USMNT January transfer window preview: Should Ricardo Pepi head to Fulham? Does a West Ham move suit Haji Wright?

One year later, Pepi is right back in the news again. Premier League clubs are reportedly swirling, with Fulham the latest club being linked with a big move for the PSV star - according to The Athletic. 

The links come amid another strong run of form for Pepi. He was in prolific scoring form at this point last year before an injury ended any chance of a move, and his current production has again drawn interest from similar clubs.

This leaves an interesting decision for Pepi, then. He has earned his move up the ladder, and one could realistically argue that he has nothing left to prove at PSV. He has earned a step up and a chance to prove himself in a league like the Premier League. It's in those leagues where strikers show that they're among the best.

That said, a move in a World Cup year carries real risk. If Pepi maintains his current scoring rate, there’s a strong case he enters 2026 as the USMNT’s starting striker. A transfer could still work in his favor, but it also brings the possibility that things don’t click. In that sense, PSV represents the safer option - the path that offers the clearest route back to a World Cup squad after narrowly missing out in 2022.

Because of that, the move might be to continue lighting it up for PSV, get to the World Cup, and then roll those dice. We've seen many players turn World Cups into massive moves. Pepi might be the next, as a good World Cup could elevate him into an even higher tier of clubs.

PREDICTION: STAY

There's no player in the USMNT pool that needs a change of situation more than Musah right now. That's not necessarily a change in scenery, to clarify, but situation? Oh yeah.

The loan to Atalanta hasn't worked out, although there have been signs of that changing. Musah is playing more now than he was a few weeks ago, but, in reality, that isn't saying much. Atalanta just don't appear to be particularly interested in his development. 

Now to the big question: would he be better served fighting for minutes at Atalanta or fighting for minutes at Milan? That's the decision he faces. Maybe it's worth giving it a few more weeks to see if Atalanta give him more games in January, but at the moment, Milan may be the better option.

PREDICTION: LEAVE

Premier League clubs, as well as teams in Turkey, have been linked with Wright. Based on multiple reports, however, Coventry City have no intention of letting him go.

It’s easy to see why. Coventry sit eight points clear at the top of the Championship and look well positioned for promotion. Keeping Wright this season - and potentially beyond - would be central to those Premier League ambitions, which helps explain why the club has reportedly set a record-setting asking price to even consider a sale.

That, of course, raises the question of Wright’s own ambitions. A step up is naturally appealing, but the Premier League club most strongly linked with him is West Ham, who appear headed in the opposite direction and could be relegated. Beşiktaş have also been mentioned, but while they remain a major force in Turkey, Wright has already played there - a spell that helped earn his move to England in the first place.

At the moment, there isn’t a move that clearly makes sense for Wright, either in the short or long term, which makes staying the course the logical option. The only real reason to consider a transfer would be concern over his World Cup place, but even that feels manageable given that much of his competition is also playing in the Championship.

PREDICTION: STAY 

Like Wright, Sargent has a history of performing in the Championship. The difference is that his Norwich team is on the opposite end of the table, sitting 23rd with a very real chance of being in League One next season.

Because of that, Sargent has a much bigger incentive to move. Again, like Wright, Sargent has been linked with West Ham, although those links have quieted a bit more in recent weeks. Given Norwich's position in the table, Sargent should be a bit more open to a potential move, even if his departure would effectively doom the club to relegation.

Sargent also has other goals in mind. At the moment, he's likely on the outside looking in for the World Cup squad, but a few goals in the Premier League could certainly alter that situation. Because of that, he'll have to, at the very least, consider it if a club in a bigger league and better situation comes knocking. 

PREDICTION: LEAVE

Yes, we've all seen the rumors. No, they shouldn't come true. All three of the USMNT mainstays above have been linked with Manchester United, and all three have zero reason to even consider it.

Starting with Pulisic, who has the least reason to move. He's already at a major club in the middle of a rebuild, and he's already the superstar at that major club. With AC Milan contending for a Scudetto, largely due to Pulisic's performances, there's no reason to go anywhere, least of all a Man Utd team that, like Milan, isn't playing in Europe this season.

Adams, meanwhile, is out for a while due to injury, ending any hopes of him making a move, not that he should have given his role at Bournemouth. Robinson, finally, has only just returned from injury to boost a Fulham team that is just a few points behind the Red Devils in the Premier League.

Could things change after the World Cup this summer? Sure. A January move, though, wouldn't make much sense for any of these three.

PREDICTION: STAY

The contract situation looms over everything and, according to reports out of Italy, isn’t going away anytime soon. McKennie and Juventus do not appear close to a new deal, and anyone familiar with the sport knows what that often leads to. Clubs rarely allow valuable assets to run down their contracts - particularly players as important as McKennie.

It's wild, then, that it's gotten to this point. McKennie has remained vital to Juve, despite everything that's been done to write him off. Now, with just six months left on his contract, there's a very real chance that he could be on his way. How does Juventus react to that? Does the club sell in hopes of getting something, anything, back?

The answer is "probably not". The club still has high hopes for this season and, to achieve those targets, they'll almost certainly need McKennie. The best path forward, then, is likely to play this season out, continue negotiations, and see what happens. That's probably what's best for McKennie, too, as he would then hit the market following the World Cup, where he could maximize his value for suitors in Europe or stateside with MLS. 

PREDICTION: STAY

Reports out of Germany insist Campbell is on his way out of Borussia Dortmund. And it makes sense.

After making his professional debut last season, Campbell went on to make six total appearances for the Dortmund first team. This season, he's been limited to just one. That, combined with a lackluster U-20 World Cup, has hurt his stock a bit, pushing him towards a likely exit. 

A move to Club Brugge has been rumored, and that would seem to be a great landing spot for the young attacker. It's not a bad thing to make a move like this. In fact, it's anything but. One only needs to look at players like Malik Tillman, Chris Richards, and Tim Weah as players who left megaclubs at young ages only to get further cracks at the big time once they improved as players.

Campbell does need to improve, as all young players do. It now just seems likely that the best path towards doing that is not at Dortmund.

PREDICTION: LEAVE

We'll lump this group together, largely because they're in somewhat similar situations. All were unknown commodities on the international level at this point last year. All now look to be in a good place to go to a World Cup. So now, even with Europe watching on, it makes sense for them all to wait at least a few months for their crack at that level.

There's no underestimating what a World Cup can do for a player's value, and with the four mentioned above, playing at the World Cup looks like a real possibility. One glimpse or game-changing moment is enough for a player to really boost their stock. It's the world's best shop window. So, to get to that shop window in the best form, each should likely stay in MLS for the next few months and then figure the rest out later.

PREDICTION: STAY