Players who should leave
Premier League managers will be scouring the market for potential additions to their squad in the January window, but there are several top-flight players who will be desperate for a move elsewhere.
In this slideshow we pick out 18 players who should leave their current clubs next month...
Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal)
Jenkinson is just six months away from celebrating his eighth anniversary as an Arsenal player, although he’s barely been seen in a Gunners shirt since 2013/14. The former Charlton man has indeed made only nine appearances for the club since then, just one of which has come in the Premier League.
Jenkinson has spent time on loan at West Ham and Birmingham in the last few seasons, but the time has surely come for the defender to push for a permanent transfer. Occasion Europa League and League Cup outings shouldn’t be enough for a 26-year-old who’s played for England.
Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Maurizio Sarri has largely stuck with a settled starting XI this season, with Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz his favoured partnership at centre-back. Cahill has therefore been one of the main victims of the Blues’ switch from a three-man defence to four at the back, playing just 21 of a possible 1710 Premier League minutes in the first half of 2018/19.
Reports suggest the 33-year-old will be permitted to leave the club on loan in January, paving the way for a permanent exit in the summer. “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions,” the defender said when discussing his future in September. “As it is, I’m not enjoying things.”
Fabri (Fulham)
One of 12 acquisitions made in a muddled summer transfer window which has contributed to Fulham’s current struggles, Fabri began the campaign as first-choice goalkeeper at Craven Cottage. He was dropped after just two appearances, however, and has now slipped below both Sergio Rico and Marcus Bettinelli in the shot-stopper stakes.
Although he only arrived in west London a few months ago, Fabri can’t be happy at a situation where he isn’t even getting on the bench. A loan move until the end of the season could help him rediscover his confidence.
Eliaquim Mangala (Man City)
Mangala suffered a knee injury soon after joining Everton on loan last January, a setback which prematurely ended his season. He’s still working his way back to full fitness 11 months on, but a return to first-team reckoning at the Etihad Stadium looks highly unlikely.
Should his rehabilitation continue to progress in the next few weeks, Mangala would be wise to seek another temporary switch away from Manchester before the window closes. Provided he proves his fitness, the centre-back won’t be short of suitors.
Matthew Connolly (Cardiff)
Now in his seventh season at the Cardiff City Stadium, a lack of first-team opportunities could see Connolly bid south Wales farewell in the coming weeks. The Arsenal academy graduated played just four times as Neil Warnock’s side won promotion last season, and he’s yet to get on the field in the Premier League in 2018/19.
Now 31, Connolly will be keen for more regular football as he enters the final years of his career. A switch back to the Championship would suit all parties involved.
Danny Drinkwater (Chelsea)
Maurizio Sarri recently explained that his preference for a 4-3-3 formation means Drinkwater is unlikely to feature for Chelsea again this season, with the former Leicester man more comfortable in a two-man midfield.
With Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Ross Barkley, Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all fighting for minutes in the engine room, Drinkwater should admit defeat in his bid to establish himself as a Stamford Bridge regular. Having starred in Leicester’s title triumph in 2015/16, the three-time England international has already shown he has plenty to offer at this level.
Matty James (Leicester)
James ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a 2-0 defeat of Southampton in May 2015, an injury which ruled him out for the entirety of Leicester’s triumphant title-winning campaign. The former Manchester United midfielder played just one Premier League game in 2016/17, before making 14 appearances for the Foxes in all competitions last season.
James was a surprise inclusion in Leicester’s 25-man squad for the current campaign, but he’s yet to feature in a top-flight game. Dropping down to the Championship next month would serve the 27-year-old’s career well.
Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Heaton began 2017/18 as Burnley’s No.1, but he could end this season as the third-choice goalkeeper if he doesn’t leave the club in January. Joe Hart hasd donned the gloves at Turf Moor before Heaton's unexpected recall last weekend, but Nick Pope’s imminent return from injury will likely keep Heaton out of the starting XI anyway.
Goalkeepers tend to retire later than outfielders, but the 32-year-old will still be keen to play week in, week out at this stage of his career. A host of Championship clubs would be delighted to capture the former Manchester United shot-stopper.
Lazar Markovic (Liverpool)
Still only 24 years old, Markovic has plenty of time to get his career back on track – but he shouldn’t waste any more of it in Liverpool’s reserves. The Serbia international played 34 times for the Reds in 2014/15 but has barely been seen since, save for brief stints on loan at Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Hull and Anderlecht.
