Joshua Jones looks at a handful of top-flight moves which make a lot of sense this January – including a busy month for Arsenal. Wait, that can't be right...
Hatem Ben Arfa (PSG to Leicester)
The former Newcastle winger is currently at French giants PSG but on the brink of an exit from the Parc des Princes, having not played this season. Rumours abound that the capital club will simply release him from his contract this month to get his wages off the books.
And Leicester could be a suitable fit. Ben Arfa can play in any of the positions behind the main striker, and with Riyad Mahrez’s future uncertain, provide a ready-made replacement for the Algerian. Even if Mahrez stays, an extra option couldn't hurt the Foxes – and Ben Arfa joining Demarai Gray, Shinji Okazaki and Marc Albrighton would certainly satisfy Claude Puel.
Ben Arfa's reputation often undermines his ability, but he excelled in his one season at Nice under Puel and this looks like a move that would suit all concerned.
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool to Brighton, loan)
Sturridge is one of England’s best strikers when fit – but that's just the thing. While the 28-year-old has busied physios, Jurgen Klopp has reinforced heavily up front and now Sturridge's first-team prospects at Anfield look bleaker than ever.
The Birmingham native scored 21 goals in 29 appearances for Liverpool in 2013/14, when he and strike partner Luis Suarez almost won the Merseyside club a maiden Premier League title. Since then he’s netted only 17 Premier League goals in three-and-a-half seasons.
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Back fit again after another injury, a loan move to Brighton – themselves desperate for additional firepower to stay in the league – could give Sturridge the football he needs to woo Gareth Southgate in time for a World Cup recall.
Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea to Monaco, loan)
Batshuayi was Antonio Conte’s first signing as Chelsea manager, and the London club splashed £33m on the Belgian striker. He scored five league goals last season, including the title-clincher against West Brom, but has fallen out of Conte’s plans despite the departure of Diego Costa in the summer.
The Blues are hardly flush with out-and-out strikers – Batshuayi is essentially second in line to Alvaro Morata – but Conte has said he won't stand in a player's way with the 2018 World Cup ahead. "I understand it’s very important to keep players very happy to stay here to work with us and I think this must be our priority," said the Italian. "At the same time, I was a player and I will understand if someone is thinking in this way (that they need to play more).”
Monaco, meanwhile, lost teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe to PSG and are reliant on club captain Radamel Falcao to score their goals. The French principality club have former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo in their corner these days, and the Nigerian could use that influence to his benefit here – if his old club can get a replacement in time.
Theo Walcott (Arsenal to Southampton, loan)
Walcott signed for Arsenal from Southampton 12 years ago, and five months later was on England's plane for the 2006 World Cup.
Since then he's never really scaled the heights expected of him, though, partly down to neither he nor Arsene Wenger deciding on his best position and a long list of injury lay-offs. He's made just five league appearances this term, none of them starts, and a loan move back to his former club would suit both.
Southampton have scored just 21 times this season, and Walcott could just be exactly what they need to reverse their alarming form. It's hard to see how this move wouldn't make everyone happy.
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal to Manchester City), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester to Arsenal)
Sanchez is still at the Emirates Stadium despite having just a year left on his contract and being heavily linked with a move away – namely to Manchester City, who wanted him on deadline day but couldn't get Arsenal to sanction the move.
Pep Guardiola could intensify those efforts this month, with Gabriel Jesus set for a couple of months on the sidelines and the Champions League knockouts still to come (Arsenal, of course, aren't in the competition this year so Sanchez is eligible). City won't want the bunfight when Sanchez is a free agent in the summer.
Either way, Sanchez will definitely leave Arsenal in the next six months, something the Gunners will have accepted long ago. So why not act now to get the Chilean's replacement while using some of the cash they'll receive for him in doing so?
Arsene Wenger has previously admitted interest in Leicester's Mahrez, who has sparkled this season after publicly declaring his ambition to leave the King Power Stadium last summer. Claude Puel has got the best out of his Algerian playmaker just in time for the transfer window, and while Leicester really don't want to sell, a gentleman's agreement with their mercurial star means they'll accept the right offer when it comes in. This is Arsenal's chance to get him.
Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla to Arsenal)
Is it too much to ask Arsenal to sign two players worth going for in one window? Probably. But N’Zonzi is another player who could fill a problem area. The Frenchman grew in stature during his time at Blackburn and Stoke, and since joining Sevilla in 2015 has established himself as one of Spain's most reliable midfielders.
A fall-out with former boss Eduardo Berizzo left him out in the cold, though, and while new boss Vincenzo Montella wants to keep the 29-year-old, this is an ideal time for a Premier League club to make their move. Granit Xhaka continues to blow hot and cold, Francis Coquelin is out of favour and Mohamed Elneny isn't up to scratch for a top-four team, making N'Zonzi a sensible target for the north Londoners.
West Ham and Everton have both been linked so far, though, so Wenger will have to act fast. Better keep those hopes low then, Arsenal fans...
Danny Ings (Liverpool to Newcastle)
Hopes were high when Ings signed for Liverpool from Burnley in 2015, but an ACL injury in Klopp’s first training session has blighted his career since and limited him to just 14 appearances for the Reds. Cruelly, upon his return he damaged his other knee and faced another nine months on the sidelines.
Ings is unlikely to break into the starting XI at Anfield anytime soon, though, and a move away may well be the best thing for him. Newcastle have hit a terrible run of form and the pressure is building on Rafa Benitez’s side, who have scored just 20 goals this season.
Dwight Galye and Joselu have three goals each, while five players have two, including centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark. In reality they could face a battle to get their hands on Ings – it's probably between him and Sturridge who goes this month, and his team-mate's greater need for football could tip the balance.
Islam Slimani (Leicester to Besiktas)
Slimani signed for Leicester for a club-record £30m in 2016, but has never found his best form for the Foxes. With Jamie Vardy the obvious first choice up front, plus Kelechi Iheanacho, Shinji OKazaki and Leo Ulloa waiting in the wings, the Algerian will likely be on the move this month.
Besiktas could be the ideal fit. Everton are on the brink of securing a deal to sign their star man Cenk Tosun, and Slimani could fill the void left behind. The Turkish club would be an attractive switch for the 29-year-old too, what with Champions League football back on the table.
