9 January Transfer Window 2010 Players on the Move (including Spurs, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid etc)

The January sales. No sooner is Christmas over and the presents unwrapped than people are off out shopping for bargains in the winter sales. The same applies to football. With the 2010 World Cup but a few months away, the upcoming January transfer window is the last available chance for players out of favour at their current clubs to secure a move and revive their dreams of a trip to South Africa.

Likewise for clubs; whether they be looking for a minor cosmetic change, that final missing ingredient or a complete overhaul to salvage a dying season, the month of January is the last chance to do business. Here are 9 players likely to be on the move in January 2010. While we refuse to indulge in mindless transfer gossip on Just-Football.com, these 9 players look very likely to be heading for pastures new in the transfer window:

Roman Pavlyuchenko

“My client wants to leave Tottenham,” reported Roman Pavlyuchenko’s agent Oliver Wendt earlier this month, and while the Russian appears desperate to leave Spurs it seems the feeling from the hierarchy at White Hart Lane is mutual. “Technically he is a very good player,” Spurs boss Harry Redknapp told the press, “but when people say I’ve got four very good strikers, I’d rather have just three, because of the problems four cause.” With several clubs around Europe interested it seems the only stumbling block that will prevent Pavlyuchenko leaving Tottenham in January is the asking price.

Possible destinations: Zenit St. Petersburg, AS Roma, Liverpool (?).

Goran Pandev

Just a few short years ago Goran Pandev was thought to be the next big thing in European football, with the Macedonian striker dazzling for Lazio on a regular basis. Two goals against Real Madrid in a Champions League group game back in 2007 stand out in particular for me, and Pandev had his name up in lights. It all went sour for Pandev in Rome though; after a transfer request was rejected back in the summer the dynamic forward was banished to the reserves by Lazio’s powers that be, before his contract was cancelled by Lega Calcio, the Italian League commission. Now a free agent, the 26-year-old will be looking to get his career back on track with a move in January.

Possible destinations: Inter Milan are favourites to sign him, Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan wait in the wings.

Luca Toni

World Cup winner Luca Toni is almost certain to be leaving Bayern Munich in January after a string of clashes with current boss Louis Van Gaal in Germany. Van Gaal, whose abrasive personality seems to rub at least a few people up the wrong way wherever he goes, does not suffer fools gladly, and this clash of Dutch and Italian egos will only have one winner. Toni was fined €25,000 back in November for telling the Italian press his relationship with Van Gaal was “as good as over” prompting the former AZ Alkmaar coach to react angrily. “I have nothing to discuss with Luca Toni anymore. He has stated that he wants to leave Bayern, so he can start looking for a new team,” said Van Gaal. The 32-year-old’s agent has held talks with AS Roma.

Possible destinations: AS Roma, Fenerbahce, West Ham United.

Christoph Metzelder

It is no big secret that Christoph Metzelder does not fit into the plans of the current Real Madrid hierarchy. Jorge Valdano and Florentino Perez are both thought to advocate the German international centre back’s sale and Real Zaragoza are known to be sniffing around for a loan deal. A recent long-term injury to Pepe may be Metzelder’s one saving grace however, freeing up a centre back slot for him so long as Real do no window shopping of their own. But the former Borussia Dortmund star has played just two games for Los Merengues this season, in part due to his own injury problems. Metzelder’s official website, though very snazzy indeed, is quiet on the subject.

Possible destinations: Real Zaragoza, a substitutes bench somewhere in Madrid.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is another player who looks set to be packing his bags and booking a flight out of Madrid come January. If so it would prove a sad end to Van Nistelrooy’s Real Madrid career. After all, he was La Liga’s Pichichi in 2006/2007 and one of the game’s most feared strikers at the time, before injury ruled him out of most of the 2008/2009 season. His scoring record both at Manchester United
and Real is phenomenal, but amidst the brouhaha that was Real’s flashbulb, attention-grabbing, Galacticos MkII initiative in the summer, Van Nistelrooy has become the Bernabeu’s forgotten man. And when you consider that even Raul can’t get a starting place in Manuel Pellegrini’s side at the moment, Ruud’s departures appears very likely.

Possible destinations: Liverpool, Arsenal (Owen in a Manchester United shirt and Van Nistelrooy wearing Liverpool/Arsenal red – that would be odd), Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur.

Colin Kazim-Richards

Footballers? Having sex? Get out of my club! Colin Kazim-Richards is almost certainly on his way out the door at Fenerbahce after it was discovered he and some teammates had organised ’sex marathons’ at an Istanbul hotel. “I’m absolutely shocked to find out these kinds of things are happening,” said Fener coach Christoph Daum. Strange that, because in 2000 Daum was stopped from becoming coach of the German national team for his reported involvement in cocaine-fuelled orgies with prostitutes. Either way, Kazim-Richards has been transfer-listed by Fenerbahce and has closed down his Turkish bank account, implying a move is imminent. He is reportedly available for €3 million euros, hotel bookings not included.

Possible destinations: Stoke City, Sunderland, Hull City

Hatem Ben Arfa

Though rumours linking Olympique Marseille’s Hatem Ben Arfa with a move to Manchester United may be far-fetched, the French attacking midfielder is available for transfer in January. Marseille have agreed to let Ben Arfa leave but want at least €9 million euros for the player they signed from Olympique Lyonnais in 2008. Olympiakos have already had a bid rejected. There are no doubts about Ben Arfa’s potential – he is a gifted player, creative and dangerous in the final third, but question marks remain over his attitude and commitment, making a move to work under Sir Alex Ferguson appear unlikely. Marseille are not desperate to get rid of the enigmatic 22-year-old, but an attractive offer could tempt their hand.

Possible destinations: Manchester United, Olympiakos

Andrea Dossena

Rafa Benitez needs to sell before he can buy at Liverpool this January, leaving a host of fringe players looking nervously over their shoulders at Anfield. Andrea Dossena is one of those fringe players. The Italian’s career highlight in a Liverpool shirt was probably lobbing Edwin Van der Sar at Old Trafford in the Reds’ 4-1 win against Manchester United last season – it says a lot about a defender’s abilities when he isn’t actually remembered for his defending, and with just four appearances to his name this season time looks to be up for Dossena on Merseyside. “It is clear that staying on the edge [of Liverpool’s first-team squad] is not good and it might be better to find another solution,” Dossena stated recently. His days at Anfield are numbered.

Possible destinations: AS Roma, Atletico Madrid, Zenit St. Petersburg

Dejan Lovren

One of the best young players in Croatia, Dejan Lovren will be leaving current club Dinamo Zagreb sooner rather than later if reports in the Croatian media are anything to go by. The fresh-faced 20-year-old centre back is coveted by a whole host of clubs – Tottenham had a €7 million euro bid rejected a matter of weeks ago but Dinamo are thought to want around €11 million. It seems a few suitors are willing to match that price, including Chelsea who recently faxed Dinamo a bid. Lovren can play across the back four, although is most comfortable at centre half, and has been talked up heavily by Croatia national team coach Slaven Bilic.

Possible destinations: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, France or Italy (unnamed clubs in both countries have made bids).

photo credits: photo 1: La Presse photo 2: AP

Goran Pandev, Real Madrid, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Transfer News