Top 30 Players Outside of the Premier League Who Could Transfer in January
Here are the top 30 footballers outside of the English Premier League who, hypothetically speaking, could be a January transfer window target.
Criteria
The 30 footballers on this list will be subjectively ranked via a combination of:
- Performance this season.
- Standard of competition the footballer is playing at.
- Transfer value.
- Upside.
30. Sami Khedira
1 of 30
Real Madrid's German central midfielder Sami Khedira, 27, would be a great signing on paper.
The key phrase being "on paper" because European football is filled with solid central midfielders who don't have fitness issues, like Khedira.
If Khedira is fit, he is world class, but if he cannot play out an entire season, then there is no point in signing him.
Khedira has only played 47 minutes in La Liga this season.
29. Sebastian Giovinco
2 of 30
Juventus' Italian deep-lying forward Sebastian Giovinco, 27, is a step below team-mate Carlos Tevez.
That is the sign which should tell Giovinco to consider playing for a smaller club than Juventus. A club that is willing to build their team around him and make him their star player.
Giovinco has barely featured for Juventus this season, having only playing 174 minutes in total.
28. Martin Montoya
3 of 30
Barcelona's Spanish right-back Martin Montoya, 23, went from being Dani Alves' heir apparent to being considered inferior to Douglas Pereira.
Granted, Montoya is not a finished product, but he is better than Douglas, whose performance against Malaga was not La Liga quality.
Montoya has only played 90 minutes of La Liga action for Barcelona this season.
27. Marco Reus
4 of 30
Borussia Dortmund's German left attacking midfielder/deep-lying forward Marco Reus, 25, needs to look out for himself.
He has ruptured ligaments in both ankles, so if a wealthy European club offers him ludicrous wages (there will be that one club that takes a chance on him), he should force the move.
From Dortmund's point of view, they need to start looking for successors to Reus.
26. Xherdan Shaqiri
5 of 30
Bayern Munich's Swiss right/left/deep-lying forward Xherdan Shaqiri, 23, finds himself in an awkward situation.
He is not Bayern starting material yet has the traits to be an invaluable impact sub. But does he want to play a bit-part role?
Aside from several sparks, Shaqiri is a mercurial figure at Bayern.
He seems to play better for Switzerland than Bayern.
25. N'Golo Kante
6 of 30
Caen's French central midfielder N'Golo Kante, 23, is taking every single opportunity as if it could be his last.
He is fierce in the tackle, provides box-to-box running and is Caen's answer to Blaise Matuidi.
Kante has the ability to play at a bigger club.
24. Victor Ibarbo
7 of 30
Cagliari's Colombian right forward/centre-forward Victor Ibarbo, 24, could be a world beater.
He is big, pacey, controls the ball well and loves taking on opposing players. Despite being able to dribble his way past several players in an instant, his end product is woeful.
He has only scored six times in his last 2,943 minutes of Serie A action.
23. Papy Djilobodji
8 of 30
Nantes' Senegalese centre-back Papy Djilobodji, 26, is a colossal figure in defence.
He is a big presence in the air, winning 41 headers in 14 Ligue 1 games, and clears the ball 10.1 times per game.
A tall left-footer, what Djilobodji needs to improve is his passing from the back (gives away possession 25.1 percent of the time he attempts to pass).
22. Alberto Bueno
9 of 30
Rayo Vallecano's Spanish deep-lying forward Alberto Bueno, 26, has a knack for scoring goals.
Last season, he passed double digits (11 goals) and this season he is averaging a goal every two games (six goals in 12 La Liga games).
He and Leo Baptistao have been instrumental in Rayo's attack, combining for 12 of 16 goals.
21. Giannelli Imbula
10 of 30
Marseille's French central midfielder Giannelli Imbula, 22, has all the traits big clubs want.
He has high upside, is physically imposing, technically gifted and has the potential to become a commanding midfielder.
He is an accurate passer, completing 89.5 percent of his passes, and he can surge past opposing players.
20. Nolito
11 of 30
Celta Vigo's Spanish left forward Nolito, 28, is having the season of his life.
He has scored five times and registered five assists in 13 La Liga games, but will he be tempted if another big club comes calling?
He has in the past, hence moves to Barcelona and Benfica.
19. Tommy Oar
12 of 30
Utrecht's Australian left attacking midfielder Tommy Oar, 22, is finally proving his worth in the Eredivisie.
He has registered six assists and accumulated 37 key passes (pass leading to scoring chance for a team-mate) in 10 league games (last season, he had 43 key passes in 31 league games).
If Oar is considering making a move to a bigger club, he needs guarantees that he will receive starts.
