1. James McCarthy
The 30-year-old midfielder has made just five Premier League appearances this season, the last of which came off the bench on 7 November. Injury problems have been partially to blame for his struggles since joining the club in 2019, however, it would also appear that others are ahead of McCarthy in the pecking order at Selhurst Park currently. Consequently, Celtic are among the clubs to have been linked with the Glasgow-born player.
2. Michael Obafemi
The 20-year-old attacker has had a disappointing campaign so far with Southampton. The youngster has made just one Premier League appearance — coming off the bench in the 1-0 win over Burnley last September. By comparison, he played 21 top-flight matches last season. A recent report by Football Insider suggested the Dublin-born forward is close to joining Championship club Swansea on loan for the remainder of the season.
3. Jason Knight
The 19-year-old has earned rave reviews since joining Derby County from Cabinteely in 2017. The Dubliner recently made his senior Ireland debut and has appeared 27 times in all competitions this season. And according to a report in The Irish Mirror, the teenage midfielder has been attracting interest in the Premier League, with Burnley, West Ham and Crystal Palace all linked with the player.
4. Conor Hourihane
After a decent season last year, Hourihane has been out of favour at Villa in this campaign. The 29-year-old Bandon native has appeared in just four of the club’s 15 Premier League games so far, last featuring in November, with teenage academy product Jacob Ramsey preferred in their win over Wolves last month. Hourihane only signed a contract extension last summer, though a recent report in the Birmingham Mail acknowledged he will will “want assurances over his future in January,” with likely interest in the Championship if he seeks regular first-team football elsewhere.
5. Jayson Molumby
The 21-year-old Waterford-born midfielder has already won five senior caps for Ireland. Opportunities have not been as forthcoming at club level though. Molumby has made just one Premier League appearance for Brighton this season, coming off the bench late on in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa in November. The youngster had a successul loan spell at Millwall in the Championship last season, and boss Graham Potter recently refused to rule out another temporary move for the highly rated player, with a return to the Den one possible destination.
