Our brilliant XI who desperately need January moves to boost their World Cup chances | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup is just a few months away and a sizeable number of players will be pushing for a January transfer as a result.

Being sat on the bench at this stage of the season in a World Cup year is the worst possible scenario for players on the periphery of their nation’s squad.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled an XI of players who should be looking for a move in January, in order to boost their chances of making the World Cup next year.

GK: James Trafford

Trafford rejoined Manchester City over the summer with the intention of becoming their new No.1 goalkeeper.

After starting in their first three Premier League matches, City then splashed out on Gianluigi Donnarumma and he’s not played since.

With Jordan Pickford and Dean Henderson looking like nailed-on picks for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, Trafford only has one spot left to fight for.

Sitting on the bench at City certainly won’t enhance his chances of making the squad, meaning he needs a move elsewhere this winter.

CB: Sergio Ramos

Ramos has already bitten the bullet and left Mexican side Monterrey, in the hopes of signing for a European club for the second half of the season.

It’s been reported that the 39-year-old still dreams of playing for Spain again and hopes that he can earn his spot back over the next few months. Watch this space.

CB: Axel Disasi

Disasi was part of France’s squad at the Qatar World Cup, but hasn’t played for his country since 2023 and his chances of making the 2026 squad seem almost nonexistent.

He’s not played a single minute of football for Chelsea this season and will almost certainly leave in January, providing that a suitable offer comes in.

Even if he does impress elsewhere in the second half of 2025-26, he’ll be relying on an injury crisis within the France backline to regain his place in Didier Deschamps’ squad.

CB: Nathan Ake

The Dutch defender has only started in one Premier League match for Manchester City this season.

If his first-team opportunities remain scarce, he runs the risk of missing out on the Netherlands squad entirely, especially with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt and Micky van de Ven already ahead of him in the pecking order.

CM: Conor Gallagher

Gallagher enjoyed a solid debut season in Spain last year, but has since slipped down the pecking order.

As of writing, he’s only made four league starts for Atletico Madrid in La Liga and currently looks unlikely to make the England squad next summer.

However, a January move could enhance his chances, especially if he moves back to England.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo

Mainoo’s future at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim is still uncertain.

After his breakthrough under Erik ten Hag, the midfielder’s progress has stalled and he’s left with few options but to leave United in January.

“You would have to advise him to go,” Paul Scholes recently said on his podcast.

“If he rang me and said, ‘I think Chelsea are in for me what do you think?’, I’d say ‘all day long’.

“He is a 20-year-old kid, he is going to have to leave.

“What will happen now is he’ll bring him into a game and he won’t be great, because he needs five, six, seven, eight games.

“He’ll throw him into the team and say ‘I told you so’.”

RW: Federico Chiesa

Italy haven’t qualified for the World Cup yet, but if they do, Chiesa could face a nervous wait to find out if he’s selected in Gennaro Gattuso’s squad.

The 28-year-old has proven his worth as a super-sub at Liverpool this season, but is yet to start a single league match for Arne Slot’s side.

If his minutes continue to be limited, he’ll have to consider a January exit, for the sake of his international career.

CAM: Neymar

Neymar saved Santos from relegation, producing six goal contributions in the last four matches of the season.

However, his heroics in Brazil won’t be enough to earn him a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.

With Brazilian domestic football not resuming until February, Neymar will likely need to find a new club to prove his worth to Ancelotti.

LW: Savinho

The Brazilian was close to leaving Manchester City last summer, but was instead rewarded with a new contract until 2031.

Fast forward to December and it looks incredibly unlikely that the Brazilian will see out his contract at the Etihad.

He’s only started in four league matches this season and, as a result, is in danger of not playing at the World Cup next year.

For the sake of his career at club and international level, a move in January is surely his best bet.

ST: Joshua Zirkzee

Having made just three league starts for Manchester United as of writing, Zirkzee’s chances of making the Netherlands’ 2026 squad currently seem slim.

However, with the likes of AC Milan, Roma, Leeds and West Ham interested, he could be offered a lifeline in the January window.

The Dutch forward enjoyed the best spell of his career with Bologna in Italy, so a move back to Serie A could be his preference next month.

ST: Endrick

Having only played 12 minutes of league football under Xabi Alonso, it seems inevitable that Endrick will leave Real Madrid in January.

A loan move to Lyon has already been agreed upon, which will hopefully reignite his career in Europe and secure his spot in Brazil’s squad next summer.