Cesc Fabregas can ignite Monaco's Ligue 1 survival bid

We take a look at a pick of the deals carried out in the transfer window from January 8 to January 14.

Cesc Fabregas
Chelsea to Monaco, undisclosed

It has been a desolate first few months as Monaco manager for Thierry Henry but the club's survival hopes will be boosted by the acquisition of midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Since losing Joao Moutinho to Wolves, Monaco have struggled to plug the midfield anchor gap and Fabregas has the vision, composure and experience to take on the role.

In his debut against Marseille, no player made more key passes than the Spaniard's two and only Benjamin Henrichs (81) had more touches than Fabregas (71).

By sitting deeper and spraying the ball around, he allowed Youri Tielemans to occupy a more advanced position and the Belgian was able to get forward and strike the equalising goal.

Pepe
Free agent to Porto

Having shipped just ten league goals all season, Porto are by no means in need of defensive reinforcement but they could have done worse than snapping up three-time Champions League winner Pepe.

The 35-year-old is an ideal mentor for highly-rated youngster Eder Militao and can be brought off the bench to enhance Porto's threat from set-pieces.

Alan Judge
Brentford to Ipswich, undisclosed

A lack of creativity has been central to Ipswich's Sky Bet Championship struggles and Alan Judge looks like a shrewd purchase.

The former Brentford man, who turned out 140 times for the Bees, will be at the club until the end of the season, with Town able to extend his deal for another 12 months.

Judge fell down the Brentford pecking order in recent seasons but starred with 14 goals in 2015-16 and could bolster an Ipswich side who have scored the second-fewest goals from midfield in the division.

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Kasey Palmer
Chelsea to Bristol City, loan

Kasey Palmer labelled his debut for City against Bolton as "perfect" after netting the winning goal and there could be many more impressive displays from the youngster.

The Robins tend to attack down the channels and Palmer can be the player to make runs through the centre and unleash defence-splitting passes.

Connor Ripley
Middlesbrough to Preston, undisclosed

During his eight full seasons with Middlesbrough, Connor Ripley made just two appearances for them, having been sent out on loan to eight different clubs.

He was a regular between the sticks for Accrington this term but is short of Sky Bet Championship game time and, with the threat of relegation in the backs of their minds, Preston would have been wiser to invest in an experienced figure.

James Collins
Free agent to Ipswich

The worst defence in the league (46 goals conceded) has seen Ipswich rooted to the foot of the Championship table but they earned a clean sheet in James Collins' first game for the club.

Paul Lambert has alternated between Matthew Pennington, Aristote Nsiala and Luke Chambers in the heart of defence this term but the Tractor Boys have lacked a leader at the back.

With vast top-flight experience under his belt, Collins could be a vital vocal presence in defence.

Benjamin Pavard
Stuttgart to Bayern Munich, undisclosed (to be completed when summer window opens)

In Benjamin Pavard, not only will Bayern Munich get a World-Cup winner but also consistency and versatility.

The Frenchman appeared in every single match of Stuttgart's 2017-18 campaign and is able to play across the entire back line and in defensive midfield.

With the old guard slowly but surely departing the Bavarian giants, Pavard is a great signing for the future.

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