da realsbet： The dust has settled on another January transfer window and the Premier League’s managers have decided which squads they’ll carry with them through to May.
da fazobetai： It was a tense time for supporters of some clubs, who were desperate to see their in-form talent remain at the club. That was especially true for fans of teams currently readying themselves for a massive relegation battle.
Only five points separate the bottom six teams and the three above the relegation zone are only two points away from danger. It’s going to be a six-way battle right to the end of the season with everyone desperate not to return to the Championship.
Now we know there’ll be no more transfers, which players are going to shine in this relegation battle? Who are the players that can keep their team up?
Here are the FIVE players that are going to have a massive say in the coming months…
Jermain Defoe
No player in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals than Jermain Defoe this season. The veteran striker has netted twelve times in the league, also contributing two assists.
Sunderland haven’t won any of their last eight matches, but they’ll see Tuesday night’s draw against Tottenham Hotspur as a point gained rather than two points dropped.
The Black Cats need to get Defoe scoring again if they’ve any chance of staying up. He’s scored in three of his last ten matches and in the seven he didn’t find the net, Sunderland only managed to score once.
He’s the key to success for David Moyes and could have a bigger impact on the relegation battle than any player.
Christian Benteke
After a mini goal drought of six games without netting, Christian Benteke is on his way back to peak form, notching three times in his last four games, including on Tuesday night against Bournemouth.
His goal against the Cherries was his first Premier League effort since 10 December and Eagles fans will be delighted he’s on his way to becoming the force of nature everyone knows he can be.
With nine Premier League goals this season he’s been no slouch but could definitely show a little more consistency, and if that happens then Palace will be amongst the favourites to avoid the drop. Benteke is a wonderful player on his day and most certainly has the ability to keep his team up this season.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
If Swansea City didn’t have Gylfi Sigurdsson to rely on, you often wonder where they’d be. The Icelandic attacking midfielder is the man who makes things tick in Wales and again on Tuesday night showed his worth to the team.
He scored and assisted another in a 2-1 win over Southampton which meant the Swans pulled more teams into the relegation battle.
New boss Paul Clement is having the desired effect. The Swans now have three Premier League wins from their last four and Sigurdsson has been central to that. With seven goals and seven assists in the league this season, he’s been one of the most effective players in the entire division, never mind the bottom six.
If Clement can keep him playing well then Swansea should have no trouble at all in avoiding danger.
Islam Slimani
Leicester City stars like Ryad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy simply haven’t managed to replicate their success of last season but in record signing Islam Slimani, the Foxes have found a new star that has the potential propel them away from the relegation zone.
With five goals and three assists in the Premier League, none of Claudio Ranieri’s other players have directly contributed to more goals this season than the Algerian striker.
His return from injury after the Africa Cup of Nations will be a massive boost to their chances. He was missing on Tuesday night when they suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Burnley, and they are now just two points above safety.
Leicester badly need inspiration and this season, that’s most likely to come from Slimani.
Alvaro Negredo
Middlesbrough’s point against West Bromwich Albion was enough to move them above Leicester City into 15th, but they are still only two points above the relegation zone.
The man who delivered that point was Alvaro Negredo who netted his sixth Premier League goal of the season.
Boro have scored fewer league goals than anyone else in the entire division, netting just 19 times in 23 games. That’s dismal in such an open and frantic league and they badly need the likes of Negredo to bang in the goals.
The Spaniard is a class above most Middlesbrough players but with the Teessiders also keeping Gaston Ramirez, they have a fighting chance of avoiding the drop in their first season after promotion.