Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Forget the contract situation, even if it is relevant: what is Hazard’s motivation to stay now?
Chelsea are no longer the force they were, either at home or abroad, technically or financially. Conversely, Hazard is in his prime at 27, meaning he faces the threat of spending his best years at a club that's unlikely to challenge for the Champions League and appear incapable of rewarding him with the kind of wage which players of his standing can now expect to command.
Added to this is the tempestuous atmosphere which has descended upon Stamford Bridge and the uncertainty created by Antonio Conte’s increasingly fractious relationship with his employers. Chelsea have always worked like that, of course, and in the past Hazard has remained unaffected and, more importantly, loyal.
This time, though, there are all sorts of other factors in play: Manchester City’s impending dominance of English football and also the fact that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now in their 30s. Their abdication will eventually allow other players to compete for the Ballon d’Or. Either Hazard leaves this summer or that prize will forever elude him.
Anthony Martial (Man United)
Marcus Rashford is generally assumed to have suffered most in the wake of Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United, but Martial is at least an equal victim. At the time of writing, he has already had to make 10 Premier League appearances from the bench this season and that’s not a situation conducive to his long-term development.
It’s not a situation befitting his standing in the game, either. Martial is one of the most talented players in Europe and any time spent away from either his best position or the starting lineup is a waste.
The whispers have already begun. Rumours swirl that Martial’s agent has held discussions with Juventus and suggests that his client has grown weary of being in the background at Old Trafford.
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
A free agent in the summer, Wilshere is already the subject of interest from Everton and would probably intrigue a host of European sides as well.
The 2017/18 season has been semi-successful for him: good, because he’s stayed fit and is actually playing, but perhaps not quite well enough to convince anyone that he’s now worth a long-term investment for Arsenal (he's been offered a new deal, but on reduced terms). More so because, with the summer almost certain to bring reinforcements to the Emirates - and maybe also a change of manager - it’s easy to foresee Wilshere getting lost in that shuffle.
After all, despite his obvious ability on the ball, whether he can actually function within a midfield two remains questionable. He may not be a complete enough player to exist at the very top of the game. Wilshere needs to play and, even if it bruises his ego, a move to a slightly less competitive squad might be in his best interests.
Jonny Evans (West Brom)
A virtual certainty, even if West Brom somehow pulled off a miraculous survival. Evans is coveted by some big names at the top of the Premier League and, given how far that interest has been taken, it’s slightly strange that he’s still at The Hawthorns.
However, if ever a season has convinced a player that his future should lie somewhere else, it’s surely this one. From a personal perspective, Evans must know that he’s still capable of playing at a higher level (and for greater reward). More broadly, why would the 30-year-old spend the good years he has left at what increasingly seems like a dysfunctional club?
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester)
He should certainly have gone about it in a different way, but one could argue that – had it gone through – Mahrez would have deserved his move to Manchester City in January. Whether that would truly have been in his best interests is another matter, but he’s done enough to warrant a permanent home within a top-six Premier League side.
He’ll go at the end of the season and, although Manchester City would seem to be in pole position to sign him, expect a long queue for his services. He’s entitled to take the biggest contract available to him, which will almost certainly be at the Etihad, but maybe a move to an Arsenal- or Tottenham-type club would make greater sense.
Wherever Mahrez plays in 2018/19, it won’t be at Leicester.
Richarlison (Watford)
Despite Watford’s slump, Richarlison remains one of the signings of the season. He's clearly talented but now has the displays to prove that he can perform in the Premier League’s attritional environment, so the Hornets will do very well to keep him for a second season.
Although Marco Silva’s sacking was probably for the greater good, that decision’s legacy might instruct Richarlison’s future. He was clearly – publicly – disappointed by Silva’s departure, and Javi Gracia’s record to date doesn’t suggest that Watford are on to anything better with him. Players are sensitive to their surrounding circumstances and mindful of opportunities at a higher level. Don’t expect the Brazilian to be an exception.
Danny Rose (Tottenham) and Luke Shaw (Man United)
A slightly reductive assumption, maybe, but it does seem as if their futures are intertwined. Relations between Shaw and Jose Mourinho appeared to thaw earlier in the year, but the full-back has been cast back to the periphery in the weeks since and, as recently as this weekend, was publicly and unnecessarily shamed by his manager again.
Very strange - and a further suggestion that, whatever Shaw’s merits as a player, there’s something within his game which Mourinho refuses to tolerate. Have a read of Diego Torres’s book and make your own minds up.
Further south, Rose and Mauricio Pochettino appear to have mended their relationship and the bridges burned in the summer have evidently been rebuilt. However, the left-back is far from the player he was last season and appears to have lost a yard of acceleration. One suspects that any attempt by Manchester United to sign him, with Shaw as a possible makeweight, would now be welcomed by Tottenham.
Manuel Lanzini (West Ham)
Lanzini is perhaps the only West Ham player of interest to the outside world. Gifted and creative, he’s the kind of attacking midfielder who it would be easy to imagine at a top-six club. Not, probably, as a headline player, but as a relatively affordable squad option who could offer a layer of reinforcement. Consider what he might bring to a Liverpool side that could benefit from partially filling the gap left by Philippe Coutinho.
Further down the table, it’s certainly conceivable that Everton or a club such as Leicester might take an interest, and both would likely appeal to a player who, like a few others on this list, has probably grown disillusioned with the way their club is being run. Given events of the past few weeks, nobody could blame a player for wanting to leave West Ham.
Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)
Time has finally run out for him at Anfield, with Loris Karius clearly now Jurgen Klopp’s first choice.
It’s important to contextualise this: Mignolet isn’t a bad goalkeeper, he’s just not among the best in the country. So, while that may make him unsuited to Liverpool, he would be a perfectly serviceable option for a club further down the table or a European side looking for experience on a budget.
The club’s owners will presumably be keen to get him off the wage bill, so would be unlikely to quibble over a fee. With the Belgian still just 30, plenty of teams could do (and are already doing) worse.
Alfie Mawson (Swansea)
Mawson’s secret was out long before Gareth Southgate called him into the England squad. He’s an excellent defender who has so far been disregarded because he plays for a lesser club.
Swansea now look likely to avoid relegation this season – credit to manager Carlos Carvalhal for that – but the club’s owners like a profit and are short on rebuilding funds for next season. Given the kind of fee that Mawson could command - less than two years after arriving for under £6m - it seems almost certain that he’ll be finding a new home over the summer.
Whether he would truly belong at a top-six side is debatable. He’s more of an old-school centre-half than an ultra-modern ball-player, but he would certainly be an asset to a mid-table club – and maybe even slightly beyond that.
