One of the largest transfer windows in the A-League's history saw World Cup-scorers, former prodigies, a slew of top-flight talent and a current controversial Socceroo make the competition their new home.

There was even room for the first signing announcement from 2019/20 A-League entrants, Western Melbourne, who snapped up 28-cap Greek international Panagiotis Kone. 

But while high-profile A-League transfers garnered much of the attention, many former and promising foreign-based Socceroos were quietly securing new clubs of their own.

Now that the ink's dried and the paperwork's settled, FTBL recaps every Socceroo January transfer, analysing their career moves and sussing out a few of the low-key swaps you may have missed...

Jamie Maclaren

Not even a maiden Socceroos goal could prevent Macca from garnering significant criticism from the Australian public throughout their underwhelming Asian Cup defence. 

Maclaren notched one strike in five tournament appearances, leaving him with an unimpressive one goal in 13 Socceroo caps. But January ended on a brighter note for the 25-year-old after he secured a lucrative four-year contract back Down Under with cashed-up Melbourne City.

While a young Maclaren had dominated in the A-League - equalling Mat Ryan's record as the only footballer to win the A-League's Young Player of the Season award twice - Maclaren was unable to translate that success overseas. The Aussie's failure to launch with SV Darmstadt was stark, failing to score across seven 2.Bundesliga appearances before securing a loan move to Hibernian.

For his part, Maclaren was honest about the trials of moving overseas, reminding critics that settling into another country is a lot tougher than people think. Unfortunately, not even an English-speaking country and a plethora of Socceroos in the Hibernian squad (Maclaren shared a team-sheet with Mark Milligan and newly-adopted Martin Boyle) could assist him to make Europe his new home.

Now returning to the league he dominated before a rough patch overseas, every Socceroos fan will be hoping he can reclaim some of the lost form, and confidence, which allowed him to score 40 goals in just 53 A-League appearances for Brisbane Roar before his departure.

"I want to win trophies," Maclaren said. "I still haven't won anything in Australia and Melbourne City share my ambitions."

Mitch Duke

Another Socceroo returning home, the contrasting length of Duke's overseas spell is evened out by the brevity of his international career. However, if there's one achievement Maclaren will want to share with Duke, it's the impact of his homecoming. 

The lanky forward crowned his Western Sydney Wanderers debut with a goal less than 20 seconds after stepping back on to a sun-baked A-League pitch; a strike rate to rival his two goals in four appearances for the national team.

After impressing during his breakout gig with Central Coast Mariners, the striker's diverse set of attributes appealed to J1 League side Shimizu S Pulse, in the second division of Japanese football.

Despite only scoring three league goals in 89 appearances in Japan, Duke was a key player for the influential Japanese club. Largely playing off the wing, he worked his physicality - not the first Aussie to leverage a hip-and-shoulder in Asia - to great effect. 

Now back in Oz, Duke joins fellow returnee Kwame Yeboah in a new-look Western Sydney Wanderers lineup, intending to add further support to marquee Oriol Riera.

But whether a few extra cannons can patch-up the Wanderers' leaky ship remains to be seen, despite scoring a boatful and boasting a lineup brimming with attacking talent, the Wanderers' major issues are in the hull.

Ryan McGowan

Unlike many modern fullbacks, McGowan wasn't blessed with a sterling array of attacking attributes. He was never Hector Bellerin-pacey, couldn't drive a blasting free-kick like Roberto Carlos and certainly didn't possess Marcelo-esque ball control.

As a result he often tended to drift under the radar, but a series of solid career decisions, determined consistency and an unwavering skillset have ensured McGowan's racked up an admirable 20 Socceroos caps.

His latest move, a season-loan from League One side Bradford City, where McGowan featured regularly and led the Bantams to a respectable 11th-placed finish, to Dundee FC, city rivals to Dundee United where McGowan dominated in 2015, follows a similar trajectory.

At 29, McGowan still has the legs to match his footballing intelligence and at Dundee, will be able to carve out the regular game-time and consistent performances that continue to keep him within the broader Socceroos frame, albeit just.

Milos Degenek

A far less-popular move among the footballing community, Degenek's transfer - announced during the Asian Cup - from Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade to Asian powerhouses Al-Hilal was shrouded in controversy.

While some Aussies were quick to judge a perceived cash-grab, there were also claims that the former European Champions, which Degenek had supported as a boy, forced the Australian defender out due to the lucrative sum Al-Hilal offered. 

