Jadon Sancho, Kalvin Phillips and 21 Premier League players who most need a January transfer

Phillips' arrival at Manchester City from Leeds is already certain to rank among Pep Guardiola's worst-ever transfer decisions. The midfielder has never really been given a fair chance, and the manager has suggested that he doesn't see where he fits - which raises the question of why he was signed in the first place.

The England international is nailed on to leave in January, the only question is 'where?', with a number of Premier League and European clubs supposedly interested in bringing him in, including Newcastle and Juventus.

Things have gone horribly wrong for £73 million ($93m) man Sancho at Manchester United, and it would be a huge surprise if he is still at Old Trafford beyond January.

Amid a torrid spell at the club, he remains exiled and at an impasse with manager Erik ten Hag since a social media outburst in September - with no sign of either side backing down. It has been suggested that the winger is hoping for a reprieve should Ten Hag be sacked, but that seems unlikely for the time being.

It's been an astonishing fall from grace for Ramsdale this season, who has gone from being Arsenal's dependable No.1 and pushing Jordan Pickford for his starting place in the England set-up, to a bench-warming role in north London behind David Raya.

Suggestions of a role-share have proven unfounded, so Ramsdale now finds himself with a big decision on his hands as Euro 2024 approaches. Raya hasn't exactly set the world alight, so perhaps the Englishman could wait him out, but that would be a risk.

Will January finally, finally bring a long-overdue end to Martial's unhappy Manchester United spell? The goal-shy striker's contract is due to expire in the summer, and it seems United have no intention of triggering an extension despite some conflicting reports.

Martial is certainly in need of a fresh start after a torrid eight years, but it remains to be seen who will be willing to role the dice on a forward who has endured both injury problems and regular goal droughts.

Chalobah hasn't featured at all for Chelsea this season due to injury, but it's been evident since the summer that he will be on the move in January.

The defender has been deemed surplus to requirements despite the Blues' defensive injury problems, with the likes of Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich previously linked.

Another uninspired Guardiola signing, Gomez finds himself at the bottom of Man City's defensive pecking order at the midway point in the season - not helped by the emergence of young Rico Lewis.

A Spain Under-21 international, the 23-year-old will be acutely aware of the need to be playing regularly in the second half of the campaign to stand any chance of making La Roja's senior squad for Euro 2024.

Danjuma has been something of an unlucky omen for Everton this season; the Toffees have won just one Premier League game with the winger in the team, but are bizarrely unbeaten when he has been left on the bench, including a recent run of five-straight victories.

It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that he has struggled for minutes of late, and it would be hard to argue with his parent club Villarreal if they were to recall him from his loan and send him elsewhere.

You know your days are numbered when you're still being overlooked by your manager amid a defensive injury crisis. Despite Tottenham having no other recognised senior centre-backs available, long-serving Dier has regularly found himself on the bench of late.

Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou is said to be willing to cut ties with the England international in January, and he could be available for as little as £5m ($6m), with his contract due to expire in the summer.

Expect this one to be confirmed almost as soon as the January window opens, but it seems that Van de Beek's Old Trafford nightmare might be about to finally reach its end.

The Netherlands midfielder has agreed an initial loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt, who have the option to make the deal a permanent one if everything goes to plan. For Van de Beek's sake, we hope it does after his torrid spell in England.

Time flies in football. It feels like just yesterday that Kelleher was a promising youngster making impressive cameos in goal for Liverpool in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, but he's now 25 and has little chance of breaking into the starting XI while Alisson Becker is still knocking about.

The Irishman hasn't reached his peak, but he will know full well that he must be playing regular first-team football to fulfil his potential. He will doubtless have plenty of suitors in the new year and a decision on his hands.

Academy product Nelson's commitment to Arsenal is admirable, especially considering his route to the starting line-up is blocked by elite-level youngsters Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

The 24-year-old only signed a new contract in the summer and has insisted that he has no plans to move elsewhere in the near future, but the reality is that he might have to if he wants to progress in his career.

Palhinha remains a key player for Fulham, but he is clearly good enough for an elite club and must be gutted that his proposed move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich fell through on deadline day in the summer.

The Cottagers are down in lower reaches of the Premier League table and are going nowhere fast, while the midfielder has admitted that he has been affected by the collapse of his big-money transfer. Bayern's interest may have gone cold, but the likes of Man City, Arsenal or Chelsea still might come calling.

Tavares had a productive loan at Marseille last season, but the Arsenal left-back's experience at Forest has been far less enjoyable, and he hasn't played a minute since September.

His deal at the City Ground includes an option to buy, but he is all-but guaranteed to return to Arsenal to be sent out once again - perhaps on a permanent basis this time.

Having been a regular starter in 2022-23, Kehrer has abruptly fallen out of favour under David Moyes at West Ham, and it appears he is unlikely to hang around and wait for his chance.

The former Paris Saint-Germain defender will have no shortage of suitors given his European pedigree, with AC Milan, Roma and Atalanta all linked in Serie A.

Although Maatsen has been given irregular opportunities at Chelsea this season, his long-term future probably doesn't lie at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues' defensive injury issues haven't provided the Dutchman with much of a platform to prove his worth, and he may well be best served finally severing ties with the club he joined in 2018 if he wants to take the next step in his career.

Another player who has failed to make an impression on David Moyes at West Ham, Cornet has found his appearances limited almost entirely to the Europa League this season.

It seems logical that that the Hammers will cut their losses on the man they signed for £18m ($23m) from Burnley less than 18 months ago. However, his lack of game time has seen him miss out on a place in Cote d'Ivoire's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which ironically means he may suddenly come in useful.

With his contract due to expire in 18 months, Godfrey's time at Everton seems to have run its course. The versatile defender has barely played this season having seemingly fallen foul of manager Sean Dyche.

He may well be offered an attractive escape route, however, with both Tottenham and Newcastle linked with the England international in their search for defensive reinforcements.

You would think a defender who had just left Arsenal would stroll straight into the Crystal Palace team, but that has been a far cry from the reality for Holding.

The former Gunner is yet to make a single Premier League appearance for the south Londoners, with his sole outing coming in the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United way back in September. He still has three years left on his contract, but is almost certain to seek an exit in January.

The City Ground has not been a happy hunting ground for loan players this season, and highly-rated Santos is another player who has fallen by the wayside in the first half of 2023-24 - making just two appearances in total.

Chelsea have already made the decision to recall him in January, and he will have no shortage of clubs to choose from as he bids to salvage his season. Pochettino might even want him to stick around given his lack of depth in the middle of the park.

Truly Chelsea's forgotten man, Sarr is still at the club having somehow survived their ruthless summer clear-out - although it is more likely the case that they could not find anyone to take him.

The Blues will surely try to shift him again in January, but whether they can find a buyer this time around remains to be seen. The defender hasn't played a game for the club since 2022 and will be well short of match sharpness.

Not technically a Premier League player, but what next for Lingard?! The England international is still without a club after departing Nottingham Forest in the summer. Trials with both West Ham and Al-Ettifaq came to nothing, so he will once again put himself in the shop window in January.

He really must choose his next club wisely, with the very real threat of his career simply fizzling out at the age of 31. A move to France is one option being considered, although Brexit regulations could prove to be a significant stumbling block.