The dust has finally settled on a January window in which Africa's star players were the subject of some of the most lucrative deals, and at the heart of some of the biggest rumours.
Free agents are still able to find new clubs despite the window closing for Europe's major leagues on Feb. 3, while teams in various leagues including MLS, the Turkish Super Lig, and the Australian A-League are still able to transfer players.
Looking back over the January transfer window, ESPN run the rule over the moves that have got us excited, and those hotly anticipated deals that didn't go through.
Africa's best deals of the January window
The standout African deal of the window, and indeed the second-most expensive deal of January after Jhon Durán's switch to Al-Nassr, is the €75 million deal that took Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City.
It's an eye-watering fee for a player who only hit his current career trajectory relatively recently, and Marmoush finds himself joining a team in transition; he was helpless, for example, as he and his new City teammates were dismantled 5-1 by Arsenal soon after.
Yet while the Egyptian's form during the first half of the Bundesliga season, as well as his bright showing on his Premier League debut against Chelsea, suggest that he'll adapt promptly to life in the top flight, the true success (or otherwise) can only truly be evaluated in several years' time.
At 25, the versatile forward becomes of the new building blocks of Pep Guardiola's Etihad Stadium rebuild, as the imperious team of the last four seasons is overhauled amidst the crisis of this season.
Marmoush's qualities saw him score 15 goals and register nine assists during his 17 Bundesliga matches this season, and he has the capacity to become Africa's next Premier League superstar.
Former Wolves captain Mario Lemina secured a £2 million move to Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray, managed by Jose Mourinho, in a deal that could well prove to be the African bargain of the transfer window.
The midfielder-cum-defender endured a tough final few months at Molineux, notably being stripped of the captaincy by former coach Gary O'Neil as a relegation battle appeared to be turning against the Old Gold.
"I will never forget the incredible moments we shared, nor the passion and energy you, the supporters, brought to every match," https://www.instagram.com/p/DFtE89VyqeX/?hl=enLemina wrote in an emotional social media message to the Wolves fans.
"Those moments of joy and challenge have helped me grow not only as a player, but also as a person."
The Gabon international's form dipped, perhaps burdened by the armband, but at only 31, and having already demonstrated his class in the Super Lig, he can put a tough start to the season behind him.
He could yet end the year with major silverware, with Gala currently leading the table, six points ahead of Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce.
Gab & Juls discuss Adana Demirspor's decision to walk off the pitch against Galatasaray.
It's a rarity to see a starting goalkeeper move clubs in a big-money deal in the January, but Congolese stopper Brice Samba did exactly that when he left RC Lens for Stade Rennais on Jan. 8.
Samba had featured 15 times for Les Sang et Or in Ligue 1, even wearing the Nordistes' armband before pushing through a move to hook up with Senegalese head coach Habib Beye.
The ex-Nottingham Forest keeper is one of the most complete No. 1's in Europe, even though he isn't typically mentioned among the world's best in his position, and has immediately pushed his former Marseille rival and ex-France stopper Steve Mandanda onto the bench.
With steady Samba now established as their starting keeper, expect Rennes to pull away from the relegation zone.
Romain Esse's switch to Crystal Palace from Millwall also looks like astute business by the Eagles, suiting their modus operandi and representing a sensible next career move for the Anglo-Ivorian wonderkid.
Palace have already demonstrated how effectively they can take rough gems from the Championship and allow their natural flair to flourish while cultivating their broader footballing development.
Esse, with his dribbling, his height, his immaculate first touch and acceleration is a tantalising prospect either out wide or - potentially in the future - through the middle, and has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.
"He will be a typical Crystal Palace signing - a young player from the Championship that we will help in his development," Eagles coach Oliver Glasner told journalists. "This is what we will do with Romain.
"We are convinced of his skills," he added. "Left foot, good first touch, understanding of the game and finding spaces. Then we will work with him and support him to improve.
"It gives us one more option in attack."
An honourable mention for Nigeria's Emmanuel Dennis, whose loan move from Nottingham Forest to Blackburn Rovers gives the energetic forward an opportunity for minutes, while the Lancastrians should get a much-needed boost for their flagging playoff charge.
Similarly, Maxwel Cornet had come to the end of the road at West Ham United, and it should be exciting to see what he can achieve - and how he will be used - after securing a loan move to Genoa.
Jeffrey Schlupp's loan move to Celtic, short on the left side after the exit of Álex Valle, makes sense for all parties.
We're not convinced...
There's no doubting that Chelsea new boy Mathis Amougou is a genuinely talented youngster, as he's demonstrated during his breakout season in French football with Saint-Etienne this term.
The 19-year-old, who also made his mark with France's U-19 and U-20 teams in 2024, made 17 Ligue 1 appearances for ASSE this term before being snapped up by Chelsea in a €15 million deal on deadline day.
It's hard to see how this ensures a positive career progression for the teenager, even if there are plans in motion for Amougou to move to Chelsea's partner club Strasbourg next season. But what about the coming months?
Surely there's no place for the youngster in Enzo Maresca's plans, and regular game time in a competitive top flight with Saint-Etienne would have been a more effective way for the youngster to hone his skills and acclimatise to senior football.
Longer-term, is there really a clear route to the Blues first team for Amougou considering the presence of Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia and Moisés Caicedo?
He's now in danger of joining the ranks of the club's 'loan army' and seeing his early-career momentum ebb away.
Anglo-Nigerian attacker Carney Chukwuemeka, two years older than Amougou, heads out of Cobham this window, and will hope that a loan move to Borussia Dortmund can help him rediscover some career impetus a la Jason Sancho last season.
The transfers that didn't materialise
The standout here was Bayern Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface's non-move to Al-Nassr, with the Saudi giants at one point appearing to be closing in on the Bayer Leverkusen striker.
His German employers allowed him to skip training last week as rumours swirled, but the assumption that he was on the brink of a move to the Middle East was ultimately ill-placed, as Aston Villa's Duran was instead unveiled as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané's latest teammate.
Boniface's teammates alluded to his disappointment in the aftermath of Leverkusen's 3-1 victory over Hoffenheim at the weekend - in which the Nigerian scored - although missing out on a move to Saudi Arabia may not prove to be the worst thing for the 24-year-old, who has also been linked to some European heavyweights in recent transfer windows.
Bryan Mbeumo was another player to feature prominently in the gossip sheets during the January window, with Arsenal and Manchester United - both clearly in need of more firepower - both rumoured to be monitoring the Cameroon international.
The rumours had a ring of authenticity given the Brentford man's excellent form in the top tier during the first half of the season, with Mbeumo having scored 14 in 24 Prem outings to date.
There was also talk of potential interest from Liverpool, and indeed, his pace, incisive dribbling, and movement cutting inside before shooting at goal could help the Reds replace Mohamed Salah should the Egyptian king depart for pastures new this year.
Entering the final 18 months of his contract, expect Mbeumo to get a move during the summer window, even if none of his would-be suitors opted to pull the trigger in January.
Amidst financial concerns at Olympique Lyonnais, Wilfried Zaha's temporary stay at the club was cut short before his loan move to Charlotte FC, while Franco-Algerian star Rayan Cherki had appeared set to follow him out of Parc OL.
The likes of Everton and Fulham had been mooted as potential destinations, while Liverpool had also been linked with the North African forward. Ultimately, he remains at Lyon, although don't be surprised if a move to the Premier League - or to Dortmund - materialises during the summer.