5 players who need to move to another club in January

Squad depth has become synonymous with modern-day football. 10 years ago, it was enough to have 18 first-team players on the books for a successful season. These days, a team in the Champions League or Europa League can expect to play at least 60 matches in a season, and hence it has become imperative for clubs to have two players in each position – and in some cases, even three.Bloated squads often lead to certain players having their game-time cut down due to fierce competition or managerial upheavals. There are some who are far too talented to be whiling their time away on the bench.On that note, we put together a list of 5 world-class players who are currently getting very little game-time at their respective clubs and should look for a move during the January transfer window.

#1 Fabio Coentrao: Real Madrid to AS Roma

Real Madrid left back Fabio Coentrao has played only one La Liga match this season. This, for a player who is rated very highly in his position, is a smack in the face and should precipitate his moving away in January.

Coentrao started 25 matches in the 2012/13 season, but has seen his game-time cut drastically owing to his managers preferring Marcelo in that position. While Coentrao is sometimes erratic with his positioning and has had disciplinary issues, there is no doubt that he is a better defender than Marcelo, who is better going forward, but can be caught out at the back.

With Ancelotti looking set on Marcelo for the rest of the season, Coentrao needs to move to another club so as not to rot away. The Portugese defender was linked to Manchester United, but the Red Devils settled on Southampton man Luke Shaw instead.

Roma would be a perfect destination for Coentrao, what with Ashley Cole having a wretched start to the season. A fee of €12 million could be enough to tempt Real Madrid into selling a back-up player.

#2 Pedro: Barcelona to Tottenham or Liverpool

Pedro has been a loyal servant to Barcelona, of that there is no doubt. But what has he got in return? A place on the bench, for most of the season.

A few starts in domestic cups and dead rubber matches do not make up for the fact that the Spaniard is almost always overlooked in big games. With Neymar and then Suarez being signed, Pedro’s days of being a regular first-team player have gone up in smoke.

The Spaniard was reportedly furious at being left out of the team for the recent Clasico match, and has been linked with a €25 million move to Arsenal and Manchester United. There are plenty of top teams who would love to have a player of Pedro’s calibre in their team. And Pedro only has to look at his ex-teammate Alexis Sanchez, who has in a short span already become Arsenal’s best player.

It is time for the 26-year-old to cut the chord with his boyhood club, and venture out to other worlds. Before it becomes too late. A speedy winger capable of playing on either flank, Pedro would be perfect for a team like Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool, who are in need of that extra element of pace and trickery.

#3 Juan Mata: Manchester United to Juventus

Signed in Janaury 2014 as the messiah who was to make everything right again, Juan Mata has had a difficult year at Manchester United. First, under David Moyes, the Spaniard was not allowed to play in his preferred position behind the striker, owing to the presence of current club captain Wayne Rooney.

Moyes’ sacking heralded a new era at Old Trafford, and with incoming coach Louis van Gaal’s penchant for attacking football and playmakers, things looked up once again for Mata.

However, this season has also been tough on the Spaniard, and the signing of Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria, coupled with Rooney being handed the captaincy, have seen him play in a number of positions and formations as the new manager looks to stamp his identity on the team.

Perhaps this is too harsh, but a player like Mata deserves to have the team built around him. And at Old Trafford, he will always be playing second, or even third, fiddle to players like Rooney and Di Maria.

With rumours of the physicality of the EPL being too much for him flying around, a move back to La Liga or Serie A could help Mata blossom and go back to the form that saw him become Chelsea’s best player a couple of seasons ago.

Mata would be perfect for a club like Juventus, with the Italian giants in need of a player capable of breaking down tight defences.

#4 Matija Nastasic: Manchester City to Tottenham or Everton

Signed by then Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini in 2012, Serbian defender Matija Nastasic took to the Premier League like a duck to water. The defender belied his age (19 at the time), as he struck up a crucial partnership with Vincent Kompany.

Nastasic’s displays showcased shades of Nemanja Vidic, with the defender’s physical presence and decent ball-playing skills signs of a player with immense potential.

However, the following season saw his game-time being cut down, partly due to the signing of Martin Demichelis as manager Manuel Pellegrini opted for experience over potential. Now 21, Nastasic has a decision to make – stay and fight for a place at City and perhaps waste his formative years, or seek out greener pastures.

City recently splashed the cash on Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, so the road to a first-team place just got more difficult for Nastastic.

Nastasic would slot in well at a club like Tottenham Hotspur, with the Lilywhites in need of a strong defensive presence. Everton could be another option, and under Roberto Martinez’s guidance, the Serbian could exploit his true potential.

#5 Andre Schurrle: Chelsea to Atletico Madrid or Dortmund

The 23-year-old German winger was a crowd favourite at Bayer Leverkusen, and was always the first name of the team-sheet. The 2012/13 season, his last with Leverkusen beforehe moved to Chelsea, saw the German play 39 games and a staggering 3200 minutes of football.

Since his move to Chelsea, the German has played 2300 minutes of football in a season and a half a far cry from his omnipresence in the Bundesliga.

With Mourinho flush with attacking options in the form of Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Mohamed Salah and Diego Costa, Schurrle has had to be content with a place on the bench for the majority of his Chelsea career.

The World Cup winnersdisplays at Chelsea could also affect his chances of making the German National Team, with them having enough attacking players already to choose from.

A move to a club like Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund could see the German being afforded a first-team place, something that heis more than worthy of.