Everton had a January to forget but the one signing they did make could prove to have been one of the most important deals of this Premier League campaign.
From the return of the World Cup, the season went downhill. The slip that preceded the unprecedented break turned into a landslide and the Blues crashed through crises - on and off the pitch - on their way into the bottom three.
No new players arrived and this was a month of just three goals and four defeats, the form sadly ending the relationship with Frank Lampard that had proved so strong and, at times, looked so promising. But in his replacement, Everton have given themselves the best chance of salvaging survival from the wreckage.
