It might be appropriate to take down decorations, return unwanted presents, and take empty bottles to the bottle bank during the first week of January.
However, it’s also a time for new beginnings. Some of the biggest names in the Premier League are looking farther afield while you search job postings and consider whether that new position would be worth the commute.
Players whose contracts expire this summer can begin negotiating with overseas teams on January 1st, and some superstars this year may be planning significant summer transfers.
Liverpool’s issue
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you are aware that Liverpool has three first-team players in this scenario. Indeed, they may lose Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah to free transfers this summer.
Having scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in the Premier League this season, the 32-year-old Salah is undoubtedly not letting rumours about his future divert him. How much would it cost to replace those kinds of numbers? The Anfield club has reportedly been hesitant to pay top dollar for an attacker of his age. And how will the loss of a Kop idol affect the fans?
Given that he is only 26 and may be in or nearing his prime, Alexander-Arnold stands out among the three. The full-back has been linked to Real Madrid for a long time. The team has a history of recruiting big free agents like David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and Kylian Mbappe.
Oh, and a certain Steve McManaman of Liverpool, who was arguably the first prominent English player to perform a “Bosman” in 1999. Is TAA the next?
The skipper has once again been playing well, and Dutchman Van Dijk, 33, is the most likely of the three to stay. Will he remain at Anfield for more than seven years?
Farewell, De Bruyne?
It is safe to assume that Manchester City has not had a successful season.
Even Pep Guardiola faces a difficult task as his team attempts to win the Premier League for the sixth time in a row, since they are currently 14 points behind champions Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.
Additionally, even though Guardiola has committed to remain manager, Kevin de Bruyne’s time at City may be coming to an end.
The 33-year-old midfielder has suffered from injuries in recent years, missing both the 2021 Champions League final loss to Chelsea and the 2023 victory against Inter Milan due to injury.
Due to City’s struggles in both domestic and European competition, De Bruyne has only appeared in 16 games this season.
Is the Belgian headed to Saudi Arabia or the United States soon?
Son, see you later?
A number of other elite teams may also see changes, with Tottenham and Everton perhaps losing dependable goal scorers.
With 125 goals, Spurs captain Son Heung-min, who has been with the team since 2015, is 18th all-time in the Premier League.
Spurs are set to exercise a one-year option to extend the South Korean forward’s current contract, but he has only scored five goals in the league this season and might feel it’s time to go on for a fresh challenge and honours.
The unavoidable one-year extension seems like it would still raise a lot of concerns about his future, even though there is currently no indication that fresh contract negotiations are on the table.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a striker for Everton, is only 27 years old and might have a major move ahead of him. With just 11 Premier League goals since the end of the 2012–22 season, his goal return has decreased, but the England international may still draw some serious suitors on a free transfer.
Wood I go, or Wood I stay?
Chris Wood, a striker for Nottingham Forest, is having a great 13th season in the Premier League, but clubs abroad may have taken notice of his recent heroics at the City Ground.
He signed a permanent contract with Forest in the summer of 2023 after joining on loan from Newcastle in January of that year, and he has since continued to improve.
Wood, a 33-year-old striker from New Zealand, has already scored 10 goals in the league this season as third-place Forest hopes to qualify for Europe.
Amad Diallo is another talented player with an unclear future.
The 22-year-old Ivory Coast winger has been a revelation for Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.
Although United has a one-year extension option, Diallo will undoubtedly be given a new deal to remain at Old Trafford after playing well wide on the right in Amorim’s 3-4-3.
When Mikel Arteta initially took over, Thomas Partey was a fixture in the Arsenal midfield. However, he was sidelined for the majority of the previous season because of injuries.
Could the 31-year-old Ghanaian international, who is currently in his fifth season at the Emirates, be permitted to move elsewhere given his fitness concerns?
Callum Wilson, a striker for Newcastle, has also had injuries ruin his career, but when healthy, the 32-year-old is still a dependable and accomplished finisher.
Others who might be called up in the upcoming weeks include Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire, 31, and Victor Lindelof, 30, Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff, 27, Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters, 27, and Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell, 25.
Premier League teams are also prepared to make a move for a number of well-known targets who are currently working abroad.
All three of Bayern Munich’s players—winger Leroy Sane, 28, midfielder Joshua Kimmich, 29, and Canadian full-back Alphonso Davies, 24—have summer contracts that expire.
Over the past 12 months, the three have been connected to Premier League teams, so it may be hard to pass up the chance to sign them for nothing, especially if you want to add 28-year-old defender Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 24-year-old Canadian striker Jonathan David has not yet reached a new contract with Lille in France. With 11 goals in 15 games, he leads Ligue 1 in scoring. Angel Gomes, a 24-year-old midfielder for the club, may possibly return to England when his contract expires.
