A new year is a time for new opportunities, new resolutions, and the chance to reflect on what came before and do things better next time.
But in the world of football, it’s time to call your agent, put yourself in the shop window and get a spectacular new contract at a spectacular new club.
A whopping 82 of the Premier League’s biggest stars will see their current contracts expire in the summer and, for these free agents, today truly marks a new dawn as they can now speak to overseas teams about a potential move.
It’s all down to the infamous Bosman ruling, which went through the European Court of Justice in 1995 and allowed players within the EU to move to another team for free at the end of their contract.
While these stars will have to wait until June to negotiate with national teams, January gives them the opportunity to talk to clubs abroad and decide their future in advance.
Of course, they can still turn around and sign a new deal at their current club, but the turn of the year is nonetheless a worrying time for Premier League teams, many of whom risk losing some of your best assets for nothing at all.
High-profile stars including Mohamed Salah could reach deals to leave for free in January
Stalwarts Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold could also agree to leave Liverpool
Manchester United are keen for a sell-off but do not want Amad Diallo heading for the exit.
Liverpool will be the most tense team in the league this January after negotiations with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk collapsed, leaving them free to hold talks with European football giants over a possible move.
Salah confirmed that “nothing has really moved forward” regarding a new contract, after shocking fans in November when he claimed he had not been contacted about a new contract.
The Egyptian has had another good season for the Reds, scoring 20 goals and providing 17 assists in 26 games, as Arne Slot’s men rose to the top of both the Premier League and the Champions League.
But Liverpool face the very real prospect of Salah taking his goalscoring prowess to another team next season as his contract expires on June 30.
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold appears to be heading for the exit after reports in Spain suggested that “the move to Real Madrid is almost complete” and it also emerged that the right-back has not been listening to contract offers from the Reds.
He is likely to agree a deal with Los Blancos this month but will wait until the summer to move to the Bernabeu out of respect for his boyhood team.
Van Dijk is a slightly less certain case – the Dutchman was offered a new deal earlier this month, but there was reportedly no progress in negotiations with the 33-year-old.
Manchester United appear to be preparing for a clean-up under new manager Ruben Amorim, with the team stranded in 14th place after a miserable first half of the season.
Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son could depart in summer on Bosman free transfer
Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne have 728 City appearances between them, but could be out
Arsenal midfield concerns could come to a head if Thomas Partey and Jorginho leave
Everton have nine players with deals completed in June, including Abdoulaye Doucoure (on pitch)
Amad Diallo has been a rare shining light for the Red Devils this campaign, scoring a sensational winning goal in the Manchester derby against City, and the Old Trafford outfit will be keen to activate their one-year extension option for the Ivorian.
Tom Heaton, Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans are likely to leave, but United could consider exercising their one-year option on Harry Maguire given the wealth of experience he possesses.
Tottenham face losing talisman Heung-Min Son and not getting a single cent in return this summer as his contract expires in June.
Ange Postecoglou will welcome a 12-month extension clause in his contract but will look to tie down the South Korean, who has scored 169 goals in 430 games for Spurs, on a longer deal.
Manchester City’s problems this season have been well documented, with Pep Guardiola’s men dropping to sixth place and even going seven games without a win at one point.
Things could get worse in the summer, with club legend Kevin de Bruyne now free to talk to foreign clubs and Ilkay Gundogan set to leave the Etihad for a second time unless the team activates a one-year option on his contract.
Meanwhile, Arsenal face a midfield exodus as Thomas Partey, who has been a mainstay this campaign, and Jorginho are out of deal in June.
Relegation-fighting Everton are among the league’s hardest-hit clubs, and the Toffees have eight stars whose contracts expire in the summer.
Jamie Vardy could see out his 12-year spell at Leicester with his contract expiring in the summer.
Chris Wood has scored 11 goals this season but is free to speak to foreign teams this month.
West Ham likely to extend Michail Antonio’s contract following his car accident last month
Chelsea are lucky to have only one player with an expired contract so they can relax
They have the option to extend Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract, but players such as veteran Seamus Coleman, Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane and star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin can talk to clubs abroad from today.
Similarly, Newcastle have eight players who remain dangerously close to the exit, including Swiss defender Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson, who has an extension clause.
Jamie Vardy has been at Leicester since 2012, lifting the Premier League with the Foxes in 2016, but his time at the King Power Stadium could be about to come to an end with his contract running until June.
Surprise package Nottingham Forest have risen to second place in the table at the halfway mark and, regardless of how the rest of the season unfolds, will have a battle on their hands to keep the star men at the heart of their phenomenal run.
The worrying thing for Nuno Espirito Santo is that Ola Aina and Chris Wood could be heading out the door in the summer and both are now free to chat with foreign teams.
At West Ham, Michail Antonio’s contract expires in June but he is likely to be handed a new contract after a shocking car accident ruled him out for the season.
Wolves appear to be resurgent under new manager Vitor Pereira, but will be desperate to retain reliable right-back Nelson Semedo, as well as Mario Lemina, who captained the club at the start of the season before handing the armband to his Portuguese teammate.
Chelsea and Bournemouth are two teams that can relax this window, with only Lucas Bergstrom approaching the end of his contract with the Blues and not a single Bournemouth player whose contract expires this summer.