Fact, fiction, rumour and speculation.
ARSENAL
ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger will presumably be shopping for a bargain and his priorities seem to include a centre-back and striker, while he is also short of cover at full-back.However, he has been impressed with the development of several younger players this season, including Kolo Toure, Jeremie Aliadiere and Gael Clichy, and that could save him money.
Those players most at risk are Sylvain Wiltord and Kanu, whose contracts run out at the end of this season, while Fulham could look to make Moritz Volz's loan deal permanent.
ASTON VILLA
ASTON VILLA manager David O'Leary has been linked with a host of players, including Alan Smith, Michael Bridges and Mark Viduka at his former club Leeds, after the club's poor start to the Premiership campaign.
FC Porto striker and Lithuanian international Edgaras Jankauskas is the latest player that Villa are understood to have targeted. Cardiff hotshot Rob Earnshaw and Sheffield United defender Phil Jagielka and Newcastle's Nolberto Solano are also potential targets. Money is tight though.
BIRMINGHAM
BIRMINGHAM manager Steve Bruce was the most active manager in the last January transfer window and he is likely to again have licence to spend next month.
Bruce has watched Celtic striker Henrik Larsson in action and is a big admirer of the Swedish international as well as his team-mate John Hartson.
His need for a striker is pressing given Christophe Dugarry's knee problems and an over reliance on the on-loan Mikael Forssell for fire-power.
BLACKBURN
A STRIKER and a left-sided midfielder are the priorities for Graeme Souness.
He hopes to generate some funds by finding a buyer for Corrado Grabbi, who has been told he has no future at Ewood Park.
BOLTON
BOLTON manager Sam Allardyce is determined to tinker with his squad, and thetakeover by Isle of Man-based businessman Eddie Davies should ease the financial constraints.
The club have already confirmed that Jamaica goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts will sign in January after a successful trial period and striker Javi Moreno could join on loan from Atletico Madrid.
CHARLTON
CHARLTON'S injury crisis has persuaded manager Alan Curbishley to ask for cash to splash.
The Addicks boss is frequently without half-a-dozen regulars, several of whom are defenders, so plans to recruit a new backline man in the transfer window.
Curbishley has confirmed he is monitoring Ajax centre-back Petri Pasanen.
CHELSEA
ALTHOUGH their high-profile interest in Thierry Henry has been headline news, with David Trezeguet and Ronaldo also being linked, the Blues do have two confirmed positions they want to strengthen and neither is up front.
Those players most at risk are Celestine Babayaro, Mario Stanic and either Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink or Eidur Gudjohnsen.
EVERTON
WAYNE ROONEY apart, any sort of decent bid would have to be considered by the cash-strapped Merseysiders for several of their players.
And if boss David Moyes could move on any of his soon to be out-of-contract players now, he would. Niclas Alexandersson, Peter Clarke, Scot Gemmill, Steve Simonsen, Dave Unsworth and Paul Gerrard all fall into that category.
There are also more whispers about Duncan Ferguson, with Rangers and Wolves linked with a loan deal. He has already turned down a loan to Bradford. If anyone could take Ferguson's £35,000 a week wages off their hands, Everton would be more than interested.
There is also speculation that a decent £2million bid could tempt the club to part company with Tomasz Radzinski, who has started making noises about a new contract with 18 months of his current deal to go.
FULHAM
FULHAM boss Chris Coleman expects to land two new players in the January transfer window.
Then Cottagers chief, who has transformed his club into the season's surprise package, is targeting a striker and one further player as well as attempting to clinch permanent deals for on-loan duo Moritz Volz, from Arsenal, and Junichi Inamoto, of Gamba Osaka.
LEEDS
JANUARY will be a month of two halves at Elland Road before January 19 and after - with much depending on whether a buyer can be found for the club before the deadline imposed by their creditors.
If Leeds are saved, there is the possibility a new owner may make funds available to strengthen the squad. If not, administration looms and the big-names in Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Paul Robinson could be shipped out on the cheap to appease the debtors.
LEICESTER
LEICESTER boss Micky Adams pulled together a bunch of free transfers and veteran players last summer for next to nothing in a bid to keep the club in the Premiership and christened them 'Micky's Misfits.'
Adams will have precious little in terms of resources to work with in the January transfer window although he has been linked with Newcastle's Nikos Dabizas.
