Bench warmers: The 10 MVPs that need to move club before the January window closes

Ranking 

The January transfer window will wrap up in just a few days and while we’ve certainly seen a number of big names move for huge fees, there have been even more rumours and stories about players potentially still swapping clubs before Monday that haven’t yet materialised. For every in-form player garnering interest around Europe, there are 10 out-of-favour stars in desperate need of a move to restart their careers.

So who are these unwanted MVPs? Today at Transfermarkt we’ve taken a look at the most valuable players in the world that have played less than 20% of their team’s available league minutes so far this season. And, after excluding youth academy players, players on loan and stars that have sat out large chunks of the season through injury, we have a definitive list of 10 prospects that may need to get on the phone to their agent before the window slams shut.

Charalampos Kostoulas

The first name on our list is Brighton striker Charalampos Kostoulas. Although big things were expected from the Greek talisman when he made a €35m move to Brighton from Olympiacos in the summer, the 18-year-old talent has spent much of this season either on the bench or not in Fabian Hürzeler’s team at all. In total, Kostoulas has started just 4% of Brighton’s games and played in no more than 9% of the club’s total minutes in the Premier League this season. As little more than an impact sub off the bench, Kostoulas may be better suited out on loan for the remainder of the season to pick up more game time and to continue his development.

Chris Rigg

Another young Premier League star that may need to look elsewhere for game time in the second half of the season is Sunderland prospect Chris Rigg. The attacking midfielder rose to prominence in the Championship last season as an ever-present star in Sunderland’s midfield as they won promotion back to the Premier League. However, following the club’s summer spending spree, Rigg has since lost his starting position at the club and found himself playing as a utility man across the midfield. As such, the 18-year-old talent has featured in just 26% of Sunderland’s starting XIs in the Premier League this season and featured in just 18% of the total league minutes available to him.

Davide Frattesi

One of the biggest starsin need of a January transfer move in Europe is undoubtedly Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi. Believe it or not, it was just 18 months ago that the 26-year-old star made a €31.4m move from Sassuolo to Inter as the club’s eleventh most expensive signing ever. However, the Rome-born talent has never quite managed to nail down a start spot at the San Siro and so far this season he’s managed just 13% of the available game time and started just 5% of Inter’s games in Serie A. While Cristian Chivu may not be too enthused about selling one of his useful back-up players, Frattesi may feel as though a club that can offer him a prominent role in their team would be better at this point in his career.

Tyler Dibling

Although it’s very unlikely that Everton would be prepared to sell Tyler Dibling just six months after spending €40.5m to sign him from Southampton, even the most ardent fans of the club may be willing to admit that the 19-year-old winger hasn’t been offered enough game time this season. In the Premier League Dibling has made just 12 appearances, which works out at 18% of the total league minutes of the campaign and just 19% of all of Everton’s starting XIs. Perhaps a loan move would help the Exeter-born talent to rekindle the form and performances he showed at Southampton last season and help develop a player Everton clearly have plenty of faith in.

Jorrel Hato

Chelsea are no strangers to spending big on defensive talents and while that can sometimes lead to the Stamford Bridge side picking up superb talents, it can also often lead to expensive players sitting on the bench. One such example is Jorrel Hato, who joined the club from Ajax for €44.2m in the summer. Few could doubt that Hato has plenty of potential, but he’s also shown an inability to keep up with the speed and physicality of the Premier League. As such, Hato has played in just 13% of Chelsea’s league minutes this season and could find himself out on loan at a sister club or elsewhere before the winter transfer window draws to a close.

Rico Lewis

Another young Premier League prospect that may need to consider his options before Monday draws to a close is Manchester City full-back Rico Lewis. The English right-back has impressed since gaining promotion from the club’s youth teams, but has so far this season seen his game time in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI largely blocked by Matheus Nunes becoming the club’s new first-choice option in the position. As such, Lewis has featured in just 15% of Man City’s game time in the league this season and may not get much more unless something were to drastically change in the coming months.

Brahim Díaz

Not all is well at Real Madrid based on performances on the pitch and speculation off it. One such player that may force a move before too long is Brahim Díaz, who remains a peripheral figure in the Los Blancos team despite his clear talent. So far in this season’s LaLiga campaign, Díaz has featured in Madrid’s starting XI in just 14% of their games and played a grand total of just 17% of the total league time available to him. Perhaps a route to the starting XI would have presented itself had Rodrygo left in the summer, but with the Brazilian winger still firmly in place in the Spanish capital it seems as though Díaz may need to look elsewhere to become a star in another team.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Arsenal’s hunt for the Premier League title has featured a number of excellent players, but one star that has spent much of the season watching the league campaign unfold from the sub bench is Myles Lewis-Skelly. Much was promised from the left-back when he first broke into Mikel Arteta’s team last season, but this time around has seen the English talent make just 14 appearances in the league, which works out at just 15% of the available game time. And with at least two players in front of him at left-back and even more ahead of him in central midfield, it’s hard to see where the academy player will get even more game time in the second half of the season.

Rayan Aït-Nouri

Another left-back that may need to make a move before the transfer window shuts on Monday is Rayan Aït-Nouri. Despite joining Man City from Wolves for just under €37m last summer, the Algerian talent was somewhat hindered by minor injuries and has since fallen down the pecking order in Guardiola’s team. The Man City manager now clearly favours Nico O’Reilly in the left-back role and can even turn to Josko Gvardiol in the future to return to the role if called upon. As such, Aït-Nouri has played in just 10% of Man City’s league minutes this season and could find himself up for sale in the summer if not sooner.

Omar Marmoush

Last but certainly not least on today’s list is Man City forward Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian forward became Man City’s fourth most expensive signing ever last January when he joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt, but 12 months on and the 26-year-old talent seems to now be a complete afterthought in Guardiola’s plans. With new wider players like Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo joining the club since then, Marmoush is now undoubtedly far from a guaranteed starter at the Emirates, which is evident from him featuring in just 14% of Man City’s league minutes this season. Whether other clubs could afford the forward’s salary or match what Man City paid for him in transfer fees is unlikely, but a loan move before Monday draws to a close may suit all parties.