THE reality of the January transfer window for the Premier League is that TV and sponsorship deals give them the financial power to spend significant amounts on new players.
This will likely be no different next month when the winter transfer window opens.
Clubs will de desperate to get their hands on highly talented gems who could be the next Kylian MbappeRex
However, while it can be difficult to do business in January, the smarter sides in the Premier League will look to invest in the future.
This season has seen several stars rise to prominence since the summer.
These include players operating in the shadow of greats and those lighting up their leagues to command colossal price tags.
And we have identified six of the newest wonderkids from around Europe that could make a Premier League move in January.
1. Leny Yoro, 18
Centre-back, Lille
GettyLeny Yoro has impressed for Lille this season[/caption]
Central defenders are players who traditionally take time to age and mature to be able to perform at the top level.
The position is so difficult that it takes time to perfect as young central defenders have to play against strikers who employ a variety of ‘dark arts’ to give themselves an advantage.
Every so often though a young central defender will emerge who can already play at the highest level, and more often than not at the moment those players are emerging in the French top-flight.
The 18-year-old Lille central defender Leny Yoro is the latest player to emerge that we believe is already in a position to play for a top club at Premier League level.
Yoro’s exploits have helped bring Lille up to fifth in Ligue 1 this season
Here Yoro has the intelligence to anticipate the attackers movement before cuts out the danger
Yoro is 6’3” and he has a great frame for a young central defender. He is comfortable defending against power or pace and when asked to defend tight both centrally or out wide.
The young French defender also has a really modern profile in that he is comfortable and capable with the ball at his feet when asked to play out and punch the ball through defensive lines.
He is a young defender who has real range to his game both in terms of his passing ability and capacity to play diagonals and has pace to defend space and to turn and defend back towards his own goal.
We believe that Yoro is already a defender who is ready for the top-level and his profile fits a team like Chelsea almost perfectly.
2. Matias Soule, 20
Right-wing, Frosinone (loan from Juventus)
Matias Soule could be Juventus’ best attacker this season despite being on loanRex
Despite Juventus currently sitting 2nd in Serie A, it is possible to make the very real argument that their best-attacking player is currently on loan at struggling Frosinone.
Matias Soule is a 20-year-old Argentine who plays predominantly on the right wing and has a playstyle reminiscent of Dutch legend Arjen Robben.
He is naturally left-footed and as such he fits the modern profile of right-wingers who like to come inside and attack towards goal on their dominant left foot.
At the time of writing, Soule has six goals and one assist in 14 Serie A games for the team who are currently 13th in the table.
Soule has impressed while on loan at Frosinone
Here he takes possession before finishing with power from outside the area
Soule has already been called up by the senior Argentinian national team, although he is yet to make his full debut, and it feels as though it’s just a matter of time before he becomes a regular for his country.
While he would already be part of Juventus’s first team should he be recalled there is no guarantee that his style would fit at a very pragmatic and defensively-minded Juventus side.
Instead, we may see Juventus recall Soule from his loan when the January transfer window opens before selling him and looking to generate a profit.
He has the profile that Brighton especially would love but Manchester United need reinforcements on the right wing as a priority.
3. Bilal El Khannouss, 19
Attacking midfield, Genk
AlamyBilal El Khannouss featured in the Fifa World Cup[/caption]
Next, we make a trip to the Belgian top-flight where Genk have unearthed another gem through their youth academy with 19-year-old Moroccan international Bilal El Khannouss.
The young attack-minded player is capable of playing centrally as a 10 between the midfield and attack or even from the wide spaces.
He is a creative midfielder with the capacity to unlock deep and compact defensive blocks with his creative passing and his ability to carry the ball through opposition players centrally.
El Khannouss’ versatility would make him a valuable assetRex
Here we see El Khannouss waits for play to develop before finding an angle to play the ball through the opposition
While El Khannouss was initially part of the youth academy of Anderlecht he moved to the Genk academy as a youngster before making the breakthrough at first-team level.
His ability to play in various positions across the pitch in attacking areas and his technical skill on the ball mean Genk can expect to generate a significant fee for the youngster when they do finally allow him to leave.
