GOAL takes a look at which players should stay or go in this winter transfer window
With the 2026 World Cup approaching, this January transfer window represents the final chance for players to change clubs beforehand. For U.S. Men’s National Team hopefuls, the decisions made now carry real consequences.
Does a player chase a move up the ladder, despite the risks? Would a step down give a player the platform they need? What are the merits of just standing pat, continuing on, and thriving in something more comfortable? These choices are never simple.
Several USMNT players face key decisions this winter. GOAL examines who they are and what the January transfer window could hold for each.
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Ricardo Pepi
One year later, Pepi is right back in the news again. Premier League clubs are reportedly swirling, with Fulham the latest club being linked with a big move for the PSV star – according to The Athletic.
The links come amid another strong run of form for Pepi. He was in prolific scoring form at this point last year before an injury ended any chance of a move, and his current production has again drawn interest from similar clubs.
This leaves an interesting decision for Pepi, then. He has earned his move up the ladder, and one could realistically argue that he has nothing left to prove at PSV. He has earned a step up and a chance to prove himself in a league like the Premier League. It's in those leagues where strikers show that they're among the best.
That said, a move in a World Cup year carries real risk. If Pepi maintains his current scoring rate, there’s a strong case he enters 2026 as the USMNT’s starting striker. A transfer could still work in his favor, but it also brings the possibility that things don’t click. In that sense, PSV represents the safer option – the path that offers the clearest route back to a World Cup squad after narrowly missing out in 2022.
Because of that, the move might be to continue lighting it up for PSV, get to the World Cup, and then roll those dice. We've seen many players turn World Cups into massive moves. Pepi might be the next, as a good World Cup could elevate him into an even higher tier of clubs.
PREDICTION: STAY
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Yunus Musah
There's no player in the USMNT pool that needs a change of situation more than Musah right now. That's not necessarily a change in scenery, to clarify, but situation? Oh yeah.
The loan to Atalanta hasn't worked out, although there have been signs of that changing. Musah is playing more now than he was a few weeks ago, but, in reality, that isn't saying much. Atalanta just don't appear to be particularly interested in his development.
Now to the big question: would he be better served fighting for minutes at Atalanta or fighting for minutes at Milan? That's the decision he faces. Maybe it's worth giving it a few more weeks to see if Atalanta give him more games in January, but at the moment, Milan may be the better option.
PREDICTION: LEAVE
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Haji Wright
Premier League clubs, as well as teams in Turkey, have been linked with Wright. Based on multiple reports, however, Coventry City have no intention of letting him go.
It’s easy to see why. Coventry sit eight points clear at the top of the Championship and look well positioned for promotion. Keeping Wright this season – and potentially beyond – would be central to those Premier League ambitions, which helps explain why the club has reportedly set a record-setting asking price to even consider a sale.
That, of course, raises the question of Wright’s own ambitions. A step up is naturally appealing, but the Premier League club most strongly linked with him is West Ham, who appear headed in the opposite direction and could be relegated. Beşiktaş have also been mentioned, but while they remain a major force in Turkey, Wright has already played there – a spell that helped earn his move to England in the first place.
At the moment, there isn’t a move that clearly makes sense for Wright, either in the short or long term, which makes staying the course the logical option. The only real reason to consider a transfer would be concern over his World Cup place, but even that feels manageable given that much of his competition is also playing in the Championship.
PREDICTION: STAY
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Josh Sargent
Like Wright, Sargent has a history of performing in the Championship. The difference is that his Norwich team is on the opposite end of the table, sitting 23rd with a very real chance of being in League One next season.
Because of that, Sargent has a much bigger incentive to move. Again, like Wright, Sargent has been linked with West Ham, although those links have quieted a bit more in recent weeks. Given Norwich's position in the table, Sargent should be a bit more open to a potential move, even if his departure would effectively doom the club to relegation.
Sargent also has other goals in mind. At the moment, he's likely on the outside looking in for the World Cup squad, but a few goals in the Premier League could certainly alter that situation. Because of that, he'll have to, at the very least, consider it if a club in a bigger league and better situation comes knocking.
PREDICTION: LEAVE
