Man Utd, Liverpool stars among five big names who need a move before the deadline | OneFootball

The World Cup might feature in the thinking of some but but these five just need to get away from Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and City before Monday night…

We are just a few days before the January transfer window closes and, we can’t lie, we are not expecting much pre-deadline madness.

But there are some players who might be starting to sweat as the window winds down.

Here are five big-hitters who will be badgering their agents for a move…

Joshua Zirkzee

Michael Carrick’s appointment has galvanised almost everyone at Manchester United. But the interim manager evidently doesn’t fancy Zirkzee.

The Netherlands forward hasn’t been in either of Carrick’s squads for the wins over Manchester City and Arsenal having played in the previous 10 games and featured in every Premier League match this season, even if only in a ‘sub not used’ role.

Hardly a subtle message from Carrick, that. But he hasn’t time to skirt around the issue, especially now with the deadline days away.

United want to sell Zirkzee because of course they do. But they won’t, unless they find a patsy bigger than themselves.

Oh, hello, Tottenham. Palace too are said to be interested, especially with doubts over Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future. Which could be linked to Zirkzee in other ways, with Juventus apparently keen on both having walked away from Youssef En-Nesyri because he wants a permanent move from Fenerbahce rather than a loan.

Raheem Sterling

Chelsea had been even more blunt with Sterling, condemning the £325,000-a-week winger to the bomb squad after they failed to shift him in the summer before eventually freeing him to look for a new club by ripping up his contract on Wednesday.

Given Sterling’s remuneration for minimal work – he’s hardly up at 2am to catch a trawler – many will have seen the appeal in staying put and pocketing his massive salary.

Chelsea were contractually obliged to pay Sterling another £25million between now and the end of his deal in 2027, so were considerably more motivated to find a compromise.

Some of Sterling’s suitors may have preferred that he swerved the shredder and remained a Chelsea employee they could borrow, forcing the Blues to accept any loan offer that would require topping up his wages. But no such suitors made any great attempt for his services.

Fulham and West Ham have been linked to offer the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City star a chance to remain in London, while Roma and Napoli are among the clubs keen to give Sterling a taste of Italy. It’s now all on him and his agent to find him a solution.

Harvey Elliott

Weird one, this. A loan move to Aston Villa with a conditional obligation to buy seemed an ideal move in the summer for Elliott, who was widely viewed as a player who just needed a chance.

He had three at Villa, two off the bench and a single start that saw him back on the bench at the break. By which point, Unai Emery had decided Villa had made a terrible mistake.

Fortunately for them, to be liable for the £35million fee, Elliott would have to play 10 Premier League games. Unfortunately for Elliott, that leaves him out in the cold. Even worse, the single minute he played for Liverpool off the bench at Newcastle in August means he cannot play for another European club this season.

MLS has been mentioned as a potential option, but Elliott might prefer to return to Liverpool and get his head down there. Of course, Liverpool had planned without Elliott and budgeted for the money they expected to bank from Villa. So the Reds are little more motivated than Villa to find a player-centred solution.

Which is a huge shame because the whole point of the 22-year-old leaving Anfield was for greater responsibility and gametime to aid his development which, as things stand, will be stymied by a lost season at a crucial stage.

Kalvin Phillips

Elliott will be desperate to avoid suffering a similar the fate to Phillips who, admit it, you had forgotten all about, hadn’t you?

Phillips has lost three-and-a-half seasons so far having long since been written off by Pep Guardiola as a viable midfield option.

The City boss has been quite open about that – he could hardly deny it – while expressing his regret for how things have panned out for Phillips, who was England Player of the Year in 2021 and a hometown hero at Leeds United before being waved off for his big £42million move to the Premier League champions.

It seems Pep realised City’s mistake early on, but it was a season and a half before Phillips escaped on loan to West Ham. Where he fared no better than he did at City. Worse, arguably.

There were some flickers of life in a season-long loan at Ipswich last term but not enough to tempt anyone to take a punt last summer. Guardiola gave Phillips a seven-minute cameo at Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup – his first appearance in a City shirt for 645 days – perhaps just to remind everyone of his existence, but it doesn’t seem to have done the trick.

Wolves have been credited with an interest and at this point, if Phillips is intent on salvaging his career, the 30-year-old just needs to get away and play somewhere, almost anywhere.

Federico Chiesa

The Italian hasn’t agitated for a move away from Liverpool and he’s had plenty more football this season compared to last. But still only in cameos.

Chiesa has kept his head down and, from the outside, doesn’t seem too perturbed by his current situation at Anfield. Indeed, he’s perhaps one of the few players to emerge from the current campaign with any credit. But he could have a decision to make in the coming days.

Juventus are on the hunt for attacking players and the Old Lady is said to be open to bringing the winger back to Turin, where he played prior to joining Liverpool in 2024.

If they offer the £8million the Reds are said to want to part with the 28-year-old, then Juve could give Chiesa the best chance of being in the Italy squad for the World Cup.

A couple of things there. Italy haven’t yet qualified and face play-offs at the end of March. And is Chiesa intent on reclaiming his Azzurri place? He was offered a call-up in November for the final qualifiers but declined, as he did in the October international break. But Gennaro Gattuso does not appear to hold a grudge.

If Chiesa’s refusal is about form and fitness, he is only likely to improve either by getting away for more gametime.