Time is running out for a number of big names hoping to change clubs before the winter market shuts down on Monday night
The clock is ticking! We're into the final week of the January transfer window and while this can be an exciting time of the window for some football fans, it can be fraught with tension and trepidation for some players and their agents.
This is not a buyer's market, after all. It's infamously difficult to find value for money midway through the season as so few clubs are willing to even consider selling a key man, making it difficult for unsettled stars to secure a move.
Consequently, the days leading up to deadline day often result in high-profile players doing their utmost to push through a transfer in the hope of salvaging or kickstarting their careers.
With all of that in mind, GOAL runs through 15 big names in serious need of a change of scenery on or before Monday, February 3.
Getty Images SportFederico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa's situation is fascinating. The Italian's injury issues are both well-documented and mysterious but it's obvious that he's in dire need of regular game time, as Liverpool coach Arne Slot has openly admitted. He's not giving Chiesa much, though, at least not in the Premier League. While the winger has impressed during his cameos in cup competitions, he's only seen 25 minutes of top-flight action since moving to England last summer.
Chiesa clearly loves being at Liverpool and, if he can overcome his fitness issues, he definitely has a big role to play going forward (particularly if Mohamed Salah leaves this summer!). He's also a wonderful rotational option for Slot, who will have to manage his squad wisely during the second half of the season, with the Reds still competing on four fronts.
In that context, staying at Anfield is not the worst option for Chiesa. However, he would definitely be better served by playing regular first-team football for the next five months, and preferably back in Serie A, where he'd feel most comfortable, before returning to Liverpool during the summer, hopefully in peak physical condition.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBen Chilwell
Forty-five minutes – that's how much game time Ben Chilwell has seen this season. Forty-five minutes in a Carabao Cup third-round clash with Barrow, which is just mind-blowing.
Chilwell is a 28-year-old, Champions League-winning England international and yet he's essentially rotting in the reserves at Stamford Bridge.
Chilwell should have left last summer, of course, after being relegated to the 'Bomb Squad' and it's been reported that his alleged refusal to accept a reduction in his salary is the reason why he's yet to find a new club.
But something has to give by next Monday night, as neither Chelsea nor Chilwell can afford this sorry situation to drag on any longer.
Getty Images SportAxel Disasi
One of the many victims of Chelsea's ridiculous recruitment strategy, Axel Disasi has been relegated to the role of reserve 18 months after arriving from Monaco for £38.5m ($48m), with the defender's only meaningful minutes this season coming in the Conference League.
It's worth remembering that Disasi had just broken into the France squad before his ill-fated move to Stamford Bridge but it's now well over a year since he last represented his country.
Rather unsurprisingly, he now looks a player completely bereft of the confidence with which he used to carry himself on the pitch, so it's imperative that he escapes the chaos at Chelsea before the window closes – particularly with fellow centre-back Trevoh Chalobah having just been recalled from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Getty Images SportEndrick
Real Madrid clearly know a thing or two about refining young Brazilian attackers. After all, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo both had ups and downs during the early days of their respective Real Madrid careers but it's fair to say that they're doing alright now…
So, maybe Madrid are right to spurn all interest in Endrick for now. Maybe the 18-year-old needs time to develop away from the spotlight. Maybe he's not quite ready for the rigours of professional football on a weekly basis.
However, loan moves have been the making of many up-and-coming players and we freely admit that we'd love to see Endrick playing regularly during the second half of the season for another, smaller top-flight European team.
Endrick is still only 18, of course. There's no need to rush him. But it's still a shame that such a prodigious talent has yet to start a single game in La Liga since joining Madrid from Palmeiras last summer.
He may love training alongside Kylian Mbappe & Co. on a daily basis but one imagines that he'd jump at the chance to prove himself elsewhere between now and the end of the season.