Otherwise, just stay at Utrecht.
18. Franco Vazquez
13 of 30
Palermo's Argentine [1] central attacking midfielder Franco Vazquez, 25, is one of the most talented footballers playing in an elite European league.
He is a swashbuckling showman who dribbles past opposing players with exemplary ease.
If Vazquez can up his productivity, he will attract the attention of Europe's biggest clubs.
[1] Considering the option of playing for Italy.
17. Andre Ayew
14 of 30
Marseille's Ghanaian left attacking midfielder/central midfielder Andre Ayew, 24, is a multi-functional footballer.
Yes, he is skilful and living up to his father, Abedi Pele, but there is one trait which is often overlooked.
Ayew is one of the hardest-working players at Marseille. He is generally always tracking back, pressing opposing players and attempting to force turnovers.
16. Marko Vejinovic
15 of 30
Vitesse's Dutch [1] central midfielder Marko Vejinovic, 24, has been outstanding.
With the benefit of hindsight, Chelsea should have signed Vejinovic instead of Marco van Ginkel, who faces an uphill task to resurrect his career.
Like Van Ginkel, Vejinovic provides dynamism and an all-round midfield presence.
Will there be fitness problems down the line due to such an energy-sapping playing style?
[1] Open to switching allegiance to Serbia.
15. Dani Alves
16 of 30
Barcelona's Brazilian right-back Dani Alves, 31, is playing for a new contract.
There has been speculation that he has "many enemies" at the club, according to team-mate Gerard Pique, per Sport.
However, Pique's comments may have been in jest.
Unlike Liverpool's Glen Johnson, Alves has been pushing himself to govern his side of the field.
Alves averages 4.4 tackles for Barcelona this season.
14. Andre-Pierre Gignac
17 of 30
Marseille's French centre-forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, 28, is in career-best form.
In the last five seasons, the most goals he scored in a Ligue 1 season was 16. This season, he already has 11 goals from 15 league games.
Should Marseille offload Gignac, they already have a replacement in Michy Batshuayi, who is waiting in the wings.
13. Karim Bellarabi
18 of 30
Bayer Leverkusen's German right attacking midfielder Karim Bellarabi, 24, went from being on the bubble to a German international in the span of 12 months.
Leverkusen were frustrated with Bellarabi's inconsistencies (one goal, no assist in 18 games), but his untapped potential meant management loaned him out rather than cut their losses.
On loan at Eintracht Braunschweig, Bellarabi got his career back on track last season.
Now at Leverkusen, Bellarabi is backing up his talent with productive performances.
He has already scored seven times and registered two assists in 13 Bundesliga games.
12. Jordan Amavi
19 of 30Nice's French left-back Jordan Amavi, 20, still needs to refine his end product when he bolts into the attacking half, but he is a solid tackler.
Averaging 3.9 tackles and 4.5 interceptions per game, Amavi has the qualities to be a lock-down full-back.
Instead of chasing Wolfsburg's Ricardo Rodriguez, betting on Amavi's upside would be a cost-effective option for major European teams looking for a left-back.
11. Max Kruse
20 of 30
Borussia Monchengladbach's German deep-lying forward Max Kruse, 26, has always been a risk-taker.
He is a technically gifted forward who can split open opposing defences with his mazy dribbling and incisive passing.
He grafted away at St. Pauli, used Freiburg as a stepping stone and 'Gladbach has given him more exposure.
The safe option is to stay at 'Gladbach, but if a big-money move is on the horizon, why not cash in?
10. Abdul Rahman Baba
21 of 30
Augsburg's Ghanaian left-back Abdul Rahman Baba, 20, puts himself in an advantageous position for a big move.
He is performing at an elite level yet his transfer value is moderately low because most people don't pay attention to Augsburg.
He is a cheaper alternative for major European teams that are unwilling to pay a premium in transfer fee and/or salary to elite left-back prospects, such as Wolfsburg's Ricardo Rodriguez, Monaco's Layvin Kurzawa, etc.
Baba leads the Bundesliga in tackles per game (4.5).
In addition, he has more assists (four) than Hoffenheim's Roberto Firmino (three).
9. Davy Klaassen
22 of 30
Ajax's Dutch central attacking midfielder/central midfielder Davy Klaassen, 21, continues to dazzle.
Having scored twice in the span of five days, first in a 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and second in a 1-1 draw against ADO Den Haag, Klaassen is flashing scoring potential.
He is already a stylish dribbler, who is technically excellent, makes superb passes and pressures opposing players into turnovers.
He has the upside to become one of the most complete footballers of his generation.
