The January transfer market is a tricky one. Just as clubs start to get the ball rolling at negotiating tables, the month is coming to an end and prices rocket sky high.

Managers are often seen as desperate, looking for that striker or centre-back that their team has been crying out for all season.

To pull off a successful, and not overpriced, January arrival takes shrewd knowledge of the market and good judgement.

Over the past decade, a few Everton managers have shown this knack and acquired some good little players.

This month, current boss, Ronald Koeman, has already brought in Morgan Schneiderlin and Ademola Lookman, who have both already impressed, and there are just a few days remaining to pull off any last minute deals.

Shoot!’s Toby Bryant delves into Everton’s bank books from the past decade to give his account on The Toffee’s top 5 January Signings…

5. Landon Donovan

American centre forward Landon Donovan may not have stayed at Everton long, but he certainly did make an impact.

The forward arrived on loan for the first time in January 2010 and returned to Goodison Park two years later in 2012.

During his first spell, Donovan played 13 times and managed two goals and three assists. The statistics may not be mind-blowing, but the American certainly made a big impact on the side with his experience. So much so that he won Player of the Month in January 2010 after his first four weeks at the club.

The Toffees tried to bring Donovan back once his loan spell ended but, sadly, failed.

That is, until 2012, when he returned on loan during the January transfer market.

Again, the centre forward took no time settling in, picking up six assists in nine games, including impressive wins over Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League, as well as Fulham in the FA Cup.

4. Morgan Schneiderlin

It may be too early to say whether Morgan Schneiderlin will become an impressive signing or not in the long run, but on paper, the deal certainly looks notable.

He was a longstanding and dominating presence in the Southampton midfield for seven years, winning Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Season after the Saints’ return to the Premier League for the 2012-13 campaign.

His career may have stalled in the two years he was at Manchester United, but now at Goodison, he has the chance to cement a starting role again.

With Gareth Barry ageing, the Frenchman arrives at a perfect time.

He may only just be setting in at Everton however, in ten years from now, Schneiderlin could well be at number one on this list.

3. John Stones

This may be a bit of a hard one for Everton fans to take.

However, John Stones has to be considered one of the top three January signings from the last decade.

His big-money move to Manchester City may have frustrated many Toffees fans, but the club did make a close to£44m profit on the defender.

Stones was always learning at the club, forever error-prone, but his calmness and composure on the ball at the back, as well as pace and tackling, were a joy to behold.

Furthermore, Roberto Martinez and his scouts’ ability to unearth such a young diamond was phenomenal and certainly boosted the Everton banks last summer!

2. Nikica Jelavic

Nikica Jelavic arrived at Everton in January 2012 when the club was calling out for a consistent goalscorer and the Croat fulfilled that role.

It took him a couple of months to net his first goal, which came in March 2012 in a 1-0 win against Tottenham at Goodison.

However, once this went in, there was no stopping the striker.

Jelavic scored 11 goals in 16 games for Everton in only half a season and quickly became a fan favourite.

He became the first Toffee to score in five successive away games since Duncan McKenzie in 1977-78 and the quickest player to reach 10 goals for the club since Tom Browell in 1912. Prolific.

His goalscoring form continued into the start of the 2012-13 season, but a loss of form saw a reduction in game time with Victor Anichebe and then Romelu Lukaku pushing him out of Goodison Park.

1. Seamus Coleman

There is only one player who could beat Jelavic to the number one spot, Seamus Coleman.

The Irishman was signed by Everton in January 2009 for only £60,000. A fee which, for one of the best full-backs in the world now, is unbelievable.

The defender didn’t make his debut until October 2009 because of injury and was loaned out to Blackpool in March 2010 before breaking into the Everton side the following season.

He started in midfield, but has moved to right-back in recent years, which is a role he has dominated ever since.

Coleman is one of the most popular Everton players and it is easy to see why. He is committed, loyal, makes crunching tackles, prolific and a bargain!