We look at the merits of some of the less familiar names being linked with moves in January.
Remy Cabella - Montpellier
Olivier Giroud's poor form for Arsenal hasn't deterred Premier League clubs from scouting the Montpellier squad with Newcastle set to seal a move for talented defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Spurs reportedly sniffing around Younes Belhanda. Another potential candidate for a transfer is young attacking midfielder Remy Cabella, who has really kicked on this season despite Montpellier's struggles in Ligue 1. The 22-year-old was only a squad player in MHSC's title victory last season, but has been an ever-present in both the league and Champions League this campaign, claiming five goals and seven assists. Newcastle could certainly benefit from adding the France U21 international to their beleaguered squad this month.
Bastian Oczipka - Eintracht Frankfurt
Oczipka has been one of the stars of Bundesliga surprise package Eintracht Frankfurt, who have climbed to fourth in the table after gaining promotion last season. The 24-year-old left-back joined The Eagles from Bayer Leverkusen on a three-year deal in the summer and has impressed with his contribution this season, weighing in with seven assists in 18 matches (the second-highest number in the league) as well as providing as many key passes per game as Dortmund star Mario Gotze. Oczipka is better going forward than he is defensively, with Frankfurt conceding a whopping 30 goals so far, but he has plenty of potential and compares favourably to the 'third or fourth best left-back
in Holland', Alexander Buttner.
Viktor Fischer - Ajax
Fischer is the latest in a long line of starlets to graduate from the Ajax academy, and the 18-year-old has burst onto the scene this season with five goals in 13 appearances. The young forward grabbed a brace in a 3-0 victory over Feyenoord at the weekend as he picked up the Man of the Match award in his most exciting performance so far. Fischer has already followed in the footsteps of teammate Christian Eriksen after making his debut for Denmark in November and he his meteoric rise has reportedly been noted by Manchester United. He wouldn't come cheap, but there are few better prodigies to build a team for the future around.
Ricky Alvarez - Internazionale
Alvarez has been tipped for a move back to Argentina in January after finding himself surplus to requirements under Andrea Stramaccioni at Inter this season and it's thought that River Plate are leading the race for the 24-year-old's signature. The Argentina international was the star of the Velez Sarsfield team that lifted the Argentinian Clausura in 2011 and reached the Copa Libertadores semi-final, and in his first season at Inter he showed signs of establishing himself as the team's trequartista before Claudio Ranieri's exit. Alvarez was linked with Arsenal before his €5.5million transfer to the San Siro in 2011 and he could still offer something to the Gunners, perhaps on loan, as their squad predictably struggles with injuries in the middle of another testing campaign.
Adam Maher - AZ Alkmaar
Maher made a name for himself with 46 appearances, eight goals and seven assists in his breakthrough season at AZ last year, and he looks set to continue his impressive progress after already picking up two caps for Holland. The 19-year-old is both a star of the future and capable of offering an immediate impact, with his performances for AZ belying his young years. But despite
