Kristie Mewis, Emily Fox and the Women's Super League's 10 best January transfer window deals - ranked

A signing as much for the future as it is for the present for Tottenham, Matilda Vinberg was named the Breakthrough Player of the Year at the end of the 2022 Damallsvenskan season, and to win an award in a league like Sweden's which is brimming with talented young prospects is no mean feat.

She ended her third season in her homeland's top flight with her best-ever return of seven goals, helping Hammarby to become Swedish champions for the first time in 38 years, and then decided to open a new chapter in her career with a January switch to Tottenham, where she will link-up with a fellow Swede in head coach Robert Vilahamn.

Spurs impressed in the first half of the season, not just with results like a first-ever win over north London rivals Arsenal, but because of the promising project they are building under Vilahamn. The recruitment of a top young talent like Vinberg, who is only 20 years old, is only another reason for fans to be optimistic about the future.

Another talent that has arrived in England from Sweden's Damallsvenskan, Yuka Momiki was one of the stars of the 2023 season thanks to the 15 goals and seven assists she recorded in just 24 outings for Linkopings. Though her team would fall just short of winning the title, Momiki did help them secure a Champions League spot and landed herself a nomination for the league's MVP award, while also being named Midfielder of the Year.

The Japanese star ended her time with the club on a high, then, before securing a switch to Leicester in January. She's already settled in nicely with the Foxes, putting in a couple of lively and creative performances in the league while registering an assist in the 5-1 thrashing of Everton in the Conti Cup.

After surviving a serious relegation scare last season, Leicester appear to have really kicked on this season and signings like that of Momiki will only help them take further steps forward.

Momiki isn’t the only Japanese talent that Leicester have added to their ranks in this transfer window. Saori Takarada was the Foxes’ first signing, a deal agreed back in early December, and she is already making a really positive impression in her new environment.

Only 23 years old, Takarada is a versatile footballer who plays with a maturity beyond her years and she has shown that in her first handful of appearances for Leicester, with her performance in the cup win over Everton particularly impressive.

Upon her arrival, Foxes boss Willie Kirk described his new signing as a player he felt could be “the missing link” for his team. While that might’ve added pressure for some, it hasn’t here, with Takarada already showing signs that she can live up to that hype at Leicester.

Picking up the Swedish theme again, Chelsea's first signing of this transfer window saw them bring in Sweden international Nathalie Bjorn for a significant six-figure fee. A versatile footballer who can play in a back three, a back four or in midfield, the 26-year-old also brings a wealth of experience with her after being involved with her national team for eight years now.

That ability to play multiple positions suits a Chelsea team that are fluid and adaptable themselves, but Bjorn's arrival is a particular boost for the Blues because of the absence of Millie Bright, who has been sidelined for a few months now with an injury.

The former Everton star adds necessary depth to the centre of defence, then, and is at that stage in her career where she is ready to kick on and take the next step, with her primed to develop into an important player for Chelsea in the years to come.

Spurs have been busy in the January window and they dipped into the Swedish market again to bring Charlotte Grant to the club. The Australia international has been playing in the Damallsvenskan for the past three years and the 2023 season was her best to date, earning her a spot in the Matildas' history-making Women's World Cup squad last summer as a result.

A versatile defender who can play anywhere across the back line, Grant is superb on both sides of the ball and will strengthen a Spurs defence which certainly feels like it can still improve, with the team having leaked far too many goals at times this season.

At 22 years old, and having signed a deal until 2026, her arrival is another exciting one for the project Vilahamn is building in north London, and she is sure to only get better in her time with the club, too.

Another Australian who has made the switch from Sweden to England, and to another London club no less, is Katrina Gorry. The 31-year-old has played on three continents, in seven countries and in seven major international tournaments, including last year's home World Cup in which she was one of the Matildas' star players. That experience could be absolutely crucial as West Ham, her new club, look to avoid the drop.

