The
transfer window is officially open, so which Premier League players need a
change of scenery?
The January window is an opportunity for clubs to strengthen their squads,
but it is also a chance for players to pursue new challenges.
From Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge to Leicester's club-record signing Islam
Slimani, here are six players who need a move.
Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge's future has been the subject of constant speculation in
recent seasons. The 28-year-old was outstanding in the 2013/14 campaign,
scoring 24 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions under Brendan
Rodgers, but he has never looked like recapturing that form under Jurgen
Klopp.
Injuries appear to have taken a toll. Sturridge has only started 23 Premier
League games out of 96 in the last three seasons due to problems with
fitness and form, and he now finds himself firmly behind Roberto Firmino in
Klopp's pecking order. The Liverpool boss said he had no plans to sell
Sturridge back in November, but he has only played 18 minutes since then.
With the World Cup around the corner and with Sturridge set to move into the
final year of his contract next season, a January departure might make sense
for all parties. While there are question marks over whether he is the
player he once was, he is unlikely to be short of suitors.
Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw appeared to have the world at his feet when he joined Manchester
United from Southampton as the world's most expensive teenager back in 2014,
but it has not worked out as expected. A broken leg stalled the left-back's
progress after a difficult first season at Old Trafford, and he has been
struggling to win over Jose Mourinho ever since.
There have been glimmers of hope in recent weeks, with Shaw starting his
first Premier League games since April against Bournemouth, Burnley and
Southampton, but the suspicion is that Mourinho's hand has been forced by
injuries. Shaw is still young, 22, and has time on his side, but he could be
forgiven for thinking he might benefit from more regular playing time
elsewhere.
Ross Barkley
It seemed Everton were about to bank £35m on Ross Barkley when the
midfielder travelled to Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer
window, but a last-minute change of heart saw him stay at Goodison Park. He
has spent the first half of the season recovering from a hamstring injury,
but his name is back in the headlines now.
Sam Allardyce says he would be open to welcoming Barkley back into the fold
at Everton, but he has since admitted the club is "at loggerheads" with the
player as he enters the final six months of his contract. It is unclear
whether Chelsea and Tottenham will come back in for him this month, but he
appears unwilling to sign a new deal at his boyhood club. Is it time for a
new challenge?
David Luiz
At the end of last season, it seemed inconceivable that David Luiz's future
might be in doubt just a few months later. The Brazil international had
played a vital role in Chelsea's Premier League title triumph, with Antonio
Conte lauding him as one of the best defenders in the world, but an apparent
falling out with the Blues head coach has changed the situation
dramatically.
Luiz has lost his place in the team to Andreas Christensen, a player Conte
now describes as a future Chelsea captain, and has not played a single
minute in the Premier League since October. With rumours of interest from
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona swirling, it seems he is nearing
the end of his second spell at Stamford Bridge.
Theo Walcott
This is Theo Walcott's 12th full season as an Arsenal player but never has
he looked further away from Arsene Wenger's first-choice team. At 28, he
should be entering the peak of his career, but instead he finds himself out
of favour with his club and at risk of missing out on another World Cup with
his country.
It has been an alarming fall from grace. Walcott featured regularly for
Arsenal last season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, but he has been
on the fringes ever since he publically questioned their desire after a
shambolic 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in April.
He has been reduced to Europa League and EFL Cup appearances this season,
playing just 48 minutes in the Premier League. He scored a goal and provided
an assist in a recent win over BATE Borisov, but it was telling that he was
not even named in the squad when Arsenal returned to Premier League action a
few days later. It's surely time for Arsenal's longest-serving player to
move on.
I
slam Slimani
Leicester spent a club-record £29m on Islam Slimani last summer, but he has
been a peripheral figure during his second season at the King Power. The
Algeria international has not started a single Premier League game since
September and his only goals this season have come in the Carabao Cup.
Claude Puel's recent comments suggest the situation is unlikely to change
any time soon. "I don't put my team in place based on the price of the
player," he said last week. "We have said before we have a lot of players in
the same position and with different profiles but we have only one or two
places in the team." Slimani could be one to watch in the month ahead.
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