8. Layvin Kurzawa
23 of 30
Monaco's French left-back Layvin Kurzawa, 22, has an upside comparable to Paris Saint-Germain's Lucas Digne.
While Digne is at PSG, an emerging heavyweight in European football, Kurzawa is at Monaco, a club that is ditching its plans on becoming elite.
Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev has downsized Monaco's spending, so it is conceivable that Kurzawa, one of the premier left-back options in Europe, could be sold.
7. Aymeric Laporte
24 of 30
Athletic Bilbao's French centre-back Aymeric Laporte, 20, is approaching elite status and given his upside, major European teams need to sign him as soon as possible.
Bilbao continue to hover around mid-table status (ninth in La Liga; eight points behind fourth-placed Sevilla), so Laporte should have an eye on the future.
Laporte has completed 26 tackles and intercepted 46 passes in 12 La Liga games this season.
6. Alexandre Lacazette
25 of 30
Lyon's French centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette, 23, is one of the best performing players in Ligue 1 this season.
He is tied with Marseille's Andre-Pierre Gignac for most goals (11), though Lacazette has created three more goals (four) than Gignac (one).
Hypothetically speaking, if Lyon did sell Lacazette, the onus would be on Nabil Fekir to up his scoring.
5. Memphis Depay
26 of 30
PSV Eindhoven's Dutch left-forward Memphis Depay, 20, is a prolific scorer, but he is a volume-shooter.
Statistically, he is a must-sign prospect: 0.78 goals per game average in the Eredivisie and a 1.0 goals per game average in the UEFA Europa League.
However, major European teams want to be signing another Ronaldo Luis instead of a Mateja Kezman (both phenomenal scorers for PSV).
What potential suitors should be doing is breaking down Depay's playing style.
He is two-footed, ball-dominant, has attacking freedom, often only has one mindset when he is in possession and overly reliant on long-range shots.
The team that signs Depay needs to build the starting XI around him, otherwise his world-class ability won't be fully maximised.
4. Ricardo Rodriguez
27 of 30
Wolfsburg's Swiss Ricardo Rodriguez, 22, is a quick fix for major European teams with a hole at left-back.
Rodriguez is a robust tackler, reads play well and glides into the attacking half looking to create goals.
He is so lethal going forward (eight goals and 10 assists in the last two seasons) that he could transition into a left forward or a right forward.
Being a set-piece taker, who bizarrely could be more adept at executing free-kicks than penalties, is another reason to sign Rodriguez.
3. Loris Karius
28 of 30
Mainz's German Loris Karius, 21, is the pre-eminent goalkeeping prospect in the Bundesliga.
Of the three goalkeepers who have made 50 saves or more in the Bundesliga this season (Yann Sommer [62], Karius [59] and Ralf Fahrmann [55]), Karius is the youngest.
He has the size and natural ability to transition into a world-class goalkeeper.
He could be the next big goalkeeping export from Germany, a la Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
2. Roberto Firmino
29 of 30
Hoffenheim's Brazilian central attacking midfielder Roberto Firmino, 23, finally received a long overdue call-up to the Brazilian national team.
Scoring in a 2-1 win over Austria gives Firmino a taste of what being an international feels like.
He should be striving to be a starter for Brazil at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The only grievance with the call up is he has been in average form compared to last season, when he was routinely overlooked.
It is an example of how dysfunctional and inconsistent the Brazilian national team is to selections.
| Roberto Firmino | 2014-15 | 2013-14 |
| Goals Per Game | 0.23 | 0.48 |
| Assists Per Game | 0.23 | 0.33 |
| Key Passes Per Game | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Passes Per Game | 38.2 | 43.6 |
| Dribbles Per Game | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Firmino is a dual threat to score and/or create goals while having flair reminiscent of Ronaldinho or Djalminha.
He is a complete footballer and is an under-rated ball-winner (2.8 tackles, 1.2 interceptions per game).
Do not be surprised if Firmino ends up being on the books of a European super club—whether it is Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, et al.—within the next five years.
1. Allan Marques
30 of 30
Udinese's Brazilian central midfielder Allan Marques, 23, is the quintessential ball-winning midfielder, who can bolster a major team's defence.
Allan leads Serie A in tackles per game (5.0) and total tackles (65).
No player in Serie A [1] has reached 50 tackles, let alone 60, so this shows how dominant Allan is.
Aside from being an abnormally disruptive presence to the opposing team, Allan is proficient in carrying the ball into the attacking half and initiating offensive plays.
[1] The second most prolific tackler in Serie A is Palermo defensive midfielder Luca Rigoni, 29, who has completed 46 tackles (4.6 TPG).
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com
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