Luke Shaw’s time at Manchester United has not gone quite to plan it’s safe to say and is seemingly teetering on the edge of an Old Trafford exit with boss Jose Mourinho has clearly not seeing enough from the left-back. What Are The Odds looks at what club pose the most realistic transfer options for the England international in the January transfer window.
Recently Shaw has spoken of his admiration for former Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino, saying that he played some of his best football under the Argentine manager with the hope of working for the current Spurs boss again in the future. The odds at Paddy Power all point to that happening with Tottenham the current favourites to sign Luke Shaw at 4/1 (5.00). However, with the release of Pochettino’s new book, he surprisingly made the comment that he sometimes felt Shaw failed to ‘make the sacrifices and decisions that are necessary’ - this quote from the book coming via the Express. So perhaps any reunion is off and what Pochettino claims may be why Mourinho is not trusting Shaw to become his number one left-back.
The safest option would be to return where it all began for Shaw - Southampton, and they are among the frontrunners at 6/1 (7.00). For the 22-year old to move back to St Mary’s it would perhaps means that current left-back Ryan Bertrand would have to make way, and with increasing speculation linking him away from the south coast it could be that the Saints are readying themselves to bring back a player that was a mainstay in their first team from 2011 until leaving for United in 2014.
Much further back are some intriguing options including Crystal Palace and Everton, both at 12/1 (13.0) and easily give Shaw the platform to return straight away to first team football - but these are two clubs that may be viewed as relegation candidates so would the gamble of moving and going down to the Championship really be viable to Shaw? The same kind of risk applies to both Swansea City and Bournemouth at 14/1 (15.0).
Newcastle United on the other hand are showing real signs of progression under Benitez since being promoted, and are so far proving they shouldn’t have to worry too much about a relegation fight at the end of the season. Odds of 14/1 (15.0) could be a real outside shout, and with a potential takeover on the horizon, funds could be available to bring a player like Shaw to the north east and further bolster the Magpies longer ambitions.
Probability of Luke Shaw's next club
| Next Manager | Luke Shaw Next Club Odds | Probability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | 4/1 | 22.22% | |
| Southampton | 6/1 | 15.38% | |
| Everton | 12/1 | 11.76% | |
| Crystal Palace | 12/1 | 10.53% | |
| Swansea City | 14/1 | 10.53% | |
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