L’Equipe have a look in their Sunday edition at possible signings for Ligue 1 clubs during the rest of the January transfer window. It’s players who aren’t getting a lot of prominence at their current club, and Stoke City’s Giannelli Imbula has managed to find his way in.
During the last winter transfer window, Imbula signed for Stoke from Porto, where he’d been pretty much frozen out. There was hope of a new start, and whilst Imbula has been used by Mark Hughes, he’s probably not been quite as important as he’d have wished.
However, perhaps L’Equipe go a little far by saying Imbula, and a handful of others in England, would undoubtedly benefit from considering an exit this month.
It’s stated that French clubs such as Rennes, Lille, Bastia, Saint-Étienne or Montpellier would be pleased to have such player, but Imbula is surely likelier to see things out, at least until the summer.
The French clubs mentioned wouldn’t get anywhere near the price that Stoke paid for Imbula and it’s hard to see how loaning the 24 year old would benefit Stoke.
Imbula has played just under 800 Premier League minutes so far this season, it’s not such a disaster.