To add someone of Gorry's calibre and quality when it such a desperate situation is a huge bit of transfer business from the Hammers, and the midfielder already showed what she can bring to the table with a stand-out performance in the narrow but incredibly significant win over relegation rivals Bristol City at the end of January.

With her battling attitude, great vision and a vast passing range, Gorry could be one of the signings of the season if West Ham do indeed manage to stay in the WSL. If not, then there will surely be plenty of interest in her from other top-flight clubs in the summer window.

Many believed West Ham needed to have a strong January window in order to give themselves a chance at staying in the WSL and it's fair to say that, on paper, they appear to have had exactly that, because joining Gorry in midfield is Kristie Mewis, the U.S. women's national team star.

Fresh off the back of helping Gotham to win a first-ever NWSL title in November, it has long felt like a matter of time until Mewis would cross the pond and land in the WSL. The midfielder trained with Spurs in late 2021, after all, and she and her fiancée, Chelsea star Kerr, have spoken openly about their desire to remove the long-distance aspect of their relationship.

For West Ham to sign the 32-year-old, given the situation they find themselves in, is a massive coup, though. Mewis will bring quality and experience in abundance which, when coupled with Gorry's qualities in that new-look midfield, should certainly lift the level of this team and inspire further confidence in the players already at the club.

With Noelle Maritz moving to Aston Villa and Laura Wienroither still sidelined with a long-term ACL injury, Arsenal needed to bring in a full-back in January. To tick that box with the recruitment of Emily Fox was extremely impressive. The USWNT star is one of the most assured and effective in the position on the planet and, at 25 years old, she still has room to grow, too.

Fox has been steadily developing in the NWSL since being chosen first overall by Racing Louisville in the 2021 college draft. After two seasons with the Kentucky-based side, she joined the North Carolina Courage, the two-time Championship winners, in 2023 for her best season to date. Now, she's ready to take further steps forward in England.

The early signs already look good for player and club, with Fox catching the eye in the win over Liverpool at the end of January in particular, registering her first assist for the Gunners. She looks a perfect fit.

Just when it looked like the January window had delivered its biggest moments, Manchester City gave it an eye-catching finale when they announced three 11th hour signings, the most notable a reported £200,000 ($254,000) deal for Aston Villa starlet Laura Blindkilde Brown. It’s a fee not too far off the domestic record for a British player, which was the £250,000 ($317,000) Tottenham paid Chelsea for Bethany England last January.

To lose a player of Blindkilde Brown’s ability will be a huge blow for Villa, with whom she has spent the last few years fine-tuning her potential to become a first-team regular. On the flip side, the 20-year-old represents a great investment for the present and for the future for Man City.

Following the devastating news of Jill Roord’s ACL injury just a few days ago, Blindkilde Brown will provide extra depth in the midfield areas, with her also able to play out wide if needed. As for the long-term, one of England’s most exciting prospects finds herself at a club that has a knack for helping young Lionesses, such as Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp, take the next steps forward.

When Kerr was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury in the New Year, Chelsea fans could be forgiven for feeling a little pessimistic. The Blues' squad is well-stocked, of course, but the other centre-forward options in the squad are younger players who are still growing at the very highest level. Could they make do without one of the best strikers on the planet and still have a successful season? Or did they need to try and do some business in this difficult January window?

Given the obstacles that come with making good winter transfers, that Chelsea have managed to recruit one of the most exciting young forwards on the planet in Mayra Ramirez is truly superb. Levante, for whom the Colombian had scored six goals in seven games this season, did very well themselves to get what could become a world-record fee, if the add-ons are paid, but Chelsea have by no means overpaid for the 24-year-old, either.

Ramirez is a true goalscorer, a strong forward blessed with athletic traits that are complemented by clever movement and the natural instincts that any good striker possesses. She's already a devastating forward and she has time on her side as she looks ahead to a bright future.

In Ramirez, Chelsea have filled the Kerr-shaped void in the squad and made a signing that sets them up for well beyond this season, too. It's the best bit of business done by a WSL club in the January window, no doubt.