With the winter transfer window now just five weeks away from opening again for business for the new year, we take a look at one possible new recruit that each Premier League club could sign in January.
Sunderland: John Guidetti (Manchester City)
It is abundantly clear that the sinking Black Cats need goals, and badly, if they wish to remain in the Premier League come the end of this campaign, and to that effect new Sunderland head coach Gustavo Poyet is understood to eyeing up an audacious swoop for the out-of-favour Manchester City front man.
Crystal Palace: Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers)
Similar to Sunderland, you get the distinct feeling that if the Eagles do not start to find the back of the net on a far greater regularity than they have managed so far in their opening 11 Premier League contests, then a return to the Championship will be a mere formality come the summer.
And with that in mind, an expected big-money move for highly rated Blackburn Rovers forward Jordan Rhodes at the turn of the year would represent a welcome boost to the south-east London club.
Fulham: Thulani Serero (Ajax)
Martin Jol’s men are crying out for some midfield creativity and inspiration, and so as a result the west London club have been closely monitoring Ajax’s South Africa international midfield player with a view to signing the 23-year-old in the new year.
West Ham United: Diego Forlan (Internacional)
Things are starting to get a bit desperate up front for the ailing Hammers in the continued injury-enforced absence of club-record signing Andy Carroll, and to arrest the east Londoners’ recent slide down the table, manager Sam Allardyce is hoping to be able to lure the former Manchester United attacker to Upton Park in January.
Norwich City: Mikael Boman (Halmstads BK)
The Canaries of course splashed out big time during the summer on two new front men, however, neither new recruit appears to have had the desired effect, meaning that the top-flight strugglers may be forced back into the market come the turn of the year, with the club currently being mentioned in the same breath as Halmstads’ in-form Swedish striker.
Cardiff City: Hugo Vieira (Braga)
The newly promoted Premier League outfit may make a move for the 25-year-old Portuguese forward in January to help provide manager Malky Mackay with more options in attack for the second half of this campaign as the Bluebirds look to defy the odds by staying in the Premier League.
Stoke City: Joleon Lescott (Manchester City)
If new Potters coach Mark Hughes is able to convince the out-of-favour Blues centre back to work with the Welshman once again at the Britannia in January, then that will be some coup, while also going along way towards ensuring Stoke remain well clear of a relegation battle in the second half of the campaign.
Hull City: Nordin Amrabat (Galatasaray)
The Tigers have shocked everyone with the start that they have made so far back in the Premier League, however, it is understood that boss Steve Bruce is still keen to strengthen come January time, and one player the former Manchester United captain has targeted is the Turkish champions’ Moroccan winger.
Aston Villa: Wilfried Zaha (Manchester United)
It is an open secret that Premier League champions Manchester United are keen to offload their recently purchased England international on a six-month loan deal in January in order to give Zaha as much game time as possible in the second half of this campaign, and at this moment in time it is Paul Lambert’s outfit who appear to be leading the chase for the winger.
West Bromwich Albion: Steve Cook (Bournemouth)
The Baggies are in no great need to strengthen come the new year, but the west Midlands club have been linked with Bournemouth’s highly rated young defender in recent weeks, with manager Steve Clarke said to be pondering a move for the 22-year-old.
Swansea City: Thomas Ince (Blackpool)
The Swans are in a safe mid-table position as we approach the halfway point of the season, however, manager Michael Laudrup is said to still be keen to strengthen come the turn of the year, and the man the Dane wants to take the South Wales outfit on to the next level is the undoubted star of the Championship in the form of the seasiders’ England Under-21 international.
Tottenham Hotspur: Ezequiel Lavezzi (Paris Saint-Germain)
The north London club really splashed the cash during the summer following the big-money departure of Welsh winger Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, however, the new recruits that coach Andre Villas-Boas has brought to White Hart Lane have so generally failed to hit the mark, especially in attack.
And that is why the Portuguese may move for the Ligue 1 champions’ unsettled Argentina international in January to provide his team with the goals and spark that will fire them all the way into next season’s Uefa Champions League.
Newcastle United: Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
With the strides that the Magpies have made in recent weeks, now all manager Alan Padrew needs to do come January is make the odd tweak here and there to his squad, and one possible new arrival at St James’ Park in the new year could be the former Fulham and Spurs forward, who is known to be keen to make a return to the Premier League.
Everton: Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow)
New Toffees boss Roberto Martinez has a pretty settled squad at his disposal right at the very minute, but one area where the Spaniard is desperately short of numbers is on the flanks, although that may all be about to soon change after the high-flying Premier League club made contact with the Russian giants to inquire about the availability of the Irish wide man.
Manchester United: Koke (Atletico de Madrid)
The Premier League champions have been keeping close tabs on the highly rated new Spanish star of La Liga, with boss David Moyes expected to make a move for the goalscoring midfield player as soon as the window opens again in January, although the Red Devils may have to be prepared to break the bank in order to land the 21-year-old.
Southampton: Diego (Wolfsburg)
The Saints are flying high in the Premier League at present, although the south-coast club are determined to continue their impressive top-flight form in the second half of the season and in the process qualify for next year’s Uefa Champions League, and to achieve that feat Southampton want to lure Wolfsburg’s former Brazil playmaker to St Mary’s in January.
Manchester City: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
With ex-No 1 Joe Hart currently out of favour at Eastlands and the Englishman’s replacement, Costel Pantilimon, hardly convincing between the sticks either of late, City manager Manuel Pellegrini will move for the Real Madrid and Spain skipper at the turn of the year in order to try and finally solve the club’s goalkeeping crisis.
Chelsea: Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco)
You do not need to be a rocket scientist to work out that the west London club have been struggling to hit the back of net since the start of the new campaign and to end that goalscoring problem, Blues boss Jose Mourinho is believed to be lining up a massive £60m offer for the prolific Colombia international in January.
Liverpool: Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiacos)
The Merseyside giants have been scouting the in-form Greece international over the past few weeks, and boss Brendan Rodgers can only have been impressed with what he has seen from the 25-year-old front man, in particular in his two goalscoring displays against Romania in the recent Fifa World Cup playoffs.
Arsenal: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United)
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger rarely delves into the transfer market in January unless there is good reason to, however, the Frenchman will surely fail to pass up the opportunity to lure the Geordies’ unsettled French playmaker to the Emirates in the new year, in a move that could be the catalyst to the north London club finally ending their nine-year search for a trophy.
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