Choose any 3 from 4 in the relegation battle

After the weekend fixtures it now looks like relegation from the Premier League will be three team from the current bottom four. Swansea had a great win away to Arsenal in midweek. Bournemouth won comfortably away to Newcastle on Saturday so the bottom four are now sit in a group 8 points adrift of the rest of the table, smooth looks nigh on impossible to catch the rest up with only 9 games left for most of the table.

So who will go down?

Aston Villa

This has been the season that has finally caught up with the Randy Lerner administration of Villa. There has been chronic underinvestment in the club for years and the manager Remi Garde looks to have been brought in to work in the Championship rather than the Premier League.

They have been poor all season from front to back. They don't score enough goals and leak far too many. It also looks like many of the team have given up.

Finish = 20th

Norwich City

They started with a lot of character but in a similar manner to Burnley last year they just don't have enough quality. Goals have been a real problem and with Cameron Jerome leading the line they don't have the firepower to remedy this.

Their home form isn't good enough to suggest that they can find enough points to survive.

Finish = 19th

The North East teams

The derby between Newcastle and Sunderland on in two weeks time is huge. If Leicester beat Newcastle next Monday then a win for Sunderland in the derby would give them a 4 point lead over their rivals - this would be a massive gap at this stage of the season. But a win for Newcastle would restore some confidence and keep the battle going for a few weeks more.

Newcastle look leaderless both on and off the pitch. Steve McClaren has proven himself as a great coach but has failed more often than not as a manager. Mile Ashley disappears when the going gets tough and this time is no exception to that.

Any team that has to rely on Coloccini and Steven Taylor in defence will struggle.

Sunderland have shown more promise recently but don't seem to be able to convert good performances into points. They don't keep clean sheets and really seem to be incapable of putting chances in the back of the net.

Newcastle finish = 18th

Sunderland finish = 17th

Who will be the big movers in the January transfer window?

We are edging towards the January transfer window and clubs will have already set budgets, discussed targets and made init enquiries about how they wish to recruit. With a few "big" clubs underachieving and untold riches available for staying in the Premier League, I expect a considerable amount of money to be spent. Here I take a look at the major recruiters in January and where I expect them to splash the cash.

Chelsea

The champions have has a dreadful start to the season, and Jose Mourinho is no stranger to spending his club owners money. They have looked weak in defence and long-term replacements for John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic are needed. With Diego Costa looking injury-prone and neither Loic Remy nor Radamel Falcao cutting the mustard I can see a move for a striker - especially of they can offload Falcao back to Monaco.

Newcastle

Although Steve McClaren has stated that he's happy with the current squad, the loss of Tim Krul is a massive blow. A quality keeper is worth 10 points per season, and this could be the difference between survival and relegation this year. I'd expect them to look for a short-term option, someone like Victor Valdes, as Krul will be number one choice again when he's fit.

Sunderland

After another terrible start to a season and another managerial change I would expect some Big Sam wheeling and dealing in the transfer window. There will undoubtedly by some players leaving and others coming in, but the true nature of who comes in is dependent on who leaves. Expect some of the older players such as Wes Brown and Jermain Defoe to leave and some defenders to come in.

Aston Villa

Another big club with a new manager and an awful season to date. Villa haven't spent much for a long time now and, like Sunderland, I can't see loads of players coming in unless loads of players leave. But they have to improve immediately if they are to have any hope of statyng up.

These won't be the only teams that need strengthening in January but are the ones that stand out to me as the most likely at the moment. But all it takes is an injury for a team to suddenly see a gaping hole where that they think needs filling with an expensive player.

Watch this space!