(Photo by Action Images via Reuters / Ed Sykes)
December is here and with it comes the angst of losing one of your team's defensive rocks, playmakers or scorers as the season reaches the half-way stage.
With one month to go until clubs are given the green light to sign players, managers and recruitment staff will be reviewing their scouting notes, while others will sit down at the negotiation table again seeking to progress talks with players nearing the end of their contracts.
Here's five players set to make a fanbase somewhere happy whether they stay or go.
Henri Lansbury – Nottingham Forest
As fast as January has approached, the takeover of Nottingham Forest should be completed by the New Year. Despite owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi returning to his stance of retaining a 20% stake in the club – a negotiation Al-Hasawi had claimed to have abandoned – an American consortium led by baseball fans John Jay Moores and Charles Noell should complete a £50m takeover.
The first order of business will centre around the soon-to-expire contract of Reds captain Henri Lansbury. With seven months remaining, ‘several' meetings between the midfielder's agent and Forest executives so far have yielded no deal.
On the plus side, the 26-year-old is understood to be keen on re-signing with the City Ground outfit, but as a midfielder as proven and accomplished as they come in the Championship temptation will not be far away with Forest needing to get their house in order.
Zach Clough – Bolton Wanderers
Averaging one goal every three games in his career, Bolton's relegation into the third tier of English football may have spelled the end to Clough's time at Bolton having joined them as a eight year old.
But Clough dodged the interest of Everton in the summer to remain a first-team starter at the Trotters. Going on to fire them into promotion contention with 7 goals in 16 league appearances.
Bolton may be troubled by a split in shares between chairman Ken Anderson and Dean Holdsworth, who led a joint-takeover bid earlier in the year when the club was threatened with administration and the possibility of liquidation.
With Holdsworth withdrawing from senior roles within months of the takeover's completion, he is understood to be close to selling his 40% stake to Anderson who will become the club's sole owner. This should allow Monaco-based Anderson to have a more stable footing in gaining investment for the debt-ridden club.
Safeguarded by the 21-year-old signing a new contract to keep him at the Macron Stadium until 2019, Bolton can at least remain concrete with their £3m asking price. Though if he continues to find the back of the net they figure should rise.
Omar Bogle – Grimsby Town
Impressively mobile for a strong 6'3″ striker, Bogle started his career in West Brom's Academy. The same route into professional football taken by Romaine Sawyers, Keefe Roofe and Sam Mantom, who have all gone on to become successes in the EFL.
Unlike the named trio, Bogle would venture into Non-league football when shown the door out of the Hawthorns by the Baggies.
Unable to convert trials at Football League clubs into a tabled contract offer, Bogle joined Hinckley United initially, before Marcus Bignot at Solihull Moors came calling for the 18-year-old.
Slotting straight into the first-team, Bogle smashed 62 goals in 111 appearances for the team now playing in the National League North – earning a move to Grimsby Town in June 2015.
In his first season at the Mariners, the 23-year-old fired them back into the Football League by netting twice at Wembley in the Play-off final.
Back in the EFL after a five-year journey, Bogle said “That has always been my objective, to get back to where I knew I could be,” before adding to the worries of Mariners fans, “I want to play at the top, the highest level, so it was about going there, playing games and showing everybody what I could do, again.”
16 goals in 19 league appearances have put Bogle well and truly in the shop window as one of League Two's top prospects.
Ali Al-Habsi – Reading
Oman's most famous export seems to make it into our Team of the Day more times than any other Championship goalkeeper.
Delighting all in attendance at English stadiums for the past decade with his athletic reach and quick feet to save the shots that come his way.
The veteran stopper has entered the last 12 months of his contract at the Madejski and has stated explicitly his intention to prolong his stay by penning a new deal.
Yet under the renaissance of head coach Jaap Stam, Al-Habsi has perhaps produced his most consistent run of performances conceding just one goal in his past 450 minutes of football.
Contributing to a team effort which has seen the Royals move into the promotion picture in third position, behind Newcastle United and Brighton.
In November Stam admitted: “Every team in the Premier League is looking for a good ‘keeper who can make important saves for the team.”
Graham Carey – Plymouth Argyle
The Pilgrims talisman has been central to Argyle's push for promotion in the wake of May's Play-off final defeat at Wembley.
Where others jumped ship rather than face another season in the trappings of League Two, Carey met an appearance clause to trigger a one-year extension to his contract last season.
Good news you would think but with Argyle eager to tie down the Scotsman, who has been involved in 15 goals this season to add to 22 in 2015/16, Carey has declined two opportunities to discuss a new deal so far.
At 27, Carey would represent a steal as a free agent and a huge loss should Argyle lose their best player, so it's time for chairman James Brent to consider a compromise in a new contract – perhaps an extension clause should Derek Adams' side gain promotion – or whether to cash in in January.
In May, Carey stated, “My intentions were to stay here next season no matter what, so hopefully it can be in League One,” prior to the League Two Play-off final.
Whatever direction Carey takes next, Derek Adams can be relied upon to find the best deal for the club as Carey arrived as a free agent himself back in 2015.
What would you like to see your club do in the January transfer window? Comment below.
