Kobbie Mainoo Leads Premier League XI Who Desperately Need January Transfers Before the 2026 World Cup
If Kobbie Mainoo, a midfielder for Manchester United, remains on the sidelines under Ruben Amorim, he will not represent England at the World Cup.
The 20-year-old was an unused substitute in United’s first two games this season and hasn’t started a single Premier League game. His chances of winning the World Cup don’t seem promising. He is by no means alone.
Lucas Paqueta of West Ham is one of several Premier League players who may require a change of scenery in January because they are either too brilliant to be stuck at faltering clubs or too good to be on the bench.
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Our Premier League XI of World Cup contenders who would benefit greatly from a move during the winter transfer window is shown here.
Players who must move in January in order to secure a spot in the World Cup
GK: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United)
Country: Turkey
The Turkish national team’s goalkeeping position is unclear, but one thing is certain: Bayindir won’t be able to play for Manchester United before January unless Senne Lammens is hurt or suspended.
Vincenzo Montella keeps calling him up despite the fact that his most recent outing in Turkey—that terrible afternoon against Portugal at Euro 2024—did him no favours.
Bayindir and Ugurcan Cakir of Galatasaray will now compete for the gloves next summer; Mert Gunok, who was cut by Besiktas manager Sergen Yalcin, is most likely out of the running.
He has little chance of being called up and has little chance of starting for Turkey at the World Cup after a season spent festering on the Old Trafford bench.
LB: Adam Aznou (Everton)
Country: Morocco
After easily qualifying for the World Cup, Morocco advanced to the semi-finals in 2022 and are prepared to go deep once more.
Aznou has not played since November 2024 in a team that includes Noussair Mazraoui, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Brahim Diaz. With no appearances for Everton this season, a recall is improbable.
CB: Sebastiaan Bornauw (Leeds)
Country: Belgium
Bornauw is just starting out at Leeds, but his lack of Premier League minutes thus far is hardly promising.
Sitting on the bench at Elland Road, the four-cap Belgian international has not played for his nation in more than a year and has little hope of making a comeback.
CB: Nathan Ake (Manchester City)
Country: Netherland
Despite intense competition for spots in Pep Guardiola’s backline, Nathan Ake has only made one Premier League start this season.
Virgil van Dijk, Jurrien Timber, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, and Stefan de Vrij are all vying for berths in Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands team.
One start from nine games isn’t nearly enough for a player of Ake’s calibre, yet we’re not sure where he could go.
RB: Malo Gusto (Chelsea)
Country: France
It appears unlikely that Malo Gusto will make Didier Deschamps’ World Cup team, but a January transfer might change things. Given Reece James’ injury history, staying at Chelsea would be a good idea.
However, Gusto has struggled when given minutes; against Nottingham Forest, he performed poorly when forced into midfield before receiving an unnecessary red card.
Jules Kounde is certain, but the backup position behind the Barcelona right-back is up for grabs. He was in the most recent France squad.
CM: Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)
Country: Brazil
This isn’t a problem with playing time; according to reports, Paqueta wants to leave West Ham, who have had an absolutely terrible start to the season.
With four points, they are presently ranked 19th in the league standings. His goal celebration in West Ham’s lone league victory at Nottingham Forest was meant to put an end to rumours that he was leaving in the summer, but nothing came of it.
If he ever gets another one, it should definitely involve him looking for a phone so he can answer a call from somewhere else instead of discarding it.
Paqueta must be playing and doing well in order to gain a berth in Brazil’s deep squad. He won’t be attending the World Cup unless West Ham significantly improves or he relocates.
CM: Joao Gomes (Wolves)
Country: Brazil
Like Paqueta, Gomes is too good to be mired in a relegation battle. Although he has made ten appearances for Brazil, he has only played 45 minutes this year. In recent friendlies against South Korea and Japan, he was an unused substitute.
Although Wolves’ terrible performance hasn’t yet ended his prospects, Gomes can forget about the World Cup if they finish last, which seems inevitable.
CM: Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
Country: England
Mainoo’s minutes under Ruben Amorim aren’t getting better, and Napoli has been linked to him once more.
Under Gareth Southgate, the 10-cap England international was a breakout star during the run to the Euro 2024 final, but during United’s disastrous 2024–25 season, his form severely declined.
His spot at the World Cup under Thomas Tuchel is now in doubt. Mainoo has no chance of travelling to North America if playing time doesn’t become better.
His career might be revived if he relocates to Napoli. Scott McTominay’s Serie A achievements ought to be sufficient evidence that Italy could be the ideal destination for him.
LW: Federico Chiesa (Liverpool)
Country: Italy
Chiesa, like Malen, is a member of a team that lacks attacking depth, making an exit in January challenging. However, he requires minutes to qualify for the World Cup, just like Malen.
He hasn’t started a Premier League game since being left out of Arne Slot’s Champions League team, although he did score against Bournemouth on matchday one and almost saved a point at Crystal Palace.
For his club career and his aspirations to play internationally, a return to Italy makes perfect sense.
RW: Donyell Malen (Aston Villa)
Country: Netherland
Malen hasn’t had many starts since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Villa, and even his game-winning brace against Burnley on October 5 didn’t result in back-to-back league starts.
Selling him in January seems unlikely because Villa’s attacking depth isn’t very strong, but player power might come into play if Koeman makes it apparent he’s out of the Netherlands picture.
ST: Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Country: England
Here, Solanke defeats Joshua Zirkzee and Niclas Fullkrug for variety’s sake. According to reports, Thomas Frank doesn’t think highly of Spurs’ previous club record signing, and his injury issues aren’t helping either.
Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, and Richarlison compete with him even when he is fit. Anyone might speculate as to where he might move, but Solanke needs to find a new home if he hopes to have any chance of making the England World Cup squad.