The Moroccan international is the type of player that we believe Unai Emery should be looking at in order to add depth and quality to this Aston Villa squad.
4. Mathys Tel, 18
Striker, Bayern Munich
GettyMathys Tel is Harry Kane’s understudy at Bayern Munich[/caption]
At just 18 years old Mathys Tel is already featuring for one of the biggest sides in the world having already moved for a £20million fee from Rennes.
With that said, however, there is a chance that the young French forward will be looking to move on from Bayern Munich and Germany after the German giants paid a fortune in the summer to bring in the England international captain Harry Kane from Spurs.
It is a mark of Tel’s quality and his effectiveness in front of goal that he is still gaining some minutes this season despite the quality that Bayern have in front of him although he tends to be used from the left as opposed to through the centre.
Tel has all of the qualities to play as a centre forward with pace and power combined with an excellent technical base of abilities.
Tel has impressed this season when given the chance
Here Tel is able to stay composed before an expert finish into the bottom corner after changing his shooting angle
Tel has the qualities to be the next explosive forward in European football but this is combined by a high level understanding of the game.
His movement, positioning and anticipation are all good and he has the ability to create separation from opposition defenders in the final third.
If Tel is to leave Bayern Munich this January it will be for a significant transfer fee and he would likely only consider clubs in Champions League consideration.
As such we believe that Arsenal would be a good destination.
5. Johan Bakayoko, 20
Right-wing, PSV
Johan Bakayoko could be a perfect fit for Man UtdRex
Next we have a player who almost moved to the Premier League in the summer as the likes of Brentford and Burnley were linked to moves to bring the 20-year-old Belgian winger Johan Bakayoko to England.
In the end, the youngster decided to stay at PSV in the Netherlands and in doing so he has gained valuable Champions League experience and likely increased his value.
Bakayoko is actually similar to Soule in profile in that he prefers to play from the right wing from where he wants to come inside and create a threat on his left foot.
He is a wide player with pace and agility but it is a tendency to drop a shoulder and come inside to attack the area and create shooting opportunities that stand out.
He impressed against the likes of Arsenal in the Champions League
Here Bakayoko receives the ball wide on the right before cutting inside shooting into the top corner
With that said, however, Bakayoko is also an extremely dangerous ball carrier with the ability to receive the ball and attack opposition defenders 1v1.
Bakayoko is a player who also carries a threat when coming inside and shooting.
He has the quality when moving and attacking at pace to pick out a pass and he creates chances for teammates with low-driven crosses across the penalty area.
It is fair to say that Burnley, and probably Brentford, are out of contention for Bakayoko now although the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle and Man Utd would all make sense at this point.
6. Santiago Gimenez, 22
Striker, Feyenoord
Santiago Gimenez could be the solution to goalscoring problems at a number of clubsRex
At the time of writing, Santiago Gimenez has scored 18 goals in just 16 Eredivisie games this season while also contributing two goals in four Champions League games.
It is fair to say that the 22-year-old Mexican international forward has already outgrown Feyenoord, and his electric start to the season has already seen him linked with a £90m transfer to Arsenal or Chelsea.
And there is a very good chance that he will be willing to move on and come to England in January.
Gimenez is a young forward with the capacity to finish from a variety of positions.
Gimenez has been billed as a £90m player in recent months
Here we see an example of Gimenez’s excellent movement as he drifts to the back post
He can score off either foot or with his head and his movement and anticipation when the ball is in wide areas or deeper positions allows him to create separation from opposition defenders to give him space to get his finish in.
Gimenez is capable of playing as a lone striker or as one of two where his movement, typically off the shoulder of the last defender, will create space for team-mates to play in.
He is a threat to run behind to attack space but he also has the technical quality to show for the ball and receive and link play with his back to goal.
At the time of writing, there are a number of teams who could do with adding a player with his goalscoring pedigree but the likes of Brentford, Newcastle and Aston Villa feel like the most realistic moves.
Conclusion
This January we will, yet again, see a significant level of investment from Premier League clubs and we have no doubt that they will look to target wonderkids from around the world.
The six players that we have selected represent real value and quality and we expect to see all six linked to moves.
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