Ten players who most need a move in the final week of the January transfer window - ranked

A bumper new contract certainly took the edge off the immense disappointment Joao Palhinha suffered on deadline day last summer, with the Fulham midfielder admitting that he and his family were "really affected" by the eleventh-hour collapse of his proposed move to Bayern Munich.

However, Palhinha has admitted that his "ambition" remains to play at a "higher" level - and he's running out of time in that regard. Remember, Liverpool were unwilling to invest in the 28-year-old Portugal international because he didn't fit their preferred age profile.

If Palhinha doesn't get his move soon, he may never play for one of Europe's elite, which would be a shame, given he's easily one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

Paris Saint-Germain paid €65 million (£56m/$70m) for Goncalo Ramos just last summer, but it's been reported that the Ligue 1 leaders are already willing to cut their losses on the Portugal international, who has scored just three goals in France's top flight, and started only eight games.

The rather obvious problem is that Kylian Mbappe is being deployed in his preferred position of centre-forward and that doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon. Coach Luis Enrique has publicly supported Ramos, saying he's doing a "spectacular job for the team", yet also conceded that PSG don't play to his strengths as they don't put many crosses into the area.

In that context, Ramos would be just as well-served by a January transfer, particularly when one considers the intense competition for places in the Portugal squad. Ramos has an excellent record for his country (seven goals in 10 games), but his chances of starting at Euro 2024 hinge on him playing regularly at club level.

Is Divock Origi ever going to be known as anything other than Liverpool's one-time super-sub? It's starting to look highly unlikely at this stage. After an absolutely disastrous debut season at AC Milan, featuring just twice in 36 appearances in all competitions, the Belgian was loaned to Nottingham Forest at the start of the season.

However, the return to the Premier League hasn't gone according to plan at all, with Origi still goal-less after nine outings. Forest have absolutely no intention of taking up their option to buy the 28-year-old and the word now is that he will be sent back to San Siro so that Milan can try to move Origi on to one of the MLS sides supposedly willing to take him on.

At this stage, a drop down in level looks the best option for a striker that has never netted more than eight league goals in a single season.

Ahead of the January transfer window, Jesse Lingard posted a picture of himself in the gym with the accompanying quotation, "Doors are opening for you. The wait wasn't punishment, it was preparation."

However, the former Manchester United attacking midfielder is still looking for a new club - more than six months after being released by Nottingham Forest. However, Lingard has just sacked his agent and is reportedly closing in on an MLS move, with Portland Timbers looking like the most likely destination for the former England international, who is still only 31.

Lingard briefly revived his career with a mid-season move to West Ham in 2021 - maybe he can do so again...

Emile Smith Rowe has been hindered by a minor knee injury this season, but the fact remains he's started just one Premier League match and seen just 137 minutes of game time. That's just not good enough for a player with three England caps to his name. He should be a shoo-in for Gareth Southgate's squad for Euro 2024, but right now, he's not even in the running.

Smith Rowe is one of Arsenal's homegrown Hale End heroes. His desire to bide his time and prove himself at the club he loves is admirable. But he should have left the moment Mikel Arteta spent a ridiculous £65 million on Kai Havertz last summer.

As it is, he's probably going to end up wasting another six months of his career at Arsenal, when he could be starting - and realising his enormous potential - at nearly every other Premier League club.

Moise Kean's return to Juventus was made permanent less than a year ago. but it's now obvious that moving back to Turin was a mistake.

The Italy international bagged eight goals in all competitions last season, but he's not scored once during the current campaign and has slipped behind not only Arkadiusz Milik in the pecking order but also new teenage sensation Kenan Yildiz.

The latest reports in Italy suggest that Atletico Madrid are interested in taking Kean on loan for the remainder of the season, and while he might not find game time easy to come by at the Metropolitano, it's clear that he needs to do something to boost his Euro 2024 hopes.

Luciano Spalletti certainly isn't blessed with an abundance of striking options at the moment, but there's no way he'll put his faith in a notoriously ill-disciplined forward who isn't playing - let alone scoring.

The "dream" that Trevoh Chalobah spoke of after signing a long-term contract with Chelsea in 2021 has become a nightmare over the past year, with the academy product having failed to feature once for the first team this season due to a combination of injury and the fact that he's been quite clearly deemed surplus to requirements by Mauricio Pochettino.

So, while the 24-year-old is still sidelined with a hamstring problem, the prospect of a late-window move has increased in recent days, with Serie A sides AC Milan and Napoli said to be weighing up bids for Chalobah as they search the market for central defensive reinforcements, and Premier League duo Nottingham Forest and Fulham also credited with interest.

Chalobah certainly needs something to happen. A player that looked like such a promising talent under Thomas Tuchel is in real danger of seeing his career waste away at Stamford Bridge.

When Nick Pope was ruled out for four months with a shoulder injury sustained at the start of December, a January loan move to Newcastle made so much sense for Aaron Ramsdale. However, the Gunners have reportedly refused to even entertain the idea of allowing their reserve goalkeeper to join a Premier League rival - and certainly not on a temporary basis - leaving Ramsdale in limbo as the winter deadline day approaches.

Ramsdale has featured just once in the Premier League since the middle of September - and even that appearance was only down to the fact that Arsenal's No.1, David Raya, was unable to play against parent club Brentford.

As it stands, unless Ramsdale secures a transfer in the coming days - or the unlikeliest of recalls to Arteta's starting XI - there’s no way England boss Gareth Southgate could justify taking the 25-year-old to the Euros, even as his third-choice shot-stopper.

Why is Anthony Martial still at Manchester United?! Seriously, it makes no sense. The Frenchman has scored eight league goals in two-and-a-half years.

United would obviously love to rid themselves of a player that has just six months left on his contract, but there are obviously a few issues here: firstly, the Red Devils are dreadful at clearing dead wood; secondly, it's not as if they're being inundated with offers; and thirdly, Martial has now been ruled out for 10 weeks after undergoing groin surgery.

Despite all that, the onus is very much on Martial to make a move happen so has a chance of playing again this season. He's wasting his career at Old Trafford - and has been for some time. He's not even been in Erik ten Hag's squad for the last couple of Premier League games.

Martial needs to get back playing now, no matter the club, no matter the level and no matter the money on the table.

When Karim Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia last summer, he said that he had "always wanted to come here". "Straight away I felt this love for me," the French forward explained. "On and off the pitch, I feel good." It's a very different story now, though.

Benzema has come in for severe criticism for his perceived laziness and lack of professionalism with Al-Ittihad's hopes of a second successive Saudi Pro League title already in tatters. Amid reports of missed training sessions, talk of a return to Europe is intensifying, with Arsenal, Chelsea and former club Lyon among those said to be interested.

Benzema has remained tight-lipped to date, but if he's really not happy in Jeddah, the 36-year-old is going to have to push seriously hard to persuade Al-Ittihad to give up "the most impactful signing in the club's history". His departure would represent an even bigger blow to the Pro League's credibility than that of Jordan Henderson.