Five Premier League stars who can’t get a game

Carlo Garganese

17 Oct 2023 01:50 CDT
4 min read

Jadon Sancho, Erik ten Hag — © ProShots/FootballTransfers

As we approach the end of October, Premier League clubs have already started preparing their business for the January transfer window.

And the same goes for a number of Premier League players who may be eyeing a mid-season transfer during the winter window.

In the case of the players who are struggling for game time, a move away in January could suit both parties.

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Below we look at five players who could move in January as they struggle for minutes in 2023-24.

Jadon Sancho - Man Utd

Jadon Sancho is the best example of a top Premier League star who isn’t playing.

Sancho has been completely frozen out of the squad at Man Utd, with manager Erik ten Hag exiling the Englishman from first-team training.

It came after Ten Hag criticised Sancho publicly for his poor performances in training, which was followed by the winger essentially calling his manager a liar on social media.

Sancho has not been called up since the incident and now looks all but certain to leave Manchester United in January. A return to Borussia Dortmund has been touted, while some Serie A and Saudi clubs are also reportedly interested.

Kalvin Phillips - Man City

For the second year in a row, Kalvin Phillips can barely get a game at Man City. He has made just three Premier League sub appearances.

He is now considering a move away in January in order to not risk his place for England at Euro 2024.

© ProShots - Kalvin Phillips has struggled for game time at Man City

His poor performance against Italy for England showed that he needs to be playing regularly for his club. A move in January is a very real possibility as a result. Juventus have been linked after losing Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli to long bans.

Emile Smith Rowe - Arsenal

Emile Smith Rowe has made just two Premier League appearances this season, both of them from the subs bench, totalling a mere nine minutes in total.

For a player regarded as one of the most promising young English players, that is not acceptable.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Emile Smith Rowe in January, according to the Mirror, as the player considers his future.

Trevoh Chalobah - Chelsea

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that both Trevoh Chalobah and Chelsea expect the defender to leave the club in January.

He is currently injured, but the summer arrival of Axel Disasi and return of Levi Colwill from loan mean Chalobah is quite far down the centre-back pecking order and a transfer away is very likely.

Chalobah has not played a single minute of football this season. Bayern Munich’s former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is interested after failing in a pursuit of the defender this summer.