5 Arsenal players who may leave the club in January

With the transfer window fast approaching, its again that time of the season where speculation about players and clubs are rife, with pundits and fans sharing their opinions on social media about which club should sign which player.

Admittedly, the January window doesn't usually see as much activity as the summer. But it is a chance for clubs to reinforce problematic positions to launch a late title charge or to try and avoid relegation.

It also provides a brief window of opportunity for players who have fallen out of favour to try and revitalize their season (or career) by moving to a new club.

We're very close to the halfway mark of the Premier League season, and for Arsenal, the title challenge seems to be over already.

They sit a disappointing fifth, and finishing top of a Europa League group that contains FC Koln, BATE Borisov, and Crvena Zvezda (yes, that's an actual team) can hardly be called an accomplishment.

With the 2018 World Cup in Russia fast approaching, its time for some players to evaluate their options, and perhaps move on from Arsenal.

#5 Callum Chambers

Chambers arrived at the Emirates in 2014 as yet another promising defender from the Southampton academy that had been outsourcing its talented graduates to clubs all over England.

He spent one season on loan at Middlesbrough, and in 3 full seasons in London, he's managed only 36 appearances for the first team.

Although primarily a centre-back, he had started to establish himself as a reliable right back for Arsenal until Hector Bellerin's emergence diminished his chances.

It is important to remember that he's still only 22, and does have 3 caps for England. A place on the World Cup squad, however, seems impossible considering that there's not much time left.

Gareth Southgate also seems to have hit upon a favourable defensive setup for Russia.

With no appearances in the league this season, Chambers has been relegated to a secondary role in the Europa League and domestic cup competitions.

With Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal in decent form, his chances of breaking into the starting lineup are practically non-existent.

At this point, a loan move in January seems to be a sensible option, but its probably time for him to start considering a permanent move elsewhere.

Chambers still has the talent to establish himself as the first choice for a mid-table team, and there are some teams in the Premier League who could use his talents.

#4 Theo Walcott

Walcott's game time has been limited to cup competitions this season

Another former Southampton star, Theo Walcott managed to make himself useful for Wenger last season by playing as a makeshift striker.

But the signing of Alexandre Lacazette has meant that he only has 3 appearances in the league so far this season, and the form of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Özil, and Alex Iwobi means his chances in wide areas are limited as well.

Walcott will forever be an enigma for Arsenal. He does not have the skillset that is most commonly associated with his position, but a combination of blistering pace and a keen goalscoring sense meant that he almost always found ways to come in handy for manager Arsene Wenger.

His regularity in the first team has severely been affected by injuries. Even so, this season seems to be his worst one yet. A player of Walcott's quality shouldn't be satisfied with the odd cameo in the Premier League and scattered starts in domestic cup competitions.

His run for the national team seems to be over as well, with Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford establishing themselves as the first choice wingers.

Everton has been lurking for a while, and considering the Toffees' nightmare start to the season, they will jump at the opportunity to have another attacking option.

At the age of 28, it makes sense for him to seek out newer pastures while he still has the pace to burn.

#3 Jack Wilshere

Wilshere has been in good form in the Europa League

From England's most promising midfielder at Arsenal to loan spell at Bournemouth at the age of 25, Jack Wilshere's entire career has been defined by injuries and it is still surprising how little he has impacted the Gunners since making his debut in 2008.

In ten full seasons in the Premier League, Wilshere has averaged 15 appearances per season. For a player of his potential and talent, that is shockingly low.

Last season, he was starting to show glimpses of his previous form with Bournemouth until a hairline fracture in April ruled him out for the rest of the season.

In spite of avoiding injuries so far this year, he has only four appearances in the league, having been unable to oust Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey in midfield.

Like Theo Walcott, he's been relegated to Europa League and League Cup duty.

At 25 years old, Wilshere is close to hitting his peak, and Wenger still highly values him, as his comments after the recent win against BATE showed.

A loan move makes the most sense for him right now. With Real Betis linked with a January move, he should try and get some regular game time in a top European league, and hopefully impress Wenger enough to get a run in the first team.

With England's central midfield options severely depleted, he might even be in with an outside chance to make it onto the plane to Russia.

#2 Olivier Giroud

Giroud must surely be considering his options especially in a World Cup year

Surprisingly enough, Arsenal's second choice striker remains in Didier Deschamps' plans for his France squad for the World Cup.

And it is not without reason - Giroud always seems to deliver whenever called upon for his national team. For all their attacking options up front, the French team lacks a striker like Giroud who can physically dominate opposition defenders.

He's been very useful for Arsenal over the years, and in spite of criticism from some quarters regarding his playing style, 72 league goals over 5 seasons say otherwise.

He has 11 Premier League appearances this season, but largely as the second choice for new signing Alexandre Lacazette.

While Giroud is already 31 years old, his main concern regarding the reduced game time at Arsenal is the possibility of not making it to the World Cup.

French coach Didier Deschamps recently warned him that a lack of playing time will be a factor in his selection next year.

This should be a pressing issue for Giroud, given that Russia might be his last chance at international glory (and that's a very good possibility considering the insanely talented French squad).

Everton was heavily linked to Diego Costa and Giroud in the summer to replace the departing Romelu Lukaku, but Arsenal was firm in their conviction to hold on to him.

But if the Frenchman decides to leave in January, Wenger may have a battle on his hands to convince him otherwise.

#1 Mesut Özil

Will we see Ozil in Barca colours soon?

For sometime now, both Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez have been linked with moves away from the Emirates, but Arsenal has somehow held on to their star attacking duo.

With their contracts running out in the summer, there is a very real possibility of Wenger losing both of them.

Manchester United and Barcelona have been sniffing around the German playmaker, and you can never rule out the possibility of a move back to the Bundesliga.

Ozil is often very heavily criticised for his defensive work rate, but he will probably be the undisputed first choice at Arsenal as long as he's fit.

But the Gunners have been stuck in something of a downward trajectory for a couple of seasons, unable to really challenge for the Premier League. Their only real success has been in the FA Cup, a tournament that is starting to lose relevance and importance with every passing year.

Ozil's most productive years came with Real Madrid, and his hunger for more silverware might be enough to make him listen to offers in January.

He will be free to start negotiating contracts with other clubs in January, and that seems the best option right now. Arsenal might regret not renewing his contract sooner, but Ozil needs to start playing at the top again before an inevitable decline in a couple of years.