The January transfer window is usually an opportunity for clubs to try to freshen things up or bring in reinforcements, but today we take a look at 10 transfers that, at the time, seemed a good idea, but unfortunately ended up being pretty pointless.

Click through the gallery to see our full selection

In January, Chelsea brought in Alexandre Pato on loan from Brazilian side Corinthians. The Brazil international was brought in to provide some much-needed goals for the Blues after their disappointing start to the season, but he is yet play a single minute for the London club.

At the end of January 2014, Arsenal were one point off the top of the table and felt that bringing in a defensive midfielder would improve their chances of lifting the title. The Gunners turned to Swedish midfielder Kim Kallstrom to try to help them shore things up in the middle of the park. The injury-prone Swede made his Arsenal debut as a substitute against Swansea almost two months after joining, and would only make three more appearances after that.

Another Chelsea signing, Juan Cuadrado, who is currently on loan at Serie A side Juventus, was brought in after a successful 2014 FIFA World Cup with Colombia, but it was quickly evident that their manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, did not rate him as he only made 15 appearances for the Blues.

South African Steven Pienaar's move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2011 appeared to be a bargain for the Lily Whites, but this was not the case. The midfielder spent only one season at White Hart Lane, making just five Premier League appearances for the club.

Others in this list include: Benni McCarthy, Lukas Podolski and Mohamad Salah.

Can you think of any other players who could have joined this list? Have your say in the comments section below.