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One of the big questions surrounding this January’s transfer window as been about Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, as whether he is going to ‘sign da ting’. Walcott wants to play down the middle and his wish has been granted in the past few weeks. Arsene Wenger’s decision to give him what he wants was rewarded with a hat-trick against Newcastle on Saturday and the smart money is now on him staying at the club. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with a move however.
One man who looks certain to leave his current club is Newcastle striker Demba Ba. Ba spoke to Chelsea representatives on Sunday night but talks were apparently unproductive and he is now looking at other options. The Senegalese hitman has an excellent goalscoring record in the league and has been heavily linked with Arsenal.
Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge also looks set to leave, with a deal in place for him to sign for Liverpool. Like Walcott Sturridge wants to play as a central striker and Chelsea will not allow him this luxury. Will struggle to get a starting berth there at Liverpool too however, with the excellent Luis Suarez in top form.
Liverpool will likely be active this window; they also look set to re-sign Tom Ince from Blackpool and could also bring in young England ‘keeper Jack Butland from Birmingham, with the midlands club struggling financially and admitting their star player could well be sold. Wigan’s Franco di Santo has also been linked, after Rodgers worked with the Argentinian during his time at Chelsea.
Two players who could leave Liverpool are Joe Cole and Stewart Downing. Both players have notoriously endured pretty torrid times at Anfield and Cole could move back to London and join up with Harry Redknapp at QPR. Downing meanwhile has been told by Brendan Rodgers that he can leave and has been linked with a move back to Aston Villa, as well at a return to Championship side Middlesborough.
One player who could be making the step up from the Championship is Wilfried Zaha. The 20-year-old Crystal Palace winger is clearly a huge talent and has already played for England. Zaha has said himself that he is interested in a January switch and both Arsenal and Manchester United are rumoured to be keen.
Manchester City look unlikely to see much action regarding players coming in in January, but two men who could leave the club are centre-back Joleon Lescott and winger Scott Sinclair. Both have struggled for playing time recently, with a wealth of talent ahead of Sinclair in the City ranks and Lescott losing his place to Nastasic in the heart of defence. Everton have been linked with moves for both.
Everton’s priority in this window however is to hold on to one of their top players, left-back Leighton Baines. The England international has been linked with a number of top sides, including Manchester United and Chelsea, and is probably the second best in his position in the league behind Ashley Cole.
Another club who will be desperate to hang on to a star player is West Ham, with midfielder Mohamed Diame being linked with big-spending QPR. A move to west London is not the most attractive when you consider the Rs’ league position, but he could be tempted across the capital by the money.
One of the biggest January moves could see Nani do the opposite of what Robin van Persie did this summer and switch from Manchester United to Arsenal. A £20m move has been touted but Sir Alex Ferguson has told Wenger to keep his hands off. However, it would be an excellent bit of business if United could get £20m for him, considering they paid just £24m for van Persie.
If Arsenal do bring in Nani it could be as a possible replacement for Andrey Arshavin, who has fallen behind the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the Arsenal pecking order. He has been linked with a move back to his native Russia, but Reading are also said to be interested.
Another man who could be leaving north London is Tottenham centre-back Michael Dawson. He looked set to move to QPR in the summer before the deal fell through, but Redknapp, who knows him well from his Spurs days, could well renew interest in the Englishman.