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Willian dismissed the prospect of a January move from Chelsea after his strike earned a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday.
The Brazil playmaker, who joined from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013, was linked with a £50million switch to Barcelona earlier this week.
Blues head coach Maurizio Sarri on Friday insisted it was "impossible" to lose Willian.
And the 30-year-old showed his value to Chelsea by scoring the goal which has given the Blues a six-point cushion over fifth-placed Arsenal in the race for Champions League qualification.
"My future is at Chelsea," Willian said.
Show all 12 1 /12Ten players who need to move clubs this January Ten players who need to move clubs this January Ten players who need to move clubs this January Despite the 2019 January transfer window being just a few days old, some clubs have already made their move, most noticeably at Chelsea who have agreed to bring in Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic in the summer. However, while some are highly coveted, others are in need of change of landscape and increased playing time, with a busy window expected yet again for Premier League clubs. With that in mind, here are 10 players who could really benefit from a move away from their current clubs in a bid to revive their season.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Alvaro Morata The Chelsea forward has endured a torrid time with the FA Cup holders this season, bagging just seven goals in 23 appearances in all competitions. The Spaniard has looked ineffective in Maurizio Sarri’s system in a poor run of form which began last season and saw him left out of Spain’s World Cup squad. A switch to Juventus involving Gonzalo Higuain going the other way has been touted, but complications could arise with the Argentine currently on loan at AC Milan.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Matteo Darmian The right-back has become a forgotten man at Manchester United, having seen just 360 minutes of competitive action this season. The 29-year-old, who featured only 17 times for the Red Devils last season, made no secret of his desire to leave Old Trafford in the summer, with Juventus having shown a strong interest in him during the last two transfer windows. However, with the Turin club having signed Joao Cancelo in the summer, the Italian will likely have to look for another escape route.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Fernando Llorente The Spaniard has been sparingly used by Mauricio Pochettino from the bench, and therefore a change of club may benefit the 33-year-old as he comes into the twilight of his career. The former Swansea City and Juventus striker has managed just one goal this season in a 3-1 League Cup win over West Ham United. That strike was one of just six he has notched up during his 18 months in North London, and that figure could see him eye up a return to Spain, with Valencia and Athletic Bilbao reportedly interested.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Danny Drinkwater The former Leicester City midfielder is in desperate need of a change of scenery after playing just 30 minutes under Maurizio Sarri, which came in the Community Shield back in August. The 28-year-old made just 22 appearances last season with Antonio Conte at the helm, but has been completely put out of the picture by the former Napoli boss. Drinkwater could seek an exit to Fulham and a reunion with Claudio Ranieri, who is still searching for a clever passer in his midfield following Jean Michael Seri’s indifferent start to life in west London and Kevin McDonald’s struggles in adapting to the pace of the Premier League.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Morgan Schneiderlin The Frenchman supposedly started with a clean slate when Marco Silva took over at Everton last May, and that was confirmed when he started four of the Toffees’ first five games of the league season. However, similar to what he faced at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho, the 29-year-old has been frozen out of the picture, having not featured in the Premier League since September against West Ham. The midfielder has also had issues with teammates and booing supporters during his time on Merseyside, and this window represents the perfect opportunity for Schneiderlin to end his nightmare.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Callum Wilson Wilson has undoubtedly emerged as Bournemouth star player this season, scoring 11 goals for his club already this season in a run which also saw him mark his England debut in November with a goal against the United States. Despite the 26-year-old forward’s impressive tally, Bournemouth lie in the bottom half of the table and the opportunity to join a Chelsea side crying out for a centre forward may be too good to turn down.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Alberto Moreno Moreno arrived at Liverpool in 2014 with an ever-growing reputation, but the Spaniard has never recovered from the shaky start he made to life at Anfield despite his popularity among his teammates. The left-back is out of contract in the summer, and with no plans to extend his contract after making comments appearing to criticise Jurgen Klopp, Moreno could seek a move back to Sevilla, while Ligue 1 side Marseille are also said to be among potential suitors.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Reece Oxford The 20-year-old has fallen out of a favour at West Ham under Manuel Pellegrini, and he has not featured for the senior side for 12 months now. The defender made his Hammers debut aged 16 in a 2-0 win at Arsenal but spent last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach. The German club are consequently said to have made overtures to bring the defender back to the club on a permanent basis, while Arsenal have also been credited with an interest of recruiting him in the summer.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Carl Jenkinson The Arsenal right-back’s competitive action has been limited to the Europa League group games and the early rounds of the EFL Cup. The 26-year-old has spent time on loan at West Ham United and Birmingham City in recent seasons which both proved to be largely unsuccessful due to both injuries and form. Unai Emery’s preference of putting central midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back during Arsenal’s recent defensive crisis is just the latest in a sequence of decisions which have ensured the writing has long been on the wall for Jenkinson.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Callum Paterson The converted forward has been a considerable factor in keeping Cardiff City’s hopes of avoiding relegation alive with his four league goals this season. The 24-year-old has spent the majority of his career as a full-back and midfielder, but has been made to lead the Bluebirds’ line to solve their striking crisis. While he may not prove to be the most effective lone forward, there could be a role for the Scot as a supporting striker for a club looking to push into the top half of the table.
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Ten players who need to move clubs this January Denis Suarez The Barcelona midfielder has played just 17 minutes in La Liga this season and seems to no longer represent the club’s future. Arthur and Ivan Rakitic have largely been the duo utilised by Ernesto Valverde, with the likes of Arturo Vidal and Rafinha also having struggled for game time at various points this campaign. Chelsea and Arsenal are both said to have an interest in 24-year-old Suarez, who has completed 90 minutes just twice this season in the Catalan giants’ two-legged Copa del Rey tie with Cultural Leonesa.
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Sarri afterwards repeated his view on Willian, who has 18 months remaining on his current contract, but Chelsea could be busy in the winter transfer window, nonetheless.
Cesc Fabregas completed his move to Monaco on Friday and Sarri wants a replacement but is uncertain if, or when, a new recruit will arrive.
Cagliari's Nicolo Barella and Leandro Paredes of Zenit St Petersburg have been linked with moves to Chelsea.
Sarri's need was emphasised against Newcastle as Jorginho struggled to dictate play.
The Italian said: "Today Jorginho was in trouble and on the bench there wasn't a player for that position. I need an option for Jorginho."
Chelsea took the lead after nine minutes, through Pedro, but Newcastle responded and deservedly equalised five minutes before half-time through Ciaran Clark.
Sarri again bemoaned his side's mentality - a frequent complaint this season - for apparently being complacent after Pedro's opener.
Willian helped Chelsea to a win over Newcastle (Reuters) The 60-year-old added: "After the goal I think we thought 'now it's easy', but it wasn't.
"We slept for 20, 25 minutes, so at the end of the first half we were in trouble. We need to improve in the mental reaction."
Eden Hazard again started as a 'false nine', with Olivier Giroud on the substitutes' bench and Alvaro Morata again left out, amid reports the Spain striker could leave.
Sarri, though, pointed to the importance of wingers, including Callum Hudson-Odoi - the 18-year-old who has been repeatedly linked with Bayern Munich - rather than the need for a striker.
Sarri added: "With Eden as a striker we need wingers. So we need Pedro. We need Odoi. We need Willian, of course."
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