Who needs to perform ahead of the January transfer window?
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There are now just six Premier League games remaining for each team until the January transfer window opens, including the midweek games over the next 48 hours, meaning that the hourglass has been tipped and that time is running out for some players to convince their managers that they deserve to stay.
Here are ten Premier League stars who we believe need to shape up if they don’t want to be out of the door in January:
Fabio Borini (Liverpool)
Italian striker Fabio Borini turned down a permanent move to Sunderland this summer in order to fight for his Liverpool place, but he has shown nothing this season to suggest that Brendan Rodgers won’t try and sell him again.
Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur)
Paulinho has been almost exclusively dreadful since he signed for Spurs from Corinthians, and the Brazilians are reportedly interested in offering him a way out of White Hart Lane.
Ander Herrera (Manchester United)
Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera may only have signed for Manchester United for big money from Athletic Bilbao this summer, but manager Louis van Gaal has reportedly not been impressed and he may need more performances like the one against Hull at the weekend to secure his future.
Lukas Podolski (Arsenal)
The biggest obstacle to German international forward Podolski proving his mettle at the Emirates Stadium could be manager Arsene Wenger’s reluctance to give Podolski the shot at first team action that he so clearly craves.
Ideye Brown (West Bromwich Albion)
Ideye became West Brom’s record signing when he arrived at the club from Dinamo Kiev in the summer, but the Nigerian has largely been dreadful and entirely overshadowed by Saido Berahino – could the Baggies cut their losses already?
Mario Balotelli (Liverpool)
It’s hard to see who would be willing to take Balotelli off Liverpool’s hands for anything like the £16m that they paid for him, but if the Italian doesn’t score a few goals soon then even that may be a palatable outcome for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah (Chelsea)
Salah has barely had a look in for Chelsea this season and it isn’t difficult to imagine Jose Mourinho cutting his losses on the Egyptian to bring in someone who can contribute to the squad.
Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
His wonderful strike against Hull City for Manchester United at the weekend will help to convince, but van Persie has been poor for United this season and rumours linking him with Inter Milan have begun to surface.
Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
Another player who scored at the weekend but has had a disappointing campaign so far is Liverpool and England right back Glen Johnson, who is out of contract at the end of the season and showing no signs of signing a new one, potentially meaning that Liverpool will take what they can in January.
Roberto Soldado (Tottenham Hotspur)
Continuing the theme of players who scored at the weekend and completing this list is Spurs striker Roberto Soldado, who will need far more than the winner against Everton if he is to allay fears about his future.