The Premier League has reached the halfway stage and it seems that almost every club has something to play for. Whether it be the title race, escaping relegation or finishing 'best of the rest' in fifth place. The January dealings are mere hours away but whether a club will be able to pick up any 'sales' is dubious in this vastly inflated market.

Needless to say, transfers will be made and they will have an effect of some sort on the outcome of the league.

The title is going to be, yet again, a four-horse race and even one of that quartet, Liverpool, are struggling to match the pace. Arsenal started the season on fire and have barely relented. Manchester United, despite a scratchy start, have started playing the fluid football that was so synonymous with their title success last year. Chelsea, without talismanic manager Jose Mourinho, have ignored speculation and talk of rifts to continually churn out the results.

'If Sven were to acquire a figurehead for his team, then Manchester City must surely be favourites for the title of Best of the Rest'


Yet again it will seem as though Liverpool have missed out on a realistic title charge despite the hefty addition of Fernando Torres and have dropped far too many easy points along the way as a direct result of some bizarre selection decisions.

What will swing the title, unfortunately, is the African Nations Cup. Chelsea, already depleted by injuries, will lose the integral Michael Essien and Didier Drogba along with John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou. Similarly, Arsenal will lose the inspiration Kolo Toure with their cover at centre-back not as strong as they would have liked. Couple this with the fact that Manchester United are notoriously strong finishers and it seems the league title will remain in its familiar resting place at Old Trafford.

More than any other Premier League battle, the relegation scrap will be the one area that is most affected by the transfer window. It appears that Niall Quinn is ready to open the war chest at Sunderland, the club's cause already aided by the timely return of Kieran Richardson and the success of summer signing Kenwyne Jones.

If Bolton can get through January with prize asset Nicolas Anelka still at the Reebok, they should be safe. However, without Le Sulk it is difficult to see where the goals are going to come from. Birmingham and Wigan are under new management and it seems as though some life has been breathed into both sides.

Alex McLeish will hope to lure Scots such as James McFadden and Kris Boyd to St Andrews and with a bolstered squad they should avoid the drop. Steve Bruce he faces the same problems at Wigan as Paul Jewell does at Derby. Despite having money available, the JJB is not a favoured destination amongst footballers. Even so when Big Emile returns to the fold they should have enough to avoid a return to the lower leagues.

Last season Fulham were kept up due to the generosity of Rafa Benitez but this year does not look as promising. Good Championship players have proved to be mediocre Premier League players and Roy Hodgson will have to improve a lightweight squad with a few inspirational signings to avoid the inevitable.

The last club battling in the lower echelons of the league is Middlesbrough. Gareth Southgate's team have pulled a few results out of the bag recently and Sanli Tuncay looks to have settled down. Even so, another striker must be recruited as Messrs Lee and Aliadiere just don't cut it whilst Mido is sporadic when available for selection.

Thus the teams joining Derby in going down must be Fulham and Bolton, if indeed Anelka goes to Chelsea - otherwise it will be Wigan accompanying the other two.

In the last two seasons, Tottenham have been the best of the rest and were tipped for a potential top four finished. However, after a disastrous early season in which Martin Jol was sacked and the board disgraced themselves, Juande Ramos's team have only just turned the corner. Fifth place, however, may well be out of reach this season.

 Yet again the African Nations Cup could be a deciding factor. Portsmouth, whose surprisingly bad home form has undermined their stunning start, will lose a plethora of first-team stars and could be destined for mid-table mediocrity. Similarly, Everton will lose top scorer Yakubu and midfielder Steven Pienaar. A lot therefore will depend on whether Andy Johnson can supply the goals that will maintain their form.

Mark Hughes is proving to be an astute manager at Blackburn and they have progressed more this season. The addition of Roque Santa Cruz proves that Hughes' transfer nous is exceptional and they can hope for a high finish.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has in effect annihilated the critics who tore his reputation to pieces following his stint as England manager. Manchester City have excelled this season based on a firm foundation of Micah Richards, Richard Dunne and the reinvigorated Dietmar Hamann, combined with the attacking flair of Elano and Martin Petrov. If Sven were to acquire a figurehead for his team, then they must surely be favourites for the title of 'Best of the Rest'. In short, Man City fifth, Everton sixth, Tottenham seventh and Blackburn eighth.