3 players who need to move in January

Shinji Kagawa made his much awaited move to Manchester United last season from Borussia Dortmund. He failed to fully adapt to life at Old Trafford, and was in and out of the team last season, making just 20 Premier League appearances. He rarely played the full quota of ninety minutes as Sir Alex Ferguson struggled to incorporate him successfully in his title winning side, but he still managed to score 6 goals and provided 3 assists.

This season, however, has been a complete nightmare for the Japanese playmaker. He has managed just 9 appearances in the league, scoring two and assisting two goals. He has seen his place on the left wing been usurped by Adnan Januzaj who’s having his breakout season. Unless he makes a move soon, he could lose his place in the Japanese starting line-up in Brazil, and has been linked with a return to his former club Borussia Dortmund.

2. Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray)

Wesley Sneijder was close to signing for Manchester United at the start of the 2012-13 season, but he decided to join Turkish giants Galatasaray instead of making the move to England. In his one and half seasons in Istanbul, Sneijder has made 37 appearances for Galatasaray, having scored 11 and created 4 goals. His time, however, has been plagued by injuries that have restricted his playing time.

The 29 year old Dutch star is currently out of favor of Dutch national team manager Loius Van Gaal, and was left out of the side for two critical World Cup qualifiers. Sneijder will undoubtedly be looking to to make a move to one of Europe’s top 5 leagues again in order to earn himself a seat on the flight to Brazil in June. He should move to a bigger league in-order to get competitive again.

(Stats Source: TransfrMarkt)

3. Juan Mata (Chelsea)

Mata

Juan Mata has established himself as a Premier League star since his move to Chelsea in the summer of 2012 after a successful Euro ’12 with Spain. He established himself as one of the best playmakers in the league, and scored 17 goals and made 30 others in 69 appearances for the London side. However, that was before Jose Mourinho took over the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.

Since Mourinho’s arrival, Mata has found playing time hard to come by, with the Portuguese tactician preferring Brazilians Oscar and Willian ahead of the Spaniard. He has managed just the 13 appearances this season, and his performances have suffered due to his lack of playing time. With the World Cup around the corner, and the competition for places in the Spain squad hotter than ever, Mata need to make a move in order to give himself a chance of making the squad for the World Cup. Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move, and he is reportedly set for a medical later today.

(Stats Source: TransfrMarkt)