Regardless, what appears a downgrade for the 24-year-old, who had excelled in Champions League matchups against the likes of Liverpool, may not be as greater step down as many assume.

While Degenek's Champions League experience put him at the pinnacle of world football, the day-to-day competition in the Serbian SuperLiga is inconsistent at best.

While Degenek's 'Asian Club of the Century' faces similar challenges in the Saudi Pro League, the pressure to perform is arguably even greater.

With those pressures extending to the Asian Champions League every season and, as Aussies are now well aware, a rapidly improving standard of Asian football to boot - the move may not be quite as dark for Degenek as it seems.

Alex Gersbach

If Socceroos fans breathed a sigh of relief at Gersbach's transfer, under the guise that one of Australia's most promising youngsters was surely going to get back to playing regular first-team football this season...well, don't hold your breath. 

The national left-back position now dominated by Aziz Behich (another footballer warming the reserves) once seemed Gersbach's to lose, with the 21-year-old quickly rising to prominence in Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos rejuvenation.

But Behich's superb form in the Turkish Super Lig coincided with Gersbach's unfortunate move to Norway's FK Rosenborg, leaving the left-back position a one-man race.

While the Norwegian giants seemed a relatively safe move for the Aussie after highly successful spells at Sydney FC and in France's Ligue 2 with RC Lens, Gersbach was unable to attain consistent game-time in the Eliteserien, falling foul to an unexpectedly tough defence, brimming with similarly talented, youthful Norwegian competition. 

Unfortunately Rosenborg's position as undisputed powerhouses, not just in Norway but in Scandinavia, in addition to the extremely inhospitable weather conditions, created a few too many obstacles for the young Aussie to overcome.

But while a transfer to NAC Breda in the Eredivisie appears a step-up, both in terms of potential chances and playing level, whether Gersbach will actually be able to secure regular game time is less certain.

At Breda, Gersbach will face direct competition from former Manchester City youth Greg Leigh, a 24-year-old former England youth-international with huge amounts of EFL experience.

Then there's a slew of mammoth-loanees, with the recently promoted club taking full advantage of the Eredivisie's growing reputation as a loan-hub for large English clubs. In short, like most Dutch clubs, NEC are increasingly a development powerhouse. 

This move can go one of two ways for Gersbach...

Bernie Ibini

For a 26-year-old who it seems just yesterday was gangling awkwardly (yet devastatingly) around Gosford, Ibini's had one hell of a journeyman career.

From the quiet, ketchup-soaked terraces of Central Coast to bustling Shanghai, Sydney to Bruges, snow-blazen Vancouver to the desert-stained Arab Emirates - you get the feeling Ibini's got a decent travel blog in him if the football doesn't work out.

The most recent stamp in his overflowing passport, however, may just ensure that it does. Two-time Asian Champions League winners and reigning Korean champions, Jeonbuk Hyundai, are right up there with Al-Hilal among the creme-de-la-creme of Asian football.

Which is why it's a little surprising more wasn't made of Ibini's transfer. Perhaps it was a barren spell in Canada (he's never been a prolific goalscorer) or the Emirati adventure, but Ibini hasn't had a sniff of a Socceroos shirt since 2014. 

While the Aussie will face stiff competition in Korea, as Duke and so many others can attest - at 187 centimetres and a little more muscle than when he departed our shores, Ibini has something different to offer.

In a 42-man squad with 39 Koreans and two Brazillians, it's likely he'll stand out at one stage or another.

Dylan McGowan

Despite 'the other McGowan' not quite reaching the lofty-World Cup heights of his older brother, Dylan's career has taken a few interesting turns since his pilgrimage from the City of Churches.

After failing to break into Pacos de Ferreira following his tantalising move to the Portugese Primeira Liga, McGowan had a short spell at Korea's Gangwon.

After 15 appearances and a goal to his name, McGowan now journeys to the quaint Danish town of Hjorring - a village about three times as old as British settlement in Oz - where he'll take up residency at Vendsyssel FF.

While the Fodboldklubber are new boys in the Danish Superliga and McGowan will likely enjoy more first-team football than he's had over the past two years, the one-cap Socceroo will join a diverse plethora of footballers seeking to use Denmark as a stepping stone to Europe's big leagues. 

Only time will tell which, if any, end up making it.

Source: Damian Davies' Aussies Abroad Transfer Database