The January transfer window divides opinion between football managers and fans alike, with plenty strongly opposed to the idea but many having benefitted from shrewd mid-season business.
One point that most seem to agree on is that it is much harder to get the right players in during January than it is during the summer, but a successful signing could prove to be the catalyst needed to avoid relegation or make that extra push for the title.
The likes of Luis Suarez, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra are among the players to act as evidence that it can be a goldmine for clubs, although on the flip side Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll and Juan Cuadrado are high-profile examples of things going wrong in a very expensive way.
This year's window has already been packed with controversy and speculation, with Dimitri Payet effectively going on strike and Diego Costa's head being turned by the newest transfer threat - the Chinese Super League.
Oscar did make the switch to China from Chelsea, while Manchester United duo Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay have also completed moves already this month, and there are still plenty more to come with a week left.
Here, Sports Mole have teamed up with Paddy Power to pick out five of the most enticing bets for the remainder of the window.
© SilverHubBastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United)
Once one of the most highly-rated midfielders in world football, Bastian Schweinsteiger's career has nose-dived since his move to Manchester United in the summer of 2015. A debut campaign under Louis van Gaal saw him make just 13 Premier League starts in a disappointing season for the Red Devils, and new boss Jose Mourinho was clearly not impressed with what he saw from the former Bayern Munich man.
The World Cup winner was forced into the ignominy of training with the reserves during the opening months of the season and, despite having returned to the first squad more recently, he is yet to feature for a single minute in the top flight this term. Indeed, across all competitions he has been on the field for just 16 minutes, making late cameos as a sub in the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
Schweinsteiger boasts a world-class reputation, though, and at the age of 32 still has a few years left in him, so the prospect of an easier end to what has been a glittering career could prove enticing for the German. A switch to another top European club looks unlikely, but Schweinsteiger is 2/1 to move to any MLS club and 11/4 for a lucrative transfer to any Chinese club before February 1, 2017.
© Getty ImagesCesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
Another World Cup-winning midfielder to have found himself falling down the pecking order this season is Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas. Blamed by many fans as a key part of Chelsea's poor form last season, the Spaniard hasn't quite been able to rebuild his reputation as one of Europe's best midfielders, which had been forged during successful spells at Arsenal and Barcelona.
Unfavoured under Antonio Conte, Fabregas has made just five Premier League starts for Chelsea on their way to the top of the table and has recently dropped back out of the first-team plans following a brief revival in December. The 29-year-old has been linked with a surprise loan move to West Ham United, who are looking for a creative midfielder due to their current impasse with Payet, and there are odds of 6/4 on him to make the switch across London.
The Hammers could face competition from abroad, however, with AC Milan - available at 2/1 - also understood to be interested. Milan currently sit seventh in the Serie A table and manager Vincenzo Montella is looking for reinforcements to close the gap on the Champions League places over the course of the second half of the season.
© Getty ImagesDimitri Payet (West Ham)
There is always one saga that dominates every transfer window, and this January it has been Payet at West Ham. The France international has swiftly turned from adored to abhorred as far as the club's supporters are concerned, with the former fan favourite refusing to play in order to push through a move. The Hammers struggled in the early months of the season but have turned their form around to climb into the top half, winning two from two in the Premier League since Payet's ultimatum.
The club initially ruled out any possibility of the playmaker leaving, and with more than four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract they are in no need to sell, but their recent form may have convinced them that they don't need him as much as they thought. Having been publicly criticised by manager Slaven Bilic in addition to alienating himself to the fans, it would take some serious grovelling for him to be welcomed back into the fold too.
If there is no way back for him then a move to former club Marseille looks the most likely, although the Ligue 1 outfit - 4/6 favourites to sign Payet - have so far failed to match West Ham's valuation of £29m and have seen three bids turned down. The 29-year-old has been banished to train with the Under-23s amid the controversy and, while he has his heart set on Marseille for family reasons, his desperation for an exit could see him consider a switch to Paris Saint-Germain, who are second favourites at 13/5. Payet has also been repeatedly linked with the Chinese Super League where clubs have reportedly offered him £500,000 a week, and a move to any Chinese club before February 1, 2017 could provide good value at 25/1.
© SilverHubDiego Costa (Chelsea)
While Payet's saga has been the most talked-about of the window, arguably the most surprising is that of Chelsea striker Diego Costa. The Spain international is the joint top-scorer in the Premier League and the star player for the runaway league leaders, yet that has not stopped him from being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Once again, it is the presence of the mega-rich Chinese clubs who are rocking the boat, with Costa's head reportedly being turned by a deal that would make him the highest-paid player in the world.
The 28-year-old missed his side's recent victory over Leicester City following intense speculation over his future, although the club insist that his absence was down to a back injury and he made a scoring return to the starting XI against Hull City at the weekend. A new rule limiting the number of foreign players able in each matchday squad for Chinese clubs has also threatened to scupper a deal, and as a result talk of an exit has subsided recently.
However, the rules changes would not prevent the move from happening and Costa is currently 6/4 to move to any Chinese club before February 1, 2017. Conte has already shown a no-nonsense approach to wantaway players, and things could be further complicated if Atletico Madrid come in for the striker. Costa admitted earlier this season that he remains very fond of the Spanish giants and was keen on a return to the club last summer, so the thought of that move could unsettle him even more. Atletico are on the lookout for a striker due to the ongoing speculation over the future of Antoine Griezmann and are available at an enticing 5/1.
