5 players from relegation-threatened-sides who could be hot property this summer

Exactly who will be relegated remains a question mark – West Brom look cut adrift now, but the two teams joining them could be any from 19th place Stoke up to 14th place West Ham.

That means that there are plenty of excellent players who could be looking to abandon the ship from a relegated or, relegation-threatened club. Here are 5 players from those clubs who will likely be hot property in the summer.

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#1 Wilfried Zaha

The last time Wilfried Zaha decided to leave Crystal Palace, it didn’t work out so well for him. He moved to Manchester United in the summer of 2013 as the last signing made by outgoing boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

But, he struggled under new boss David Moyes, barely kicked a ball and, ended up back at Selhurst Park the following summer.

Since then, though, Zaha has matured greatly, becoming a full International with Ivory Coast, and in the seasons since his move back to Palace, he’s become their key player.

Roy Hodgson might have managed to take Palace from the bottom of the table and far closer to safety, after their woeful start, but he owes a lot of that success to Zaha.

The evidence is quite clear. Not only does Zaha have 4 goals and 2 assists to his name, but when he was injured during a stretch of games in February, Palace were unable to pick up a point.

Their form improved as soon as he returned during their 0-2 win over Huddersfield. Due to this kind of impact on his side, Hodgson has compared Zaha to Lionel Messi.

One of the best dribblers in the Premier League, Zaha is capable of giving any defender fits when he’s on the ball, and his form appears far more consistent now.

If Palace go down, or even if they survive for that matter, he’ll clearly have plenty of suitors, as Tottenham, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea have all been linked with the Ivorian.

#2 Jack Butland

Jack Butland could be England's #1 this summer

It’s surprising to see a goalkeeper in contention to wear the #1 jersey for his country in the upcoming World Cup while playing for a side in the bottom three of the Premier League, but Jack Butland’s reputation and form is such that few analysts would blame him for Stoke City’s current position.

It’s true that Butland has been between the sticks for 29 of Stoke’s 32 league games, during which he’s conceded 54 goals.

But, he’s at least managed to keep 5 clean sheets during that period and according to the Premier League’s official statistics, has only been at fault individually for just one of the goals he’s let in.

He’s also made 120 saves and, has a save percentage of 67.8% - high, considering the current predicament his side are in.

Given the likes of Petr Cech at Arsenal and Thibault Courtois at Chelsea have come in for some criticism this season and may well be on their way out, the likelihood of a bigger club making a move for Butland in the summer seems rather high. At 25 years old he’s still young for a goalkeeper and it’s likely that his best years could still be ahead of him.

If he can claim England’s #1 spot as his own and have a strong World Cup, it simply doesn’t seem feasible that he’ll be playing at the bet365 Stadium next season. Expect a flurry of bids from all kinds of Premier League clubs to come in should Stoke go down.

#3 Ryan Bertrand

Ryan Bertrand has already experienced life at a top club with Chelsea

Considering they finished in a respectable 8th place last season and also made the final of the League Cup, it’s been surprising to see Southampton struggle this season.

They currently sit in 18th position, have only won once since the turn of the year, and under new boss, Mark Hughes have yet to pick up a Premier League point.

Despite their poor position in the league, they have some extremely talented players, including the man who’s likely to be the most wanted by larger clubs in the summer, England left-back Ryan Bertrand.

By his high standards, Bertrand hasn’t had his most outstanding season in 2017/18, but he’s still managed to chip in with 3 assists and, has a high pass success percentage of 79.2.

As reliable a defensive full-back as he is dangerous going forward, Bertrand would probably fit into any Premier League team in the upper echelon of the table and do a good job.

He’s already had experience at the very top level with Chelsea, as he played 19 games with them in 2012/13 and also started in their Champions League final win in the season before.

At 28 years old Bertrand is probably in his prime, and relegation for Southampton would provide him with the perfect reason for looking to move on. If the Saints survive then he could stay at St. Mary’s, but don’t be surprised if big clubs come knocking – in November both Manchester sides were said to be interested.

#4 Xherdan Shaqiri

Xherdan Shaqiri has carried Stoke at points this season

While entertainment for the fans of 19th place Stoke City has been relatively short this season, they’ve conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League and are clearly in deep trouble.

Somehow, their Swiss maverick Xherdan Shaqiri, has continued to see his reputation rise, largely because at times he’s appeared to be the only Stoke player on form.

Shaqiri has scored 7 goals and assisted 6 times, in his 30 Premier League appearances this season, and given that Stoke have only scored 29 goals overall, that means Shaqiri has been involved in just under half of them.

In terms of all the major attacking stats, key passes, shots on goal, fouls drawn per game, he’s ahead of all of his teammates. Simply put, all of Stoke’s attacking prowess comes through him.

This might be why he’s recently aired his grievances with the club, stating in a Swiss magazine that he can’t exert his full influence due to a lack of quality around him and that even a player of Ronaldinho’s quality probably couldn’t help the team.

Boss Paul Lambert has played this down, but where there’s smoke, there’s likely fire.

Should Stoke go down, then Shaqiri would surely appear on the shopping list of every large Premier League club. He’s too talented of a player to end up in the Championship and judging by his performances at Stoke, he could add a ton to a club in the higher echelon.

To see him playing in the Champions League next season wouldn’t be surprising, he's that good.

#5 Jay Rodriguez

Jay Rodriguez was tipped for an England recall by Steven Gerrard in January

Few players are likely to emerge from the wreckage of West Bromwich Albion’s season with much credit – the side are rooted to the bottom of the table at the minute and with manager Alan Pardew leaving by mutual consent this week, it seems relegation is unavoidable.

That doesn’t mean the Baggies don’t have talented players though, and one of their best is striker Jay Rodriguez.

Signed from Southampton last summer in a deal worth £12m, Rodriguez was hoping to get back to the form he showed prior to a serious knee injury back in 2013/14. He hasn’t quite reached those heights.

5 goals in 24 league games thus far, but after scoring twice against Liverpool in January, England legend Steven Gerrard tipped him for a call-up for the Three Lions, showing how highly rated he is.

According to a recent interview with his agent, Rodriguez hasn’t mentioned wanting to leave the Hawthorns just yet, but the likelihood of him sticking around seems slim. According to the agent, even if he wanted to stay, a sale could be likely due to his large wage packet.

At 28 years old, Rodriguez is likely in his prime years now, and so he’ll certainly want to stay in the Premier League to prove his talent.

Will the big clubs come knocking? It’s doubtful that the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea would want Rodriguez, but mid-level Premier League sides could definitely be interested – sides like Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield have all been short on goals this season and Rodriguez could definitely add a goal threat to their sides.