Seven Premier League players who already need a January transfer: overlooked Mainoo, banished Sterling

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James Trafford, Kobbie Mainoo and Raheem Sterling

Trafford, Mainoo and Sterling have all been linked with moves

While the 2025/26 Premier League season has only just started, a number of players are already looking ahead to the January transfer window.

They were either left in limbo after failing to secure transfers during the summer window or they are already regretting the moves they made in the window.

The players are all looking to secure regular first-team football but now have to wait until the January transfer window opens before they can move to another club.

We’ve taken a look at seven Premier League players who need to move clubs in the January transfer window.

James Trafford

A Manchester City academy graduate, Trafford joined Burnley in 2023 in search of regular first-team football and played an integral role in their promotion back to the Premier League last season.

Despite interest from Newcastle United, the England international returned to the Etihad in the summer and backed himself to become their first-choice goalkeeper.

He started ahead of Ederson for the first three Premier League games in 2025/26 but was culpable for Joao Palhinha’s goal in Tottenham’s 2-0 win at City.

While Ederson left the club to join Fenerbahce, City then added another goalkeeper to their squad by signing Gianluigi Donnarumma on transfer deadline day.

Donnarumma is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after winning the treble with Paris Saint-Germain and picking up the Yashin award at the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The Italy international started against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal, while Trafford was recalled for the Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town.

But he needs to be playing regular first-team football if he’s going to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup next summer.

TEAMtalk understands that the 22-year-old could push for a loan move in the January transfer window and several Premier League and Championship clubs are monitoring the situation, including Southampton and Leicester City.

Axel Disasi

Disasi fell out of favour at Chelsea following Enzo Maresca’s arrival in the dugout and spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on loan at Aston Villa.

Sunderland, Bournemouth and West Ham all looked to sign the centre-back in the summer but all three moves collapsed as he held out for a return to former club Monaco.

That never materialised as Nicolas Jackson’s deadline day move to Bayern Munich took up Chelsea’s last international loan spot.

“I had three incredible years at Monaco,” he said. “When they came in, all the memories came back. Monaco is home. I hoped that Chelsea would find a solution to allow me to leave on loan. I pushed until the last minute to go to Monaco.”

Despite failing to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge, he hasn’t been reintegrated into the first-team squad and is unlikely to play for the club again.

The 27-year-old has been training with the Under-21s in recent weeks to stay fit ahead of attempting to secure a transfer exit in the January transfer window.

Tyrell Malacia

Malacia was one of five players banished from Manchester United’s first team by Ruben Amorim at the start of the summer, alongside Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony.

While Garnacho and Antony were sold permanently and Sancho and Rashford both left on loan, the left-back is still at Old Trafford after a loan move to Elche collapsed on deadline day.

He has been included in United’s 25-man Premier League squad for 2025/26 but is currently training with the Under-21s and another first-team appearance appears unlikely.

Patrick Dorgu is the first-choice left-wing-back under Amorim, while Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot have also played in that position.

Malacia has struggled with injury problems at Old Trafford and needs a move in the January transfer window to get his career back on track, having made just 20 appearances in the last two years.

Kobbie Mainoo

Mainoo enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough season in 2023/24 under the then-Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and was Man of the Match in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

He also started for England in the Euro 2024 final and finished second to Lamine Yamal in the 2024 Golden Boy award, which recognises the best young player in Europe.

But the midfielder struggled with form and fitness issues in 2024/25 and is yet to secure a regular starting spot in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

He was an unused substitute in United’s first two Premier League games of the 2025/26 season, sitting out the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and the 1-1 draw with Fulham.

“The way I play is completely different from the last manager,” Amorim said. “I watched a lot of games from the Premier League in Portugal. You can feel then that Manchester United really [played in] transitions. He was the only guy that calmed down the game. Now we have other players that calm down the game.

“Sometimes I expect more from Kobbie Mainoo. Sometimes, maybe if I start [him] more, Kobbie Mainoo is going to play and he’s going to get hard to take out. I need to go with what I’m feeling at the moment and that is the only feeling.

“He’s starting the final of the European Championship in a team that has a lot of talented players – [Phil] Foden played that game, [Cole] Palmer was on the bench. He was playing. I know all that, but sometimes I have a different way of seeing the game.”

The 19-year-old asked to leave the club on loan at the end of the summer transfer window and was linked with Napoli and Bayern Munich but United refused to sanction his departure.

He’s since made substitute appearances against Burnley, Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League as Amorim continues to deploy club captain Bruno Fernandes in a deeper midfield role.

Mainoo wants to showcase his skills to book a place in England’s World Cup squad and TEAMtalk understands that Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle are all interested in the midfielder.

Kalvin Phillips

Having starred for Leeds United and England, Phillips joined Manchester City in a deal worth an initial £42million in the summer of 2022.

But the midfielder struggled to adapt to Guardiola’s style of play and quickly became a peripheral figure at the Etihad, making just six starts in all competitions.

He spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at West Ham United before joining Ipswich Town on a season-long loan deal.

An Achilles injury scuppered his chances of a permanent move in the summer, and he made his return with a seven-minute cameo in City’s Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town.

The England international is still behind Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis in the midfield pecking order at the Etihad.

He has regularly been linked with a homecoming move back to Leeds United and Ligue 1 side Lyon have also been credited with an interest in the 29-year-old.

Raheem Sterling

Alongside Disasi, Sterling has also been deemed surplus to requirements by Maresca.

The winger spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Arsenal but was unable to rediscover his best form, registering just one goal and five assists in 28 appearances in all competitions.

Chelsea reportedly presented him with potential moves to Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Napoli and Galatasaray in the summer, but he didn’t want to uproot his family.

The 30-year-old – who has a £325,000-per-week contract – remains excluded from the Chelsea squad and recently posted pictures of himself at Cobham training ground at 8pm.

“They are Chelsea players, but at the moment they are training separately and the plan is to continue in this way,” Maresca said when asked about Sterling and Disasi.

“Since the season started, I haven’t seen either of them. I haven’t seen Axel or Raheem. They train at a different time and on a different pitch. I haven’t seen them since the start of the season.”

Chelsea's Raheem Sterling
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling

Mathys Tel

Tel joined Tottenham from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window on an initial loan deal, which included an option to buy for £45million.

Despite registering just three goals and one assist in 20 appearances in all competitions, he still joined Spurs on a permanent deal in the summer after they renegotiated with Bayern and agreed to pay a fee of around £30million.

The 20-year-old forward became the first signing of the Thomas Frank era at Tottenham but currently has a bit-part role under the new manager.

He has made just one start and two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season and was not included in their 22-man squad for the Champions League group phase.

On the left wing, he faces competition from £51million summer signing Xavi Simons, last season’s top goalscorer Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert.

The France Under-21 international can also play up front but Richarlison has made a strong start to the season, while Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani are set to return from injury.

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Raheem Sterling Kobbie Mainoo James Trafford

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