Top 10 January loan signings: McEachran, Defoe, Keane, Watt, Wilson and more

The January transfer window not only offers clubs the opportunity to waste copious amounts of money on dodgy strikers - naming no names *cough* Torres, Carroll *cough* - but also gives them the chance to pick up bargain loan players for the remainder of the season.

The recent successful loan spells of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge and Man United's Danny Welbeck have proven the benefits of loaning young talent, as they return with experience and ready for first-team action. Also, with the European Championships coming up next year, many top players are searching for first-team action to try and stake their place in national team squads. Here, talkSPORT takes a look at 10 of the best January loan targets your club should try and sign…

WILL KEANE
BIRTHDATE: 11/01/1993
CLUB: Manchester United
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Huddersfield
Currently winning plaudits as part of United's reserve team, 18-year-old Keane has caught the eye of the unbeaten League One side Huddersfield. He signed a professional contract with United in 2009 and has since been a part of the 2009 Milk Cup-winning side and the 2010/11 FA Youth Cup-winning side. Keane hit 13 goals in 23 games in 2009/10, earning himself the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Season award and a place in the England U18 squad - he has since moved up to the U21s. Though unlikely to be ready to step up to United's first team for some time, Keane's progress at the club has been publicly commented upon, most notably by Paul Scholes, who said: "I think Will Keane has the capability to be a top-class centre-forward, he's one of the lads I've been working with. He was always someone I Iiked when I was watching the youth teams. He's just got this presence about him, he's a strong lad and has great feet - the ability to strike a ball. The kind of things Ruud van Nistelrooy had."

Jermain Defoe
BIRTHDATE: 07/10/1982
CLUB: Tottenham
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Everton and QPR
Keen to justify a place in Fabio Capello's England squad for next year's European Championships, Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has reportedly asked if he can go out on loan in January if he's not playing regularly. With Spurs' attacking duo of Adebayor and Van der Vaart enjoying good form, Defoe has found himself struggling for playing time, despite scoring a cracker away to West Brom as Spurs maintained their winning run. In fact, Defoe has already scored seven goals this season and the former West Ham forward would add goal-power to any side, meaning he would be a brilliant signing for clubs such as Swansea, Everton or Aston Villa, who are struggling to find the back of the net. Whether Harry Redknapp would let him go is another matter, but he's one manager who seemingly never rules out a deal.

Romelu Lukaku
BIRTHDATE: 13/05/1993
CLUB: Chelsea
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Everton, Villarreal and Malaga
The 18-year-old Belgian joined Chelsea this summer for £18million and has so far only made six appearances for the Blues. Unable to go out on loan earlier in the season because players cannot move twice in the same transfer window, Chelsea manager Andre-Villas-Boas will now look to send away his 'mini-Drogba' striker to give him vital experience of English football and, hopefully, recapture the form that made him the Belgian League's leading goal scorer in 2009/10 season.

JOSH MCEACHRAN
BIRTHDATE: 01/03/1993
CLUB: Chelsea
POSITION: Midfielder
INTERESTED: Swansea and Bolton
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers' public plea to sign McEachran on loan in January was initially dismissed by Andre Villas-Boas, but a loan spell for the 18-year-old midfielder could improve his chances of breaking in to the first team in the long run, having made only three appearances this season for the Blues. "We didn't have as many competing in midfield last year, so Josh had more chances to be in the team," admitted AVB. "I've just been choosing others. But that doesn't mean Josh's future wouldn't be at Chelsea. It will be."

Wayne Bridge
BIRTHDATE: 05/08/1980
CLUB: Manchester City
POSITION: Left-back
INTERESTED: QPR, Swansea and Doncaster
Bridge is nowhere near getting a place in the Man City first team and went out on loan with West Ham last year. City need to decrease their huge wage bill and Bridge's £90,000 a week wage is an obvious candidate, but the clubs interested in signing the former Chelsea and England defender would surely gawp at the ridiculous pay packet. If they cannot sell Bridge, City will have to offer to fund part of his wages.

Mame Biram Diouf
BIRTHDATE: 16/12/1987
CLUB: Manchester United
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Cardiff, Cologne
The Sengalese forward has failed to make an impact since arriving at Man United from Norwegian side Molde in 2009. United have since loaned Diouf back to Molde and to Blackburn last season, where he scored six goals in 29 appearances. Now, the 23-year-old says he would like to go out on loan again: "Sometimes you have a winner of the Golden Ball (Michael Owen) or last season's top scorer (Dimitar Berbatov) not even on the bench, in the last game the striker substitutes were Rooney and Hernandez. I will keep on fighting and see, going on a loan to play regularly would benefit both parties."

DANI PAREJO
BIRTHDATE: 16/04/1989
CLUB: Valencia
POSITION: Midfielder
INTERESTED: Arsenal, Everton and Fulham
Parejo has struggled to stake his place in Unai Emery's Valencia side and is reportedly adamant he wants a move in January. The former QPR midfielder has found himself something of an outcast Spain, making just five appearances this season, but the 22-year-old creative midfielder and former Real Madrid academy graduate could supply some Spanish skill to any side in need of some flair in January.

Danny Wilson
BIRTHDATE: 27/12/1991
CLUB: Liveprool
POSITION: Defender (centre-back)
INTERESTED: Rangers, Blackpool
The 19-year-old has only made one appearance for Liverpool this season during their win over Exeter in the League Cup and is looking to increase his chances of playing for the Scottish national team, not to mention showing Reds manager Kenny Dalglish he has the ability to become a first team player at Anfield. Wilson was awarded the Scottish Young Player of the Year award in 2010 and Rangers coach Ally McCoist is keen to bring the former player back to Scotland. Wilson is open to a loan move, saying: “I think I'll probably have to go out on loan, although I'm not sure where. There are a lot of players at my club so it would probably be best for my career to go somewhere else just now."

Roman Pavlyuchenko
BIRTHDATE: 15/12/1981
CLUB: Tottenham
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Everton, QPR
Another Tottenham striker looking to cement his place in his national team ahead of the European Championships, Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko has issued a plea to Harry Redknapp to let him go, saying: "I have to do something in the transfer period. We’re ahead of the European Championship. If I don’t change [my club] then Euro 2012 will be played without me." The 29-year-old has regularly appeared for Spurs in the Europa League, but has only made two appearances in the Premier League so far this season. Everton, who are desperate for strike-power and lacking in funds, could find a place for the out-of-favour forward.

SANCHEZ WATT
BIRTHDATE: 14/02/1991
CLUB: Arsenal
POSITION: Striker
INTERESTED: Sheffield Wednesday and Crawley
On emergency loan with League One side Sheffield Wednesday until January, talented and versatile Arsenal forward Sanchez Watt, who can play on the wing or up front, is an exciting prospect for the future. The 20-year-old AFC academy graduate has spent two loan spells with Leeds United, where he helped them achieve promotion to the Championship in 2010. Watt was part of Arsenal's FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2008/09 and is need of regular first-team performances to continue his development at senior level.