The dogfight at the bottom half of the Pl tablesteemCreated with Sketch.

in #sports7 years ago

With the 11 teams from Watford down to Swansea covered by just six points, competition for strikers is likely to be at fever pitch.

West Brom manager Alan Pardew may well have pulled off the deal of the window down at the bottom by signing Daniel Sturridge on loan from Liverpool.

Sturridge was wanted by Newcastle and Inter Milan but it was West Brom who won the race.
Watford's Troy Deeney is also on Pardew's wanted list, but for that to happen West Brom need to sell £20m-rated defender Jonny Evans, and that might not be so easy after Evans injured a hamstring in the FA Cup fourth-round win at Liverpool on Saturday.

There have been no bids, and the Baggies are increasingly confident the Northern Irishman will remain at The Hawthorns.

After missing out on Sturridge, Newcastle may be back in the market for a striker and have been linked with Nicolai Jorgensen from Feyenoord.

West Ham, meanwhile, have been linked with Schneiderlin, but are only willing to take the France international midfielder on loan. Hammers boss David Moyes could also be tempted into the market because of injuries and suspensions, with left-back Arthur Masuaku's six-match ban for spitting about to start.

For the third season in succession, Swansea have spent Christmas and the New Year in the relegation zone - so the need for reinforcements is plain to see.

A paltry 15 goals from 24 games is the lowest return in the Premier League, so attacking players are a priority.

The Swans are hopeful of re-signing forward Andre Ayew from West Ham, while Serbian winger Lazar Markovic could join on loan from Liverpool.

Audacious bids to sign Atletico Madrid pair Nicolas Gaitan and Kevin Gameiro seem less likely.

Brighton and Southampton have signed forwards in recent days - Leonardo Ulloa and Guido Carrillo respectively - so may be done in that department.

Huddersfield got their business done early by signing defender Terence Kongolo from Monaco, and midfielder Alex Pritchard from Norwich. Expect that to be them done in the transfer market.