Markovic hasn’t even been included in a matchday squad in any competition this term, with the summer signing of Xherdan Shaqiri pushing the winger even further down the pecking order at Anfield.
Georges-Kevin N'Koudou (Tottenham)
Tottenham’s injury problems in the first half of the season have put paid to the myth that they have no strength in depth, but N’Koudou has failed to force his way into the side even though Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura have all missed matches due to injury or international duty.
A loan move to Burnley last January gave N’Koudou his first taste of Premier League football over an extended period; a similar switch this term would be beneficial to the 23-year-old, who may also be open to a return to Ligue 1.
Jonny Williams (Crystal Palace)
After playing a prominent part in Wales’ run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Williams was expected to leave Crystal Palace in search of more regular minutes elsewhere. Instead he stayed put, playing eight league games on loan at Ipswich but otherwise enduring an unproductive 2016/17.
A loan spell at Sunderland followed in 2017/18, as Williams again proved incapable of forcing his way into the first-team picture at Selhurst Park. Injuries haven’t helped his cause, but the 25-year-old is fully fit at present and should look to move on for good in the January window.
Stefano Okaka (Watford)
Watford manager Javi Gracia has used four different players up front this term – Troy Deeney, Gerard Deulofeu, Andre Gray and Isaac Success – but Okaka hasn’t yet been given a chance from the start of the Premier League game. The burly Italian has played just 22 minutes in the top tier in 2018/19, and generally doesn't even make the Hornets' matchday squad.
The 29-year-old is under contract at Vicarage Road until 2021, but he would be advised to try and cut short his stay unless guarantees about more first-team football are forthcoming.
Andy King (Leicester)
King has been on Leicester’s books since the age of 15, and his emotional connection to the club is probably what’s kept him at the King Power Stadium for so long. Still, the midfielder played just 11 Premier League games for the Foxes last season and isn’t even part of Claude Puel’s 25-man squad for the current campaign.
There’s a chance that King could force his way into that group when the lists are resubmitted in January, but it would be more productive for him to seek a move away. Swansea, for whom he played 11 matches on loan in 2017/18, is one potential destination.
Collin Quaner (Huddersfield)
Goals have again been hard to come by for Huddersfield this season, after David Wagner’s side finished 2017/18 as the division’s joint-lowest scorers. Quaner didn’t find the net in 25 games for Town last time out, and he’s yet to trouble opposition goalkeepers this year either – although, in fairness, that’s because he’s only played 37 Premier League minutes.
The 6ft 3in German can’t be happy with such limited involvement, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was no longer at the John Smith’s Stadium when the winter window closes at the end of January.
Marcos Rojo (Man United)
Manchester United’s defensive issues this season have been well documented – only Bournemouth and the bottom five have conceded more goals – but Rojo has still been unable to force his way into the starting line-up on a regular basis.
The Argentine has appeared in just two Premier League games in 2018/19, and only made four of 20 matchday squads altogether. With several players preferred to him at both left-back and centre-back, Rojo should leave United in January.
Ezequiel Schelotto (Brighton)
Schelotto established himself as Brighton’s first-choice right-back in spring 2017, but he’s yet to add to the 20 Premier League appearances he racked up last season. Bruno and Martin Montoya have shared the duties between them in 2018/19, forcing Schelotto to watch on from the sidelines.
The attack-minded full-back hasn’t even made the bench in the league or cup this term, a situation which may prove untenable for the former Inter man. A January exit, either permanently or on loan, seems inevitable.
Adrien Silva (Leicester)
Ever since he was forced to miss the first half of last season due to a registration issue, things haven’t quite gone to plan for Silva at Leicester. The emergence of Hamza Choudhury and resurgence of Papy Mendy have seen the Portuguese fall out of favour under Claude Puel, who’s started him just once in the Premier League this campaign.
Silva turns 30 in March and will therefore be wary of spending too much time on the sidelines. The only potential obstacle blocking a January exit is Leicester’s likely desire to recoup the £22m they paid for his services in 2017.
Pape Souare (Crystal Palace)
Given the nature of the car crash he was involved in on the M4 in 2016, it’s a miracle that Souare is still a professional footballer. The Senegalese defender has since admitted that the incident could have cost him his life, so his return to action in September 2017 capped off a remarkable recovery from a broken jaw and shattered thighbone.
Game time has proved hard to come by since then, however, with Souare restricted to just three appearances so far this season. With Patrick van Aanholt firmly established as Palace’s first-choice left-back, the ex-Lille man should seek new employers in January.
