madueke - PSV Eindhoven

Madueke returned to his hometown London after a few years playing in the Netherlands to join Chelsea, for whom he debuted in a goalless draw with Fulham.

Malo Gusto – Lyon

Chelsea fans got their first glimpse of Gusto in blue during the 2023/24 season, having returned to Lyon on loan after initially signing at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Fernandez - Benfica

A statement signing right at the end of the window, Fernandez had recently won the World Cup with Argentina when he joined the Blues from Benfica on deadline day.