The January Sales

Last updated : 13 December 2007 By Jim Bonner
With the January transfer window just around the corner, Harry is no doubt planning on who he is going to buy/loan in. However, members of the squad will also leave and The Times are reporting that the following five players will be finding a new club in January. Here's an assessment of the chances of these players leaving.

Lauren

The Cameroonian's Pompey career has been blighted by injuries since his bargain move in January last year. I thought he would establish himself as the first-choice right back in the squad as he was undoubtedly a better performer than Glen Johnson earlier in 2007.

Glen has since stepped up his game and now he's being touted for an England recall whilst Lauren hasn't even been able to find a regular spot on the bench and is injured once again.

With Martin Cranie also injured, it's likely that Noe Pamarot would be the deputy should Johnson not be available and so I don't think Lauren would be missed which is a shame, because it wasn't so long ago that he was one of the best right backs in the league before his injury with Arsenal.

Djimi Traore

The Champions League winner is probably our third choice left back now with Pamarot and Hermann being the main contenders for his position. So it seems likely that Traore will go looking for first-team football elsewhere as his lack of playing time (coupled with going on holiday too often) has seen him be dropped from the Mali squad.

I predict that he'll be off in January either to a Championship side or abroad to a side in France. He hasn't been as bad as some Pompey fans thought he'd be, but Hermann and Noe are simply better than him.

Richard Hughes

It wasn't so long ago that I was touting Hughes to be a first-team regular ahead of Sean Davis. The tough tackling midfielder is liked by Pompey fans for his "no compromise" attitude when it comes to getting stuck in.

However, the Scot has said this season that he is considering his future as he can get nowhere near the first team at the moment. I reckon he'll end up leaving for another Premier League side which would mean another player of the Championship winning side gone from the squad.

Pedro Mendes

Pedro has recently been playing in the first team again with Sean Davis' injury and he's been playing reasonably well. Prior to that, he was playing regularly in the reserves and I don't think a player who has won Europe's best cup competition wants to be doing that.

However, with the African Nations Cup on the horizon, we're going to need central midfielders of high quality and Mendes fits the bill. I can't see him leaving as it looks like he will start on Saturday and he could be playing regular first-team football again.

Matthew Taylor

If there's one player who I don't want to leave in January then it's Matt because he still has plenty to offer Portsmouth Football Club. December last season was a month where Taylor made a name for himself by scoring some spectacular goals and was pushing for an England call-up.

Fast forward a year and now he's regularly warming the bench as Niko Kranjcar is playing too well to be dropped. John Utaka will be off to Ghana in January and that may be Matty's chance to reclaim his place in the side if Kranjcar moves to the right (or gets injured).

We'd be foolish to let him leave as we lack players on the wing already, but Harry has said he won't stand in his way if he wants to leave and if someone comes in with a suitable offer. Whilst I don't think it's a dead cert that he'll be gone in January there is a distinct possibility that we will no longer see Taylor's stunners in a Pompey shirt.

So those are the five players that will leave the club according to The Times. Here are a couple of other players in the squad that also could see the exit door.

David Nugent

It's obvious that Harry has found something that he doesn't like about Nugent as he hasn't started a league game since the first home game against Manchester United and hasn't come off the bench often enough to suggest that his long-term future is at Fratton Park.

I think he'll stay during January simply because we'll be short on strikers when Kanu and Utaka leave and who knows? If Nuge can get a run in the team and score some goals to add to his commitment that he has shown in a Pompey shirt then he may stay. He wants to prove himself at the highest level, but will Harry give him the time?

Richard Duffy

Signed during our first year in the Premier League as "one for the future", it's been five years now and Duffy has not made any sort of impact at the club and looks set to leave permanently for a Championship or League One side. We already have two young and talented full backs in Glen Johnson and Martin Cranie and so the Welshman is now surplus to requirements.

On the whole, I think that Duffy, Hughes and Traore are 99% certain to leave the club. Lauren's exit looks likely too but I believe that Mendes will stay. I think it's 50/50 whether Taylor and Nugent stay as the African Nations Cup will play some part in their situation.

Whilst past January's have made or broken our season because of the players we have brought in, this season it could be decided on the players we keep rather than the players we sign.