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 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. Occasional Europa League and League Cup outings shouldn’t be enough for a 26-year-old who has played for England (if only once).
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, and West Brom, are potential destinations.
Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Maurizio Sarri has largely stuck with a settled starting XI this season, picking Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz as 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 1,800 Premier League minutes in the first half of 2018/19.
Reports suggest that 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.”
Lazar Markovic (Liverpool)
It’s easy to forget that Markovic is still only 24, but he can’t afford to waste any more of his career as a Liverpool reserve. The Serbian winger appeared in 34 games for the Reds back in 2014/15, but his first-team football has largely been limited to loan spells at Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Hull and Anderlecht since then.
Markovic hasn’t even been included in a matchday squad in any competition this term, with the summer signing of Xherdan Shaqiri pushing him even further down the pecking order at Anfield. Wages have presumably kept him at Anfield this long, but a move away in January needs to happen for all concerned.
Pape Souare (Crystal Palace)
Souare broke his jaw and thighbone in a horrendous car crash in September 2016, so his return to the field 12 months later was a major achievement in itself. The Senegalese is aware that he could have lost his life in the accident, putting the importance of football in stark perspective.
Nevertheless, the former Lille man will now want to kick-start his career again as his 29th birthday approaches. Patrick van Aanholt and Jeff Schlupp are ahead of him in the left-back pecking order at Selhurst Park, so Souare should look for a new club in January.
Matthew Connolly (Cardiff)
Connolly is one of Cardiff’s longest-serving players having joined the club in 2012, but the Arsenal academy graduate will surely be considering his future as the January window approaches.
The defender played only four games in the Championship as the Bluebirds won promotion last season, and he’s yet to make a single appearance in the Premier League this time around. Given that Connolly is now 31, he’ll surely be keen for more regular football in the second half of 2018/19.
Eliaquim Mangala (Man City)
A loan move to Everton in January 2017 looked ideal for Mangala, but he suffered a serious knee injury in only his second appearance for the Toffees and hasn’t played since. The defender is now nearing full fitness once more, but chances at Manchester City for the remainder of the campaign will be few and far between.
Mangala should therefore look to secure another temporary switch away from the Etihad Stadium before the end of next month. The ex-Porto stopper has never really impressed at City, but he could still do a job for a host of teams across Europe.
Jonny Williams (Crystal Palace)
Williams was a key part of the Crystal Palace squad that won promotion to the top flight in 2012/13, but he’s barely played for his boyhood club since then. Injuries and Palace’s propensity to change managers every few months certainly haven’t helped the Welshman’s cause, but he hasn’t played a single Premier League minute this term and must surely call time on his career at Selhurst Park.
Williams has embarked on several loan spells in the past and may have to accept another temporary transfer until the end of the season, when he will almost certainly leave Palace for good.
Fabri (Fulham)
Fabri was one of 12 new signings Fulham made in the summer, but his days at Craven Cottage already appear to be numbered. The goalkeeper started the Londoners’ first two games back in the Premier League, but he hasn’t been seen since and has now slipped below both Sergio Rico and Marcus Bettinelli in the shot-stopper stakes.
Although he only joined Fulham a few months ago, Fabri can’t be happy with 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 before he assesses his options in the summer.
Georges-Kevin N’Koudou (Tottenham)
Tottenham have had to deal with numerous injury problems in the first half of the campaign, but N’Koudou has still failed to force his way into Mauricio Pochettino’s thinking. The pacey winger was signed in 2016 to give Spurs a different option in attack, but he’s failed to make an impact in north London and appears headed for the exit door.
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 prefer a return to Ligue 1.
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 a Premier League game. The Italian targetman has played just 22 league minutes in 2018/19, and is generally lucky if he even makes a matchday squad these days.
The 29-year-old is under contract at Vicarage Road until 2021, but he would be advised to cut short his stay in January.
Tom Heaton (Burnley)
At the start of last season, Heaton was Burnley’s undisputed No.1. A shoulder injury forced him onto the treatment table early in the campaign, however, and Nick Pope excelled as the former Manchester United man’s replacement.
Joe Hart has since arrived at Turf Moor and is Sean Dyche’s first-choice shot-stopper at present, with Pope likely to serve as his understudy once he returns to full fitness. That would leave Heaton in reserve, a situation which is likely to be unpalatable to a 32-year-old with England caps to his name.
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 of 2015/16, the three-time England international would be an excellent addition for a handful of Premier League outfits.
Adrien Silva (Leicester)
Ever since he was forced to miss the first half of last season due to a registration error, things haven’t gone to plan for Silva at Leicester. The emergence of Hamza Choudhury and resurgence of Papy Mendy has seen the Portuguese fall out of favour under Claude Puel, who’s started him just once in the Premier League this term.
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 desire to recoup the £22m they paid for his services in 2017.
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 been in four of 20 matchday squads altogether this term. With several players preferred at both left-back and centre-back, Rojo should leave United in January.
Collin Quaner (Huddersfield)
Huddersfield finished 2017/18 as the Premier League’s joint-lowest scorers, and goals have again proved hard to come by in their second season at this level. 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 featured for 37 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 mid-season window closes at the end of next month.
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 should prove untenable for the former Inter man. A January exit, either permanently or on loan, seems inevitable.
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 surely serve the 27-year-old’s career well.
