Newcastle helpless to halt Ba transfer

It's that time of year where Premier League chairman sweat over their chequebooks, as managers prepare to hit the shop windows for some inflated January spending...

 

Here is a first look at where some of that dosh may get spent over the course of the next month...

 

Newcastle striker Demba Ba

The free transfer from West Ham has proved himself to be a high class Premier League performer over his season and a half at St James' Park. The Senegalese striker has a £7.5 million release clause in his contract and, after scoring 13 league goals already this campaign, Arsenal and Chelsea lead a host of clubs keen to activate it. Any move away for the Magpies top scorer could seriously dent their chances of a top-half finish, currently rated a 4.1 prospect. Ba is in action again tonight where he can be backed at 3.0 to notch anytime at home to Everton in possibly his last appearance for the club.

 

Arsenal striker Theo Walcott

This saga has been the backdrop to Arsenal's campaign over the last two months as it became clear that Walcott was stalling on signing a new contract at the Emirates. The England man feels he deserves a significant hike in wages and requires assurances that he will be deployed in his favoured central striking position if he stays put. Arsene Wenger has been noticeably vocal in his desire for the club to keep hold of their top scorer this season, even granting him his wish to play in his preferred position, with immediately fruitful rewards. However, as we have seen in recent seasons, the Arsenal board can be particularly stingy when it comes to wages and if the player's demands cannot be met then Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Juventus are all said to be hovering. Arsenal's recent good form sees them lying fifth going into 2013 and available at 2.28 to make the top four come May.

 

Crystal Palace winger/forward Wilfried Zaha

The Eagles' emergence as real promotion contenders in the Championship this season - currently rated at around 3.65 to go up - has coincided with the leap to prominence of their 20-year-old winger. Palace's young trickster even earned himself a first England cap this season after some standout performances in the second tier, helping his side into third at the turn of the year. Unsurprisingly, he has also been attracting Premier League interest with Manchester United's name regularly linked the heaviest. If, as suspected in many quarters, Sir Alex Ferguson lets out-of-favour Nani move on in the window, this could very well open up a space for Zaha at Old Trafford.

 

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