LIVERPOOL
LIVEERPOOL have been linked with Alan Smith, Kieron Dyer and Marc Overmars in recent weeks, but moves on that scale will have to wait until the summer when the club know what European competition if any they are playing in and what the budget will be.
However, if Nottingham Forest decided on a bidding war for defender Michael Dawson to ease their own finances he may be interested.
Currently on trial at Anfield is 18 year-old Genk keeper Logan Bailly, and the youngster could sign. But with Jerzy Dudek now back in the side because of Chris Kirkland's injury and not going anywhere despite links with Manchester City - the need for goalkeeping cover is not so urgent.
MANCHESTER CITY
CASH is tight at Eastlands and the money raised through the sale of Darren Huckerby to Norwich will go straight out again as the next instalment on the £6million purchase of Robbie Fowler from Leeds.
Having splashed out on five new players before the last transfer window slammed shut and then seen his team go 11 matches without a win, manager Kevin Keegan is hardly in the best bargaining position.
However, with back-up keeper Nicky Weaver out for a year, Keegan requires cover for David Seaman, although the likes of Paul Robinson and Jerzy Dudek seem far too ambitious targets given City's cash constraints.
MANCHESTER UNITED
SIR ALEX FERGUSON knows what he wants and has the money to get it actually achieving it will be a different matter entirely.
Ferguson is looking for a top-class striker, of proven pedigree, who is not cup-tied for th Champions League.
Mark Viduka, Louis Saha and PSV Eindhoven's 19-year-old striker Arjen Robben are top of his wish list but moves for both are sure to be resisted by their current clubs.
Despite Ferguson's denials, a central defender may be signed as short-term cover for Rio Ferdinand's anticipated absence, while Nicky Butt and Diego Forlan could conceivably move on, but only if the price is right and their manager agrees.
Celtic star Liam Miller is also thought to be a target now or later this year.
MIDDLESBROUGH
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren faces a double-edged challenge with the opening of the transfer window.
McClaren knows he needs to strengthen in attack with Joseph Job and Malcolm Christie fighting their way back from injury and Michael Ricketts, Massimo Maccarone and Szilard Nemeth struggling for goals.
However, he may also have to fend off an unwelcome approach from former club Manchester United for his skipper and defensive rock Gareth Southgate.
Boro have been linked with former United frontman Andy Cole in recent weeks and last season tried to take his Blackburn team-mate Dwight Yorke to the Riverside Stadium.
Italian international Filippo Inzaghi, currently plying his trade at AC Milan, is one of the names thought to be on McClaren's hit-list.
NEWCASTLE
NEWCASTLE boss Sir Bobby Robson will use the transfer window to attempt to strengthen his attacking resources.
Barcelona's Patrick Kluivert has been on the Magpies' wish list for some time, although they would face stiff competition for a man who has openly admitted his desire to play in the Premiership.
Prolific Celtic hitman Henrik Larsson too has repeatedly been linked with a move to St James' Park but the Swede looks set to stay at Parkhead.
Spurs full-back Stephen Carr could also be a target whilst Greek international defender Nikos Dabizas, Robbie Elliott and Jamie McClen may be allowed to leave.
PORTSMOUTH
POMPEY are short of midfield cover after Tim Sherwood was ruled out for the rest of the season and joined the likes of Amdy Faye, Gary O'Neil and Nigel Quashie on the injury list.
Boss Harry Redknapp is likely to look for loan players but as a vastly experienced wheeler-dealer, there could be one or two Teddy Sheringham-type bargains in the pipeline.
He may also look to recruit an attacking midfielder or a striker.
SOUTHAMPTON
SAINTS have enjoyed an excellent first half of the season, and boss Gordon Strachan is unlikely to want to make major changes.
TOTTENHAM
SPURS boss David Pleat has some money to spend, although loan deals and free transfers could appeal with a central midfield holding player understood to be his main priority.
Tottenham are said to have drawn up an eight-man short-list of players to target, headed by Udinese's Chilean midfielder David Pizarro and the Brazilian teenager Diego, while the club look likely to table another bid for Republic of Ireland international Andy Reid
WOLVES
WOLVES' change of ownership has put a much-needed January transfer splurge in doubt.
Boss Dave Jones is likely to be given a moderate sum of around £3million to spend but his problem will once again be who to spend it on.
During a largely luckless summer, Jones missed out on a string of potential targets and most of those he did sign Steffen Iversen, Silas, Isaac Okoronkwo - have spectacularly failed to deliver.
It is likely to be the same old story in January.
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