As this year's January transfer window comes to a close, PA Sport looks back over the last couple of years to see which moves have worked out and which have fallen flat:

HIT: DAVID BENTLEY (Arsenal to Blackburn, undisclosed)

Bentley was already on loan at Blackburn when they signed him on a permanent deal in 2006 and the prolific forward matured at Ewood Park and became a full England international within 18 months of moving.

MISS: GEORGIOS SAMARAS (Heerenveen to Manchester City, £6million)

A success at Heerenveen, Samaras attracted the interest of City and signed for them in 2006 for £6million. After scoring just six goals in just 42 appearances, the 22-year-old fell out of the first-team picture and this week joined Celtic on loan with the possibility of a permanent move.

HIT: DEAN ASHTON (Norwich to West Ham, initial £7million)

Aston joined West Ham in a £7million deal plus add-ons on in 2006. Before breaking his ankle on international duty in August, Ashton scored six goals for the Hammers. After returning from injury this season, the 24-year-old has made 16 appearances and has continued to repay his transfer fee.

MISS: GREG HALFORD (Colchester to Reading, undisclosed)

A prolific defender for Colchester, Halford made the jump to the Premier League when Reading offered reported £2.25million for his services. His time at Madejski Stadium was short lived and he appeared in only three games for the Royals before moving on to Sunderland, where he has also struggled to retain a first-team place.

HIT: EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR (Monaco to Arsenal, undisclosed)

Adebayor had already attracted Arsenal's interest as a youngster at French club Metz, before they signed him in 2006 from Monaco in a deal rumoured to be worth £3million. The 23-year-old scored just 21 minutes into his debut and is the club's top scorer this term with 16 goals in 22 appearances.

MISS: RICARDO ROCHA (Benfica to Tottenham, £3.3million)

A regular first-team player at Benfica, Rocha had both international and European experience. The Portuguese defender moved to White Hart Line in January 2007 but has not played since September and has only made 13 league appearances.

HIT: ASHLEY YOUNG (Watford to Aston Villa, £8million)

Young joined Watford in an initial £8million deal that would rise to £9.75 million with add-ons in 2007. The 22-year-old scored on his debut against Newcastle, being named man of the match in several games that season. His Premier League performances resulted in him being called up for two Euro 2008 qualifiers before making his England debut in a friendly against Austria.

MISS: CALUM DAVENPORT (Tottenham to West Ham, undisclosed)

After joining West Ham for a reported £3million in 2007, Davenport became branded as a panic buy as the Hammers tried to strengthen their squad for a relegation fight. But the 25-year-old played just six games for the club last season and none this term before being loaned out to Watford two weeks ago.