Believe it or not, there are only seven Premier League matchdays remaining between now and the January transfer window. And, unless something changes, these ten seldom-seen players should be wasting no time in weighing up their options.
Jannik Vestergaard – Leicester City
The giant centre-back made it clear over the summer, when Fulham expressed an interest, that he had no desire to give up on life at Leicester City so soon after arriving from Southampton. A brave decision yes. But a foolish one too.
There’s no shame in a footballer admitting that things just aren’t working out. Vestergaard, almost from minute one, looked ill-suited to Brendan Rodgers’ progressive style of football at Leicester. And, as he showed at Southampton, the Denmark international can thrive in the right system; a monster in the air and a master of line-breaking passes.
Just because Rodgers cannot get the best out of him, that does not mean no one can.
Salomon Rondon – Everton
Everton’s summer window acts as a terrific example of how to upgrade your squad on a limited budget. Out went Andre Gomes, in came Amadou Onana. Out went Allan, in came Idrissa Gana Gueye. And, in James Tarkowski and Conor Coady, Everton signed two reliable and vocal centre-halves without paying a single penny in transfer fees. Rondon, meanwhile, is now clearly third in Frank Lampard’s pecking order following the arrival of Neal Maupay.
His five most recent Premier League appearances have lasted for an average of just 4.2 minutes. And, fairly or unfairly, Rondon will always be tainted by the Rafael Benitez influence at Goodison Park.
Reiss Nelson – Arsenal
“After the spell that he had last year on loan (at Feyenoord), we wanted him back to see if there are any changes. And there’s a prospect that we can really take to the next level. We think the potential is there and we think we’ve seen something in Reiss that is special.”
That is what Mikel Arteta said of Reiss Nelson earlier this month, via the club’s official website.
A ‘special’ talent or not, Nelson turns 23 in December. He is crying out for regular, first-team football after a frustrating couple of years and it just isn’t going to arrive at Arsenal. He has two of Europe’s most exciting young forwards keeping him out of the Gunners XI; Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
And, in Marquinhos, Arsenal have another ‘special’ talent looking to force his way in. The longer Nelson stays at Arsenal, the longer his career stalls.
Japhet Tanganga – Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham’s sixth choice centre-half and their fourth-choice right-wing-back; it seems like aeons ago since Tanganga was picking up the Man of the Match award during a 1-0 victory over Manchester City during Nuno Espirito Santo’s managerial debut in North London.
Tanganga, like Nelson, is an exciting, homegrown talent rapidly approaching a crossroads in his career. On the upside, there should be plenty of takers should he become available in 2023. Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Leeds and Aston Villa were all linked over the summer.
Nat Phillips – Liverpool
The so-called ‘Bolton Baresi’ will forever hold a special place in the heart of Liverpool supporters following his commendable displays during the injury crisis of 2021. The fact remains, however, that Phillips has made just one league appearance in the last 14 months now.
At 25 going on 26, it really should have become apparent by now that, unless Klopp walks under 13 ladders on his way to Anfield while accidentally smashing an entire Hall of Mirrors, Philips is not going to be returning to the big stage again any time soon.
His brief spell as a starter under Klopp was, let’s not forget, borne out of necessity rather than desire.
Josh Onomah – Fulham
Steve Bruce was ‘devastated’ when West Brom missed out on a deadline day move for Onomah. Well, not just ‘devastated’. He was ‘disappointed, angry and frustrated’ too. Given that he’s clearly not part of Marco Silva’s plans at Craven Cottage, Onomah could have been forgiven for sharing Bruce’s fury.
The one-time Tottenham youngster has played just 13 minutes this season.
Morgan Sanson – Aston Villa
Like Vestergaard, Sanson at Aston Villa feels like a classic case of ‘wrong club, wrong time’. The pace and the power of the Premier League has claimed many a victim over the years and Sanson, one of the finest footballers in France at Marseille, simply looks ill-suited to the hustle and bustle nature of life on English shores.
It speaks volumes that, even while Steven Gerrard hangs onto his job with his fingernails, Sanson remains on the outside looking in. An aborted move to Espanyol over the summer won’t have improved the midfielder’s mood.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Manchester United
With Diogo Dalot’s form dipping following an impressive start to the Erik ten Hag era, could Wan-Bissaka be handed a fresh start once he returns from injury? Don’t bet on it. Former Ajax boss Ten Hag wants technically-gifted full-backs. And Wan-Bissaka, while a talented one-v-one defender, feels more like a throwback to the olden days when full-backs were usually converted centre-halves with a bit of an engine on them.
Don’t be surprised to see former club Crystal Palace come in with a lowball bid.
Michael Keane – Everton
That Michael Keane has not even entered the discussion over which central defenders should be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Qatar World Cup is reflective of how far his stock has fallen over the last 18 months ago. Once a common member of the Three Lions roster, Keane has been hit harder than most by Everton’s impressive off-season, falling behind compatriots Coady and Tarkowski at Goodison Park.
With Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey also at Lampard’s disposal, Keane suddenly feels very dispensable indeed.
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